SALES RESULTS : A Competitive Scheme.—Where the selling force has an interest in securing the greatest possible amount of business month by month, by virtue of their being paid wholly or partly on commission, it would seem at first sight that nothing beyond the extra commission accruing from extra effort could be needed as an inducement to harder work. In practice, this is not entirely true, for a man soon settles down to a regular output of energy, and does not materially exceed it except under sonic unusual stimulus. Taking the case of a sales agent working entirely upon a fairly high rate of commission in a business where the closing of each order means a ten-pound note, it would seem as if, in the race for wealth, such a man would never leave off work. As a matter of fact, such men gene rally take matters very easily, and, even in their extreme case, an extra stimulus is required in a month when an unusual turnover is desired by the management.
A prize to the leading salesman awarded every month soon becomes a matter of course, and is rarely referred to after the first few months. Unless a somewhat ridiculous handicap is placed upon star salesmen, it is generally easy to predict who will win such a prize before the month is half finished.
Unusually good results, and incidentally, largely increased profits, have been obtained by offering rewards partaking of a personal nature to salesmen doing best business. A really useful and specially fitted travelling bag, a specially designed article of jewellery for personal wear, a gold watch with suitable inscription, have each in their turn produced astonishing competition amongst selling men who could easily have afforded to purchase such articles for themselves. It is human to like to have something to aim at, and to
strive to beat some other contestant, or all of them.
Such a plan of occasional prize-giving must not often be used if there is danger of overstocking retailers through it. It applies more particularly to those who are selling something special and not so much to staple goods. The idea is that although a man may be doing a good day's work, it is generally possible for him to make just one more call before beading for home or the hotel. The result of the extra effort, spread over a large selling force, tells up wonderfully in a whole month.
The one great drawback to giving prizes to travelling men is that they are likely to wonder too much at the commencement of a month what sort of inducements are going to be put up that month, ai.d if none at all are offered it is necessary to fall back upon the extra commission to be secured by extra effort. With the best of sales managers and district managers, it is prac tically impossible to tell whether any particular men are really working hard or not when they are scattered all over the country, many of them hundreds of miles from the base. The giving of a few prizes occasionally is well worth trying, provided the contestants are well posted during the competition upon the prooTess of all other members of the organisation.