Sales motivation – US style

A year of gourmet meals, a paid day off to go fishing or an engraved baseball bat – some of the incentives suggested by the sales directors interviewed in Success magazine and website based in the US. The article looks at key ways to motivate staff along with interviews with several sales and marketing directors. Sales coach Mark Palmer says that a successful sales manager needs to be clear on what motivates their particular team – ‘it is critical to identify what excites your people—maybe it’s cash, certain gifts, prestige, peer recognition or job satisfaction.’ Another strategy is to involve the whole company in the latest sales drive, as the success of the sales force is often key to the company’s success. ‘Encourage supporting departments—such as customer service, engineering and marketing—to be supportive of the sales staff’s efforts,’ says Palmer. For more ideas and motivational strategies, read the full article at http://www.success.com/articles/1445-how-to-motivate-your-sales-staff

Consumer confidence – rising or just a ‘blip’?

Is life as a sales manager, particularly a retail sales manager, about to get any easier? Latest data shows that consumers’ attitudes to spending may be beginning to change. The regular UK Consumer Confidence Index produced by GfK/NOP has risen one point to its highest level since June 2011, showing significant shift in consumer attitudes. Nick Moon, managing director of social research at GfK, is quoted in Retail Gazette online magazine. “Following the much-anticipated but ultimately unseen lift from the Jubilee and Olympics, even a one point increase…will offer some grounds for optimism after such a stagnant summer.” The article considers other economic indicators to see if such optimism is justified. Moon does cautions against reading too much, too quickly into the data. “We will have to wait for next month’s figures to see if there has been a real change…or…whether this is just an end-of-summer blip,” he says. Read the whole article on retail confidence at http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/articles/12142-consumer-confidence-highest-since-june-2011