Are you struggling with your in-store lead generation volume? You’re not alone.
Not long ago, a large retail brand was seeing a slump in their in-store leads. They were focused on their home services department, where they wanted store associates to start up conversations with customers regarding their home service needs (we’ve all been on the customer side of that, right?). From there, the associate was asked to collect customer information depending on their level of interest.
The problem was that their store associates didn’t seem excited or motivated to increase their leads. The number of leads they were getting was declining at a rapid pace, causing management a great deal of concern. After a few weeks, they decided to implement an incentive program that delivered a set cash payout per lead. Who doesn’t want a few extra bucks in their pocket, right?
Unfortunately, this cash incentive program did little for their lead generation system.
Surprising as this may sound, research shows that cash incentives aren’t as effective as you might think. This retail brand realized this the hard way with their declining leads, so they turned to the professionals for help.[bctt tweet=”Research shows that cash incentives aren’t as effective as you might think.” username=”motivateme”]
After visiting over 15 retail locations, we were able to identify a number of issues with their current program (in addition to the cash incentives), and committed to revitalizing their lead generation system.
The first step to re-engagement of the store associates was to create a simple yet effective communications campaign. By highlighting each home improvement service on quick-reference cards, the associates felt more informed & empowered to create dialogue with passing customers. Not only were they able to have more discussions, they were able to generate more quality leads.
In addition to the enhanced employee training, the Motivation Excellence program development team created a unique game card as the incentive. Each week, the store management would distribute game cards to the associates who had generated a quality lead.
The game card system allows each eligible associate to scratch off four squares and win a prize. Prizes range in amounts, but the cards are mathematically designed so that every card is a winner (and every card has the top prize!), but also designed to not go over budget.
Associates were engaged & enjoyed the thrill of scratching off their four squares to see what prize they had won. Since every card holds the top prize, internal motivation was continually generated for maximum impact for the lead generation program.
After the initial six months of the program, the brand renewed the program twice due to the positive momentum with participating associates. They experienced a 23.6% increase in leads, and the average leads per associate increased by 43%. In addition, this retailer’s overall sales increased 30.2% during the program period.
