Month: February 2014

Launching Your Incentive Program

Launching your incentive programEvents are FUN! Michelle and I discussed the other day our love of planning different types of events. From cook outs and dinner parties for family and friends to races, appreciation luncheons, or recognition and incentive program kick-offs. Kick-Off events get people excited. Whether you are launching casual Friday, an incentive program or your new website, the hype and excitement of a kick-off event can be contagious. The launch DOES NOT have to be a huge to-do, but there are a few basics that should be considered.

Food – I don’t know about you, but I will attend almost any event that has food. Snack food or catered food, you can’t go wrong with some fruit trays, veggie trays, lemonade, chips and dip. Also, I highly recommend a cake – which always brings people in. Don’t forget to customize it with your company logo and/or incentive program theme.

Information – Having lured the masses with yummy snacks, make sure that the kick-off is informative. Provide program information such as theme, incentive program website, program rules and contact information of program administrators.

Show participants how the program creates value for the organization.  Your incentive program should stimulate employee engagement and performance by placing increased value on work tasks. With something at stake, people become more committed to meeting goals. For the program to succeed, everything about it — the objectives, reward offerings, the communication of messages and program support — needs to convey to participants that “this is a valuable program and worth the effort.”

Enthusiasm – make sure that YOU are excited about the program. Remember why it was created, to increase sales or loyalty, drive employee engagement, or encourage safe work habits (reducing accidents) – to improve the bottom line.  This should make YOU excited! Employees will follow your leadership – and if they see management/ownership engaged and enthusiastic – they will be excited about it.

So, when would you have this event? Well, schedule it the day the website launches, or the next week, or the week before. The timing is up to you. If the site has already launched and you want to improve program engagement, have a redemption party to make everyone aware of their points. Print off score cards or posters of program rewards.  The possibilities are endless.

Launch parties are a break from the everyday norm and should create excitement about your new incentive program.  Contact us to find out more about designing – and launching – an effective incentive program.

A Smoother Flight with Effective Program Communications

On the trip home following a recent sales meeting at our offices in Memphis, my flight encountered some of the most significant (worst?) clear-air turbulence that I have experienced in some time. Since I am a fairly frequent flyer, I was never really worried about the turbulence. But it was a bit unsettling nonetheless –… Read more »

Highway Safety and Your Safety Incentive Plan

If you commute to work chances are good that you see your share of accidents each week – and perhaps a good number of near misses.  I’m surprised the number isn’t higher given the congestion of our nation’s roads and highways.  In many ways, highway safety has much in common with safety incentive programs. An… Read more »

Recognition and Incentive Solutions – Partner not Pioneer

A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution blog entry by John Saddington entitled Look to Partner, Not Pioneer addresses a culture of innovation over partnership and how that may not always be the best solution to one’s business goals.  If you are considering a recognition or incentive program for your organization, partnering with a recognition and incentive solutions… Read more »

The X’s and O’s of Incentive Program Design

At QIC we decided to follow up the Broncos – Seahawks Big Game with a soup bowl (or two) of our own.  For a little friendly competition we had a soup cook-off (dubbed the QIC Souper Bowl) on the Monday following the Seahawks’ victory.  In the process I discovered a direct parallel to effective incentive… Read more »

Website Demolition and Incentive Program Design

There’s a very interesting, somewhat tongue-in-cheek article in a recent edition of the Marketing Profs news compilation and blog. (Side note: If you haven’t already checked out this excellent service, I highly recommend it). This particular article, Destroy Your Website in 13 Easy Steps, by Andy Crestodina, highlights some practices that companies definitely should avoid… Read more »