Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What do you do to motivate your sales team?
Here are their responses:
“Our RSAs are paid on commission but we often run contests for certain segments, product lines and add-ons. Another thing we started this year is tags for a custom leather keychain with our logo and ROCKSTAR letters. Staff can nominate fellow employees who have gone above and beyond. Leadership picks two to three team members to receive a custom tag for their keychain. Each location also competes for the most profitable delivered sales numbers; the winning location receives a catered lunch.”
— Deb DeGraaf, DeGraaf Interiors, Grand Rapids, Mich.
“I keep my sales team motivated by setting clear goals, staying involved and making sure we celebrate progress, not just big wins. I focus on what each person does best, give real-time support and consistently focus on upholding a culture where accountability and teamwork actually feel energizing.”
— Mindy Lawley, Brian’s Flooring & Design, Birmingham, Ala.
“We do our best to include them in the stock buying process, so they have a vested say so in what is in the warehouse. I would like to believe that our process of negotiating stock buys puts our sales staff in a good position to make money.”
— Doug Peeples, Myers Flooring, Nashville, Tenn.
“Motivating the sales team starts with creating a culture of ownership and pride … making sure every team member understands the impact they have on the customer experience and the company’s success. We focus on the importance of listening and consultative selling, and we generously reward that initiative.”
— Pete Rubando, Giant Floor Scranton, Pa.
“We try to hire salespeople who are self-motivated and pair that with an incentive-based compensation plan where they are rewarded by reaching both volume and margin goals. We occasionally have contests but have not had a lot of success with those.”
— Tom Connell, M&M Carpet Showroom, Houston
