Are your employees coming in happy and ready to roll, or are they dragging themselves to work? Low morale can quickly break a company’s success by causing low productivity, poor customer service, and lack of cooperation. Try a creative approach to boosting your employees’ morale so they look forward to coming to work, and have a good attitude toward their job. Add some fun and give them a chance to earn rewards and recognition. They will be better salespeople and will contribute toward exceptional customer service.

Add the fun of sales games. When implementing your games, be energetic throughout your explanation of how the games are played, and about the rewards. As the owner or manager of a retail store, you must lead with enthusiasm and let your attitude spread. Get them excited to sell and sell more!

Games should be preplanned in the off-season and scheduled so you are ready for them throughout the busy season. They need to be played in short term durations such as weekends or weekly. It is more effective to have smaller, more frequent rewards to keep the enthusiasm rolling. Plan the games for salespeople to compete against each other and some to achieve a set goal. Think about including support personnel such as stock boys and lab technicians by pairing them with a salesperson. If the salesperson wins, they win, too.

Games should be easy to implement and tally. Consider having everyone roll a pair of dice at the end of a day or week. Multiply the number on the dice you roll by your sales total. Use the third highest sales total for the support personnel’s score. This combines skill with chance and creates a fun and competitive atmosphere for everyone.

“RB Control Systems has game software already done and easy to implement. They can be ready in minutes. You just enter the players, the items or sales goals depending on the game, the time period and the reward. Then, print the handouts explaining the game rules and give them to your staff,” said Eric Cassidy, Vice President of Valley Pool & Spa. “You don’t need RB Control Systems software to use the game discs, but in RB you can enter the Game Tracker items and print reports instantly to see who won.”

Combine game items with coupons and make sure they are easily accessible at the cash registers so salespeople can reach and suggest. Displays should jump out at the customer and be merchandised to help the item sell. Signage is important. Signs should be clear, easy to read, and perceived as a silent sales person.

Make sure that your salespeople are well trained on the game items and they can present them to each customer at the counter in 30 seconds or less. You need your staff to present them to increase sales at the counter, but they also need to keep the lines moving when you’re busy.

Make an honest effort to keep the enthusiasm about the games rolling so that the people on the front lines increase profits. Schedule yourself to go into your store and spread encouragement about the current game while it is being played. This is also an opportunity to learn if someone needs help or training with product knowledge or salesmanship skills.

If you give commission, play the games in addition to commission. The game rewards don’t need to be big and costly; they just need to add a little excitement. Consider small gift cards to local restaurants, no closing procedures for a week, or a bonus hour of pay.

It is important that you congratulate the winner or winners to celebrate their accomplishments. Post the results of the games for everyone to see. The more you spread praise and gratitude, the harder they will try for the next reward.