Do You Have a Do It Yourself Sales Incentive Mentality?

The traditional carrot-and-stick type incentive programs put the focus solely on the result, and not on the means of achieving the result. While these types of programs can achieve results, they can also encourage bad behaviors that can do damage to the brand and hurt sales in the long run by creating unhappy customers who speak out on social media. It’s well known what some salespeople can do in narrowly focused programs – shift the timing of sales to maximize points, sell something a customer doesn’t want, push harder than is appropriate, make promises that can’t be kept, etc. It is unfortunate, but since the only program measure is the outcome, some salespeople do resort to such tactics!

For many years the incentive industry has extolled the importance of designing programs that not only address the results, but also the best ways to achieve them. The industry is full of research and papers from groups like Incentive Marketing Association, PPAI, SITE, Incentive Gift Card Council, Rewards and Recognition Network and the Incentive Research Foundation.  These organizations house a wealth of knowledge and have produced extensive research to help design incentive and recognition programs that will produce results.  Unfortunately these materials are almost never used.  Why?

In the high energy quick fix mentality of today’s business, people planning incentive programs are looking for a quick fix or a bright shiny object to motivate and often don’t want to hear about, let alone pay for, a program design process, even with the promise of better results or return-on-investment measurement. Many managers feel qualified to follow their own instincts. This often boils down to a determination that motivation is just a matter of dangling desirable carrots with perhaps a few unwritten threats thrown in for good measure. 

If you are interested in planning a sales incentive program we would advise you to engage the award companies who have the knowledge to help you make it successful. Award companies have knowledge to design programs based on accumulated best practices.  Just like the great mechanic, they not only know how to use a wrench, they know what nut to turn. 

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net