Retail trainer Harry Friedman, founder of the Friedman Group, knows how to recharge a sales team after the exhausting holiday season:

1. Make sure your sales goals are accurate for January and expectations aren’t too high.

2. Take your employees for a bite to eat one-on-one to talk about their year. Ask them “What do you need from me this year? How’s your job? How’s your life?” Give glorious feedback to employees who’ve earned it.

3. Morale is a function of productivity, not pampering. You can give everyone a massage, but that’s like putting lipstick on a pig. People in retail value time and money.

4. If you can afford to give your employees a day off and pay for it, you should.

5. If you’re a small company, consider buying them a useful or important gift. I once bought a set of tires for an employee who needed them. She was thrilled.

Source: Harry Friedman, thefriedmangroup.com