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. 🙂