How to support sales and motivate employees using the Mystery Shopper tool?
- Knowledge base
The Mystery Shopper tool is mainly used to test the quality of service and enforce set standards at points of sale. Often, their results are a component of the overall assessment and implementation of sales plans, including the awarding or not of bonuses or other forms of gratification to top salespeople. Is it possible, then, to effectively motivate employees through the audit tool so that the Mystery Shopper visits conducted have a positive reflection for the entire organization?
For one of the top manufacturers in the home appliance industry, we carried out a multi-year project linked to Mystery Shopper visits. The auditor's visits were part of a concept embedded in a loyalty and incentive program for electronics retailers. Our tasks included: investigating brand recommendations and checking how to explain the technology used in the manufacturer's devices. The salespeople underwent a series of training sessions using e-learning tools. After receiving training dedicated to specific product categories, the salespeople took short knowledge tests on the training they had received. Then our Mystery Shoppers headed out into the country. We visited all stores from major chains in the electronics industry regardless of the size of cities and their location. Initially secretive visits, they ended up giving feedback on how the entire meeting went. By far the greater part, the auditor congratulated the positive result and victory. As part of the reward, the salespeople were able to improve their skills in a series of training courses, as well as received high-value home appliances.
The synergy of several sales support tools brings long-lasting benefits from building employee engagement, to point-of-sale results and ultimately the execution of the distributor's or manufacturer's strategy.
