Performance management and incentive design for Computer stores: targets people can influence
Monthly targets drive a computer store, but a target set from the owner's wish and not from the shelf and footfall feels unfair. Good targets are ones a seller can see and influence.
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Share your requirementsWhy performance management and incentive design matters in computer stores
Targets in a computer store often come from the owner or the brand: so many systems, so many peripherals, so much revenue. A seller on a slow week sees the number and gives up by the fifteenth. Another seller sits near the door and gets all the footfall. Both are judged on the same figure.
A fairer design splits the target by role, shift and season. College admission months and festival offers bring different traffic. Review should also look at things the number hides, such as how a seller handles a confused buyer, and how often their customers return with the same query.
How to set it up
1. Set targets from real footfall
Look at last year's busy and slow months. Split the monthly figure by week and by shift so the counter at a slow hour is not judged against peak.
2. Add one quality measure
Alongside sales, count repeat customers, returns or customer remarks. This keeps the seller thinking about the buyer.
3. Give weekly feedback
A five minute chat each Monday on last week's numbers and one thing to try. Waiting for month end wastes the chance to change.
4. Review technicians on bench measures
First-time fix rate, turnaround time and repeat faults. Keep it to three measures and share them with the technician.
5. Hold a twice-yearly talk
Sit with each person, read the notes together and agree one skill or product line to build. Link it to growth in grade or branch.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Look at whether targets differ for slow and peak weeks.
- Ask a seller what they would change in their own target.
- Check if returns or repeat visits are counted anywhere.
- See whether technicians have ever seen their own repair turnaround figures.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach performance management and incentive design in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Start with a lower figure for the first two months, paired with a senior. Raise it as the person learns the range. Give feedback every week so they know where they stand.
Rotate counter positions or assign customers by turn. Otherwise, adjust targets for position. People accept a fair rotation more than a promise to compensate later.
It can motivate some and demoralise others. If you show one, include quality measures as well as sales, and recognise improvement, not only the top spot.