Working on commission
By Aaron Broverman • Bankrate.com

When Judy Stevens began working as a salaried employee for a home design store in a Vancouver suburb, she quickly discovered that her colleagues working on commission were prone to stealing her sales. "They'd just say, 'You're paid hourly. We're on commission, and we have to make a living.'"

Now that Stevens, who asked that her real name not be used, is beginning her sixth year at the store and is now on 100 percent commission, things have become downright ruthless. "They can be the nicest people, but (commission) brings out the real killer instinct in everybody," says Stevens.

Once, one of her longtime customers came in asking for Stevens while she was in the lunchroom. Instead of letting her know, Stevens says the vultures descended. "My colleague knows I never leave for lunch and she could've paged me, but she rings her up for a $998 picture frame and two $350 lamps. It's very cutthroat."

With the economy still shaky and many people desperate for their slice of the pie, it's no wonder commission environments can degenerate into back-stabbing and infighting among coworkers. But if you're in the eye of the storm, how do you beat them without joining them?

Creating a culture of respect
Stevens' story shows how people will resort to bad behaviour when they feel their jobs are on the line and their backs are against the wall. But Linda Allan, a Toronto-based management consultant who specializes in business behaviour, says these tactics do more to hurt bottom-line profits than anything else. "It really is a management issue, and they must sort out the kind of selling culture that would work best in that environment, whether it's large items, small items or service selling."

This means managers need to work with staff to create a code of conduct that is clearly visible on the sales floor. Of course, managers aren't always willing to help. "They say we all have to work together, (but) if we have a problem with another salesperson, we have to work it out between us," says Stevens. In this case, Allan believes the managers are shirking their responsibility to manage, but that's no reason to be discouraged.

"If she's raised this issue, she's probably not the only one, so employees who care should raise it at the next team meeting, and in that forum, with everybody there, they can revisit or formulate some guidelines around selling," says Allan. "Quite often the manager, if they're smart, will ask for ideas."

A courteous example could be something Stevens' says she's already asking customers. "Five simple words: Is anyone else helping you?"

Putting the customer first
Bringing the sales floor back from the brink of chaos means putting the customer first and going back to the basics of getting along, says Allan. "It's all about making the customer comfortable. As it is now, I'd bet the customers feel very uncomfortable because they know that environment is commission sales."

Respect is a top priority and she suggests that when a customer comes in asking for a specific person, you should page them or at least find out where they are and bring them to the front. If they're not in, reassure the customer that they will be seeing money from that sale. "Say something like, 'She's not in today, but Peggy will help you and they work as a team, so don't worry about the commission. They'll work it out."