In my previous post we discussed how hungry employees are (no pun intended) for appreciation and praise. Here in part II I would like to share some ideas to help management remedy that situation.
Most managers are not anti-recognition, but are either overly concerned about not having budget dollars to invest in their people, or they just don’t realize how critical and important incentives are to sales and customer service employees.
To help management with some suggestions in this area, here is a laundry list of ideas that will excite employees and make them feel special, as well as encourage them to perform at an even higher level. None of these ideas are budget busters, so I’m calling them “inexpensive inventive incentives.”
- Display framed 8×10 photos of top producers on a designated “Wall of Fame” area of the office
- Solicit and mail special recognition letters from home office leadership to employee and spouse
Provide incentive dinners for rep and spouse at a local restaurant- Send flowers to a female spouse for a major accomplishment by her company-employed husband
- Send an annual theatre popcorn bucket to a male spouse for a big win by his company-employed wife
- Award an oil change to an employee for achievement
- Provide a special parking space for the “salesperson or technician or installer or admin of the month”
- For a specific success, award a night for two at a nice local hotel
- Use event tickets (sports/theatre/concert/plays, etc.) to motivate and produce improved results
- Offer time off (a three-day weekend or a designated day off) for an exceptional performance on a specific campaign
- Purchase lottery tickets and give away for exceptional sales activity levels (proposals, cold calls, etc.)
- Hold a “roll over” contest (empty your prize closet) to create momentum at the end of a month
- Offer a group golf/fishing/hunting outing for specific team performance to close out a quarter
- Manager personally wash sales or service employees vehicle as a reward for hitting a particular goal
- Use gift cards (movies, music, restaurants) to improve performance and/or add excitement
- Provide a group breakfast at the local IHOP or Cracker Barrel for a set amount of sales on a given day
- Hold a branch cookout as a reward for an office-wide achievement
- Earn shots at an in-office nerf basketball goal or putting green for specific goals and award prizes
- Give I-Tunes gift cards for sales made over a weekend (works well in service industries)
- Tape bright colored cardboard stars over the desk of those having a “star-studded” performance
- Toward month-end place ketchup bottles on desks of those needing to play sales “catch-up”
- Earn darts for a “balloon pop” with cash inside ($1, $5, $10, $20) for specific achievement
- Give candy bars with sales significance in their names, i.e. give a Payday for the sales rep headed for a big one; $100,000 Bar for a huge sale; a Mars Bar for the employee whose performance is “out of this world”
It’s got to be fun! Do things that are untraditional and enthusiastic in order to give your employees more opportunities for recognition and status. You may think its stupid, but remember that your salespeople are your “revenue getters,” and it’s not about you, it’s about them…unless you are going to go out and make all the sales yourself!
Why not sit down now for ten minutes and make a list of your employees, along with some daily activities that you can easily praise them for. Choose activities that are “good deeds” and not “mammoth happenings.”
After completing your list, write out the “cues” you will use to remind yourself to begin doing this form of praise regularly. Then start experimenting with the “Inventive Incentive” list to see which ones will work well in your business environment.
Regardless which ones you choose to incorporate, make your company’s environment one that reminds your people on a regular basis that your company really is the best place to work, and that they are still glad they chose to work for you!
I would really appreciate it if you would comment below on some incentives you have given that were inexpensive but effective.
What contains 116 different sales training topics and costs less than 6¢ per page? Check here to see the answer. HINT: its initials are SINAFLW.
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