Sales Strategy
Jimmy DeGroot: Make December a Win for Your Sales Team November 24, 2025 (0 comments)
Appleton, WI--If you watch a great sales team in December, it already looks a little like a game. There’s a countdown clock to Christmas Eve, a scoreboard in your POS, and a constant buzz of, “Who just closed that big one?” The smartest jewelers I work with don’t fight that energy—they gamify it.
Recent research on retail sales teams shows that adding simple game mechanics—points, levels, and leaderboards—can significantly increase both motivation and sales volume. The key isn’t gimmicks; it’s focus. When you reward the right behaviors, people do more of them. When you make progress visible, they stay engaged.
Instead of saying, “Everyone, sell more,” turn the season into a series of micro-challenges tied to your most profitable activities:
- 5 points for showing a second option at a higher price
- 5 Getting a customer’s information
- 10 points for more than one item per sale
- 15 points for selling an add-on item that’s 2x the price of the original item
- Bonus points for Google reviews mentioning a salesperson by name
Post a simple leaderboard in the break room or on your Slack channel. Run short sprints—three-day or one-week games—so more people get a chance to win. Reset often so your quieter team members aren’t crushed by one top producer. Or, even better yet, create games that the entire team wins at, even support and back-office staff.
Prizes don’t have to be expensive. In fact, studies show that recognition and status often matter more than the dollar value. A prime parking spot, choosing the Friday lunch, or a “golden lanyard” that signals the current champ can be surprisingly powerful. What matters is that the rules are clear, the scoring is transparent, and everyone actually has a shot.
One warning: don’t gamify the outcome without honoring the customer. If your game pushes people to cram add-ons the customer doesn’t want, it will backfire. Align every challenge with behaviors that genuinely improve the client experience—listening, presenting options, offering care plans, and inviting them back in January.
This December, instead of nagging your team to hustle, give them a game that’s fun, fair, and focused. When your people play the right game, your customers feel it—and your holiday numbers show it.
James (Jimmy) DeGroot is a professional jewelry sales and operations trainer from the jeweler’s side of the counter. Having been in management and the jewelry business for over 20 years, Jimmy offers weekly training to jewelers nationwide via the Train Retail website. Jimmy and his partner Kyle Bullock help jewelry stores grow their profits and their people to fulfill their greater purpose! We do it through one-on-one business coaching, sales training, and leadership development. Contact Jimmy at jimmy@trainretail.com or call 920-492-1191.