Resource Library

Since qualifiers could not visit all the famous Finnish sites, locales came to them. Experiences Unlimited built a Lapland village and constructed a kota, a Lapland tepee, for the group's dinner in a spruce forest. Sleds with wheels were assembled to provide traditional dogsled transportation minus the snow. A mystical shamanic dance and a multimedia aurora borealis show completed the evening's activities. ... [ read more ]

Unum Corp. hosts its Chairman's Conference every two years to recognize the top 5-10% of the sales force from its seven companies. Program qualifications place heavy emphasis on collaborative sales involving more than one company's products. Sales results for this promotion were spectacular: collaborative sales were up more than 200%, and overall sales increased 15%. ... [ read more ]

In addition to the company's own sales staff, the program was aimed at 14 manufacturer rep organizations, 3 major distributors, and their respective sales forces, which numbered several hundred people. The program also included almost 3,000 sales staff from computer dealers, remarketers, resellers, retailers, and catalog companies. ... [ read more ]

To capture the attention of LifeUSA agents, awards had to be of high value, innovative, and flexible. The agents, primarily males in their mid-30's and up, are attracted to the latest gadgets and electronics. Also, awards had to appeal to novice agents as well as top producers.... [ read more ]

The program was introduced via an announcement featuring a scale model Harley-Davidson and a chamois cloth, imprinted with information about the "Sellutions" Web site and program rules. Copy invited participants to "Head out on the highway...the information highway," directing them to the Web site for full program details.... [ read more ]

With the Big Island of Hawaii as its incentive destination, the "Spirit of the Seasons...Discovery" promotion focused on four elements: a bird of paradise; wind and water; a snow-capped mountain; and a spewing volcano. Four brochures—one relating to each of the elements—were created, using stylized images. A dramatic mailing box was created to increase interest. A videotape announcing the destination, along with the brochures, fit inside the box, which was sent to participants' homes to generate interest among family members. ... [ read more ]

There’s amusement to be had for all at a carnival. There are spinning, flashing rides, whimsical music and, of course, icy snow cones. These things came to mind when Lynne DuVivier, president of Westport, Connecticut-based The Creative Factor, Inc. (UPIC: CREATEIT) was approached by HBO to develop a campaign for its show, Carnivàle.... [ read more ]

ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD’s members come from more than 100 countries and connect locally in almost 136 U.S. chapters and 26 Global Networks. Members work in thousands of organizations of all sizes, in government, as independent consultants, and suppliers.... [ read more ]

This study delves into the mechanics of sales incentive programs, providing managers with useful information to design successful sales initiatives at their own companies and providing their corporate decision makers with hard evidence. It found that properly structured programs can increase sales by at least 10 percent. ... [ read more ]

This recently conducted analysis by The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF)of one company's long-standing use of travel awards as a motivational tool shows that such incentives have a clear, measurable and positive impact on corporate culture and employee performance, as well as a broader "ripple effect" on the economy of the region where an incentive travel program (ITP) is held.

Overall, the study concluded that the importance of these programs should not be undervalued; their impact and their value reach well beyond the typical event timeline. Earners of the incentive travel program are far from the only beneficiaries of the program. The sponsoring company, the destination and the suppliers all receive significant benefits as well.

This study, sponsored by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), looks at questioins that are rarely posed in relation to sales incentive programs: How do sales incentives affect procurement and cost of goods? Shipping? Cash flow? It suggests that developing an incentive program with a focus on sales growth alone, with no consideration for other business functions can produce 1) an adverse affect on cash flow, 2) a possible disruption in supplies, 3) extra shipping costs for ordered merchandise, and 4) a possible impact on customer quality. A "business process" approach, on the other hand, one that takes into account the impact on other business functions, "enables the planning and creation of the needed infrastructure and additional investments, where necessary, to support the results arising from the sales incentive program," the author says.... [ read more ]

A study designed to determine which aspects of selling respond to incentive travel and how that response can be measured. Researchers surveyed 1,800 subscribers of Meetings and Incentive Travel magazine and 3,000 members of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association. To present an in-depth picture of incentive travel, and to provide a practical template for determining program ROI, the authors made a point of recording views of both the people who win the awards and those executives who allocate the money to fund them. ... [ read more ]

Few people in academia better understand the convergence of analytics and Enterprise Engagement than Charles Scherbaum, Associate Professor of Psychology at Baruch College and a member of the doctoral faculty at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Scherbaum, an early contributor to the Enterprise Engagement Alliance curriculum on analytics... [ read more ]

BMW Financial Services had experienced 6 years of success. Its biggest challenge for 2006 was to condense its programs into a unified Web portal for its dealers, sales managers, and sales representatives. The target group of sales professionals was predominantly male, between the ages of 30 and 45, and comprised of 1,458 individuals segmented into 66 distinct profiles, who were spread over 11 urban geographic locations. By creating a unique communications tool, BMW sought to make the BMW Financial Service “10 Series” web portal a daily working tool for its entire sales force and to make sales contest information easier to access and more efficient to provide. ... [ read more ]

The Brand Activation Association has a broad focus on all the disciplines required to activate a brand's strategy, from creative strategies to measurement, on topics from omni-channel marketing to experiential marketing and social media. BAA builds on its membership knowledge base, spanning expertise in strategy through activation, and across all touch points.... [ read more ]

To encourage current members to recruit new members, Meeting Professionals Internaltional used a construction-themed reward program with three travel awards as top prizes.... [ read more ]

CA Short, a leading recognition firm based in Shelby, NC, sponsored a 15-minute program on World Wide Business, hosted by successful entrepreneur and business personality Kathy Ireland, that focused on the concept of engagement and CA Short's role in this emerging field. ... [ read more ]

The "Capture Los Cabos" program clearly demonstrates that well-designed incentive programs deliver measurable return on investment.... [ read more ]

The promotion, known as "Home Delivery," featured CDs sent to every salesperson's home, using a mailing list created by visiting 1,000 retail locations. CDs included music videos, movie trailers, animation, and key Packard Bell messages. Each CD was packaged to resemble home-delivered, take-out food containers. A pizza-themed CD was mailed in June, followed by a chicken bucket in September and a Chinese take-out in November. ... [ read more ]

In many industries and businesses, channel partners are key links between employees and customers- a weak link if they are ignored, an important source of strength if they are engaged. The stakes are high. Channel partner impact can be enormous in terms of sales volume, market share, brand reputation and “share of customer”, i.e., in engaging customers. Indeed, channel partners are often the sole link to the customer. But channel partners can also impact employee engagement, especially when they fail to deliver. Conversely, channel partner engagement is directly affected by the employees who manage them and who produce the products and services. In short, most businesses succeed only to the degree that symbiotic relationships exist between employees, customers, channel partners and vendors. This is the basis upon which “Enterprise Engagement” is built. In this paper, we focus on channel partners as a key constituent of organizational success and we offer practical strategies and tactics to engage them.... [ read more ]

A midweek program in late May at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas used the hotel's decor as inspiration and as the backdrop for recreating the myth of Atlantis. The Poseidon tale was carried out over two evenings, including a gala awards night themed "Night of Poseidon" and a beachfront feast-of-the gods party. ... [ read more ]

This unique program was meant to celebrate a historic issue and to sell ad pages.... [ read more ]

Diebold Inc. employs more than 15, 000 associates with representation in nearly 90 countries. Approximately 60% are based in North America and 40% are based in Latin America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, South Africa and the Middle East. Associates range in age from 30 to 55 and are approximately 70% male and 30% female. Its Master’s Circle program is an annual trip that is awarded to top performers who meet or exceed their sales quotas. In addition, the Top 15 elite performers are awarded the Circle of Excellence distinction and attended an additional Master’s Circle trip held following the Master’s Circle trip. Diebold’s highly diverse sales force had become very familiar with the Master’s Circle Program that in 2006 was entering its 27th year. The challenge was to present the reward trip to Hawaii, a favored and frequent location for Master’s Circle winners, in a new and exciting manner. ... [ read more ]

Salespeople earned points for policies they sold. They then turned points into 3, 5 or 7 night stays at any of Marriott's Vacation Clubs. Those who earned the highest points also received airfare. Winners could stay at any of Marriott Vacation Clubs' 51 resorts in 29 destinations, and there were no restrictions on travel dates. ... [ read more ]

The Incentive Federation Inc. has commissioned a survey involving current users of merchandise and travel items for motivational applications. The Center for Concept Development (CCD) was asked to analyze the data collected in this survey and to prepare this report on the survey findings.... [ read more ]