How to Motivate Sales in a Department Store
- 1). Communicate with your employees exactly what your expectations are. Don't underestimate the importance of making sure your employees understand you, as they may simply be failing to meet your expectations because you failed to explain what they are. Have a staff meeting at the beginning of the month or week to explain exactly what you want to achieve and how you think your employees can do it.
- 2). Provide ample training for employees to give them the tools they need to do their jobs. Poorly trained employees may turn into frustrated employees, who will turn into unproductive employees unsure of what to do next. The training may have an up-front cost, but it can save you a bundle down the road in increased sales.
- 3). Use contests to stir up your employees' competitive spirits. You can create a contest that rewards the salesperson with the best sales numbers, or the one who gets the most positive comment cards. Keep the contests short-term -- maybe a month long -- in order to keep the finish line in sight, but long enough so that you can send out weekly or bi-weekly updates on how everyone is doing to keep that competitive fire burning. Offer a gift that they'll really appreciate at the completion of the contest, such as a day off.
- 4). Award cash to salespeople who meet certain goals. Extra pay is a powerful motivator to people who are likely only in it for the money to begin with, so take advantage of that by offering a decent boost to their paychecks for doing a good job. Consider awarding the cash at the conclusion of every week so that even if an employee fails one week, he'll have a fresh week to take another crack at it and won't become discouraged.
- 5). Get your team working as a group by offering some collective prizes, such as a company trip to the Bahamas. Group incentives are especially important for business with tight-knit employees who must work as a team in order to be successful.
