Category: Sales Incentives

Sales Incentive programs

Sales and the Performance Arena

June 9, 2016 by

sales and the performance arenaA recent study conducted by the Incentive Research Foundation sheds some interesting light on rewards favored by incentive program participants.  It also describes the relationship and importance of certain “awarding dynamics” to overall program success.

  • The physicality of the award presentation
  • The visibility or notoriety gained by recognition among coworkers
  • The inclusion of executive management – keeping them “in the loop”

While these will vary based upon program type and award rule, the consensus is that motivation requires more than plaques, merchandise, travel rewards, gift cards – and even sales commissions.  Successful recognition and incentive programs incorporate a balance of the above mentioned dynamics – especially when employed to improve sales performance.

Great salespeople possess certain attributes – all of which serve to make them effective and successful.  They are competitive, persistent, focused, extroverted, and can sometimes be seen as egotistical.  Harnessing the energy and passion that accompany these attributes will lead to greater performance gains and improved organizational success.

Where salespeople are concerned, the right balance between cash and non-cash rewards will generate more beneficial outcomes.  The effectiveness of sales commissions alone is less than that of holistic programs which include this cash/non-cash balance and a framework for structured recognition.  The advantages of this approach are many –

  • Acknowledgement of performance among peers and coworkers
  • Participants’ bragging rights about rewards earned and enjoyed
  • The reward serves as a reminder of the adversity overcome to achieve a goal or milestone
  • The human interaction between executives, management and associate
  • The opportunity to show where one stands among peers – be it a superstar, rising star or even a falling star

A comprehensive points-based sales incentive program provides the means to motivate, measure and reward achievers in the sales performance arena.   See how a QIC online points program can turbo charge your team – contact us today to schedule a demo.

Keep Momentum Going

April 12, 2016 by

As you may have read from many of my colleagues, a well-designed program is the foundation to any Incentive Program’s success.  You have designed the perfect key performance indicators, put together a communication strategy, and even finished configuring your site – but what happens after the launch?  How do you maintain strong momentum? During the… Read more »

Effective Sales Training

April 1, 2016 by

I recently read an article entitled How Effective Was That Sales Training which described a strategy of replacing metrics-based sales training with a program of post-training communication between the sales team.  While I agree with the author’s opinion that the post-training communication between the sales team is important, I believe the metrics-based sales training can be… Read more »

Customer Loyalty Basics

February 23, 2016 by

In a recent business.com article entitled The Perks of Being Loyal:  How to Build a Customer Loyalty Program That Works, Lucinda Watrous explains some of the many benefits of building a customer loyalty program.  While the specific programs highlighted are consumer-facing by nature, the principles can be applied to B to B environments as well.… Read more »

A Program Design Dilemma

February 9, 2016 by

Here at QIC we’ve had a recent surge in requests for channel sales programs, and this brings to mind one of the primary program design challenges common to these types of solutions. Channel Sales Background Before discussing that specific challenge, let’s briefly review the characteristics of channel sales programs. First, these programs are typically used… Read more »