The Motivation Conversation

How to Create a 100% Targeted Marketing Program

When developing a marketing budget sometimes it can be difficult to know which programs will produce the desired result and behavior of your target audience.  Our programs take the guess work out and allow you to 100% target your audience. 

If you would like to learn more:

The Common Thread in Horse Racing, Baseball, and Business

I read a line in a newspaper article recently that really struck me. The gist of the story was that prior to a big horse race, the jockey asked the trainer to define the strategy he wanted to employ. The trainer said, “Get out in front, then improve your position.”

Simply brilliant.

The reason I liked it so much is that it’s really the essence of what we preach. Incentives are about improving performance, and a typical incentive winner is the kind of person who, like the trainer’s advice, gets out in front and keeps on getting better. The fact that you’re in the lead doesn’t mean you should let up, because sure as night follows day, your competitors will be relentless in their pursuit. So if you’re ahead and you’ve reached your goal, keep going and reach higher. As one of the world’s greatest ad guys said, “your reach should exceed your grasp, or what are the heavens for.”

Being born and raised in Philadelphia, I am a passionate Phillies fan who loves seeing my team boasting the best record in the major leagues. As of 3 days ago, they were a whopping 7 ½ games ahead of second place Atlanta. The Braves came into town for a critical 3 game series. The Phillies swept all 3 games and now are 10 ½ games ahead. The Phillies were in front, and improved their position.

In 1964, the Phillies were ahead by 6 ½ games with a mere 12 games left in the season. They were comfortably out in front. But rather than going for the jugular, they rested on their laurels, lost 10 games in a row and finished second!

Though both teams share the same name, and both got out in front and had the championship within their reach, one improved their position and will win, while the other remained complacent and lost.

See any analogies with your sales force or dealer network?

Top 5 Ways to use Incentive Travel as Recognition for Non-Sales Employees

When you think of incentive travel as a recognition tool for employees the focus tends to be on recognizing and rewarding sales employees for performance.  In the current economic climate companies are implementing new approaches to gain market share and the focus is shifting to motivating all employees' behaviors that drive business success.  Given this recent trend the Incentive Research Foundation conducted a soon to be released study the Design and Impact of Employee Recognition Travel Programs.  When you are directing group travel rewards at your non-sales employees here are the top 5 strategies to a successful program:

• Align the Program with Company Culture- Reinforce your program's mission and vision to desired outcomes
• The Program Needs Management Support- Support and reinforcement is key from all levels of management including senior leaders
• Clarify the Nomination Process Early and Often- Provide managers with a clear criteria and guidance for submission to ensure the most deserving employees are recognized
• The Evaluation and Selection Process Must Be Transparent- Key considerations are who to involve in the selection of winners, what criteria will be used, and to what extent to share the details of this process with employees
• Incentive Travel is One Piece of the Recognition Equation- Building a campaign in support of the annual trip is one way to increase the frequency of program touches and to keep the message fresh

More and more companies are using incentive travel as a tool to drive desired behavior in their non-sales employees.  Another key takeaway is that incentive travel costs a lesser percentage of employee's salaries than cash recognition and has a much higher perceived reward value than cash.  So it costs less as reward and the value and results are higher.

 

What is the Secret to Keeping Your Customers?

I had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed by one of the top experts in the field of customer service and loyalty Lisbeth Caladrino.  Check out her most recent blog post as we discuss strategic ways to improve and build customer loyalty by properly rewarding your customers.

Shape of Incentives Today

Take a look and listen to this webinar on the state of Incentive Travel programs and how they reflect lasting changes in the economic landscape. 

Presented by:

Jeff Broudy- Chairman of the Incentive Research Foundation

Melissa Van Dyke- President of the Incentive Research Foundation

Top 2011 Trends Motivating the Workforce

The Incentive Research Foundation has released “Top 2011 Trends Motivating the Workforce”.

Among the factors highlighted in the paper:

• Adjusting to a "new normal" that better fits today's budgetary constraints and the importance of transparency.
• The impact of globalization and the increasing interest in incentives by the BRIC countries.
• Increasing government involvement regulating gift cards and encouraging wellness incentives.
• Emerging participant preferences for meaningful experiences over tangible products.
• Changing social influencers and priorities that emphasize factors like Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Modifications tied to virtual communication and tactics like games.

We all know the only constant is change and that the audience for incentives continues to evolve with new tastes and expectations. Projections show that by 2012 the Generation X and Y audience will be larger than the Baby Boomers and, most importantly, will be outspending the Baby Boomers by 2014. What are your plans to adapt to this changing paradigm?

-Jeff Broudy is Executive Vice President of United Incentives and the Chairman of the Incentive Research Foundation.

Non-Financial Sales Incentives a Competitive Advantage

With thoughts to the New Year we looked to the Herman Trend Alert: 2011 Workforce/Workplace forecast. We have found the Herman Groups' Human Resources and Business Development forecasts to be very accurate and it is a great resource if you have not come across it before.  They have a top ten list of forecasts and one of the categories states the following:

"Any remaining companies that had not restored sales incentives will do so next year. Recognizing the competitive disadvantage employers not only restore incentives to previous levels, but will also look for innovative ways to augment these programs with meaningful non-financial incentives keyed to the individuals' social circumstances."

In 2011 companies will implement non-financial sales incentives as a competitive advantage in the marketplace.  Companies that do not will be  competitively disadvantaged.  Engaging your employees, channnel partners, and customers with meaningful incentives in 2011 will leave your company a step ahead of the curve in the New Year.

Sales Motivation- Pulling the Correct Strings

Thinking of ways to increase corporate productivity and performance in today's economic climate we put together an animation on sales motivation and how to pull the correct strings:

Anatomy of a Successful Incentive Travel Program

Groucho Marx once said "Talk, talk, talk.....when do we eat? Finally, there is an independent study that proves the efficacy of incentives that you can sink your teeth into.  The Incentive Research Foundation's "Anatomy of a Successful Travel Program" demonstrates the end-to-end financial, employee retention and economy boosting benefits of a well conceived incentive program.  It's a tasty treat in a world of sour skeptics.

Employers Can You Hear Me?

Communication begins with active listening.  When employees feel heard, it increases their stake in your business and enhances their core values about why they are working there. The translation is they are happier and better performing employees.

Most employees do not respond well to just a one-sided stream of information raining down from above.  Giving them a forum for feedback creates an atmosphere that encourages an entrepreneurial and empowering spirit. You might be thinking that in this current business /economic climate you don’t have the time for listening or else you think that all you’ll hear would be complaints.

Try looking at it this way,  if you put a kettle on the stove and stand there the water will heat up to the perfect temperature you’d like for a cup of tea however, if you walk out of the kitchen and leave the kettle on its own the water temperature becomes scalding and boils over.  Complaints boil over from lack of attention.

Another important way to recognize your employees is with rewards for performance.  By listening to them you’ll learn about their focus and interests thereby, tailoring the right rewards program that will engage, motivate, and retain them.

Remember too that your employees are on the front line of your operations and their feedback and experience is very useful for learning about your customers and targeting your business to them. Your employees are your in-house market research department.  Utilize their intelligence, skills, and experience to encourage new ideas and solutions, because ultimately for business success and satisfaction, it should be everybody’s business!