Encouragement?

image For several reasons I’ve been thinking about employee motivation recently and had an encounter at Target I wanted to share…

My mother was in town and she had her heart set on a new Netbook (no fancy iPad for her).  We decided to go to Target to check them out.

While we were loitering around their electronics section a Target employee spotted us and asked us if we needed any help.  We told him we’d decided on a the netbook and he offered to fetch the blue one for us. 

When he returned he asked if we needed help picking out a case for it.  We asked his opinion and settled on a case.  Then the following conversation occurred.

Me: “Ok, well, thanks for you help.  We have some other shopping to do so we’ll check out in the front.”

Target Employee: “If you don’t mind, could you check out in Electronics so I get credit”.

Me: “I didn’t think Target worked on commission, but if they do I’m glad to make sure you get it. “

Target Employee: “We don’t have a commission plan.”

Me: “So what’s the motivation for you to check us out here before we’re done shopping”.

Target Employee: “Well, I get points for selling accessories with the electronics… like the case you got.”

Me: “What can you do with the points?”

Grinning Target Employee:  “At the end of the month we get a smiley face.”

Me: “And what does the smiley face get you?” – Anticipating some sort of reward beyond the sticker…

Highly Motivated Target Employee: “If we have a smiley face next to our name at the end of the month we don’t have to sit through the 2 hour training on how to sell more accessories.” 

Me <Now having decided to withdraw my application for employment @ target>: “So meeting avoidance is your only motivation?”

Sad Faced Target Employee that wished he was selling for ANYTHING other than points & stickers: “Pretty much… that meeting sucks. “ 

I think you can readily spot the lessons contained in that conversation.  🙂