Make retail selling fun:10 ways to keep your sales reps engaged on the floor

Selling the same products to the same customers within the same four walls can be mundane and boring. The same can be said about retail sales managers who see the same people each and every day.  Get your retail sales associates reenergized and excited about customer service and selling with these fun activities:

1.       Add-on Tag – One sales representative has to carry an impulse item n item that many customers need – think batteries, socks, jewellery cleaner, etc.  That sales rep must carry until he or she sells it by suggesting it to their customers.  Once they are successful they can hand the product off to another sales rep.  Spice it up by getting all reps involved…if another rep sells it first, the original rep must now carry two!

2.       Penalty Flag / Red Card – Pick an item that all sales associates should be suggestive selling.  If a sales rep forgets to suggest the item of the day people throw a flag or issue a red card.  As an alternative the sales reps could ring a bell when they are successful!

3.       Conversion Rate Poker Chips – Instead of tracking conversion rate through a boring spread sheet, buy a set of poker chips.  Every time a sales rep is successful at converting a sale they get a black chip.  If they are unsuccessful they get a red chip.  The sales rep with the highest percentage of conversions wins!

4.       Sales Bingo- (or tic-tac-toe) – each box represents an item that can be sold suggestively.  When it the card is completed they win a prize

5.       Horse Race – Use a large poster in the back room to represent a race track.  Every time a sales rep attains their daily goal their horse get to advance on the racetrack.  The person whose horse makes it around first wins.  Spice it up by having daily trifectas where sales reps can make up ground by hitting a three-way goal on a single day.

6.       Pass The Buck – Every time a chosen item is sold someone gets a dollar, the next time it is sold the dollar passes to the person who sold it.  Whoever is left holding the dollar at the end of the day wins!

7.       Yellow Shirt – Just like in the Tour de France the sales rep who is doing the best job at attaining their monthly quota gets to wear the “Yellow Shirt.”  That way everyone knows who the leader is!

8.       Traveling Trophy – Every week or month the sales rep with the best combined ranking wins a loving cup filled with candy.  At the end of the next month they have to hand the trophy off to the next winner so they are encouraged to excel month after month.

9.       Junk Food Jamboree – Everyone loves chocolate, chips, and soda…Set a team goal for the store.  If they attain it you get them a month’s work of junk food!  Or…switch it up by offering a spa day or gym membership!

10.   Steak or Beans – A great way to juice up a head-to-head contest.  Pick your category and then let your people run.  The winners get to eat steak and the losers get to eat beans at a group lunch

Retail Training Services can help you with increasing retail sales, profits and team member productivity.    Contact us today for a free one-hour consultation!

–          David Goodwin is the Principal of the Retail Advocacy Group.  As a 30 year veteran of the retail industry he has directed the activities of hundreds of retail locations and thousands of retail sales representatives and store managers.  RAG offers consulting services, retail sales training and management training programs.   You can learn more at www.retailertrainingservices.com.