OK, so there's definitely a gaming trend going on here. Just in the past two weeks or so, we've seen EpicWin convert users' to-do lists into games, and we've seen Ridekicks take a similar, fun-based approach to ride-sharing. The latest spotting? Finnish Deal Machine, which uses game mechanics to motivate and reward corporate sales staffs.

CRM and ERP packages are commonplace in many companies today, but they can be time-consuming to use without necessarily helping salespeople achieve their goals. The typical sales position, meanwhile, can be broken down into components remarkably comparable to those seen in many common games, including goals, achievements and earned rewards. Aiming to draw upon the fun and motivation inherent in gaming, Deal Machine applies a gaming model to reward salespeople for every step they take toward their goals. Sales managers set the rules used on Deal Machine, and they can tweak those rules as their effect becomes evident. A real-time leader board, meanwhile, is automatically generated by the site to provide analytics for management while also letting players know who is winning.

After a 30-day free trial, Deal Machine is free for up to two users, EUR 19 per month for 3 users, EUR 49 monthly for up to 10 users and EUR 99 per month for up to 25 users. Users also get more free time by inviting other organizations to use the service. One to try out on your own sales staff -- or to emulate with yet another game-based innovation.

Website: www.dealmachine.net