Resource Library

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 ]

Promotional giveaways themed to a new product are used at a trade show to boost traffic and generate leads.... [ read more ]

Promotional products can increase traffic to an exhibitor’s trade show booth. A 1991 study by Exhibit Surveys Inc., found that using promotional products can give you an advantage over other exhibitors for buyer attention.... [ read more ]

The Incentive Federation Inc. is the umbrella organization founded to promote, protect, and research the incentive field, encompassing recognition, promotional products, and related promotions. In addition to being the industry's primary lobbying entity, the Incentive Federation provides the infrastructure for industry-wide corporate outreach efforts spearheaded by the Incentive Performance Center, as well as for the research developed by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement at Northwestern University. Plus, the Incentive Federation commissions the industry's only benchmark studies on the use of incentives by U.S. organizations. All suppliers and customers in the incentive and promotion marketplace benefit from these initiatives.... [ read more ]

Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC), is a strategic industry group within the Incentive Marketing Association. The IGCC educates the incentive marketplace and the corporate community on the benefits of gift cards, including choice, value and service, and other key attributes recipients say that they want their awards to have. ... [ read more ]

The Incentive Manufacturers & Representatives Alliance (IMRA), a branch of Incentive Marketing Association (IMA), represents factory-direct salespeople in the incentive business, along with manufacturers. IMRA publishes a handbook for suppliers, conducts an annual marketing conference, and offers a free directory of incentive representatives. As a member, you automatically become a member of the IMRA.... [ read more ]

The Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) promotes the use of incentive programs as effective marketing and motivational tools. Membership includes manufacturers, representatives, distributors, incentive houses, gift certificate suppliers, and marketing agencies. IMA also holds annual education programs at trade shows as well as information services, publications, conferences and seminars, media representation, research, and public relations efforts to its members and to businesses to help them effectively use incentive programs to motivate employees and customers. IMA offers a complimentary listing of incentive product and service providers. IMA is also the umbrella organization for several Strategic Industry Groups, including the Global Incentive Council, IMA-Canada Council, Incentive Gift Card Council, Incentive Manufacturers and Representatives Alliance, Performance Improvement Council, and the Incentive Technology Council. ... [ read more ]