March 27/April 3, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 21
By David Romano
Dear David:
Is it just me or do sales associates seem less motivated these days? It is like pulling teeth to get them to go out and get their own leads. Am I wrong in expecting them to generate their own business? Do you have some techniques that have worked to incentivize them to get out of the store and shake the trees?
Dear Owner,
What you are facing is most likely attributed to generational differences and a flaw in your philosophy. Workers today are much different than those of your generation. Some of the differences are amazing and some can be frustrating. Expecting employees to be “just like you” is not only an unfair request due to these generational differences, but it is also unfair because you are a business owner with different aspirations and priorities.
The bigger concern is your overall philosophy on generating new business. There are two types of people in this world: hunters and skinners. Very rarely do you find a person with both qualities. Most RSAs fall under the category of skinners, people who do a great job with product selection, measuring, quoting, etc. They are content to work with customers to solve a need and be an advisor throughout every step of the process.
A hunter, on the other hand, is someone with a thirst for the thrill of the kill. They want to prospect, close the deal and then go back for more business later. They don’t want to do any of the “mundane” tasks of a skinner. In fact, they are rather bad at that part. These highly specialized individuals make up less than 10% of the population.
You should have your skinners focus on doing the best they can with the customers in front of them. Don’t push them out the door to fumble the ball and ruin any real chance you have of securing new business. However, you are looking for marginal gains and want to feel better about your team driving more business. Here is what I recommend:
- Have your team ask for referrals. Have them send an email to all closed customers with an attachment explaining your Friends and Family Program, which provides special accommodations to anyone who closed customer refers. All the referred customer needs to do is mention or print out the email to get the accommodation. For the person who provided the referral, they get a store credit for future purchases they can either use or transfer to anyone else.
- Have them send cards with handwritten envelopes to previous customers inviting them to a special event. Include all customers who have received a quote in the last six months but haven’t yet purchased. Also, include customers who have bought flooring from the store seven-plus years ago.
- Send a birthday card to the flooring. (Yes, I did just say send a card to the carpet, wood or tile.) Include tips to making sure it is cleaned and properly maintained. This simple, two-minute process will keep the RSA top of mind when there is a flooring need.
- Have each RSA join local referral groups. A ton of business can be generated over a glass of wine with the girlfriends or having lunch with other businesspeople.
- Make sure they are active with their online network of friends and colleagues on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. They need to let everyone know where they work and keep them informed of any special events or latest trends.
- Lastly, make sure they always have business cards to distribute to potential clients.
David Romano is the founder of Romano Consulting Group and Benchmarkinc, a group that provides consulting, benchmarking, recruiting and software solutions to the flooring, home improvement and restoration industries.