When your sales force is key to the success of your business, you need a custom sales incentive program that inspires. Sales people are naturally competitive, but even competitive, motivated people need a little push every now and then and that’s why sales incentive programs matter. This post is focused on how to create a custom sales incentive program in 2018 to get your sales force heated up to bring in the sales you need to keep succeeding and competing.
A carrot on a stick dangles deliciously, yet your sales force doesn’t seem to salivate in its presence. While the concept of motivating employees with incentives is a valid and effective one, deploying the right incentives is key to successful programming. Not everyone on your sales team is wired to be motivated by the same incentives. Some may relish the idea of a shushing down the glittering slopes at Whistler, BC. Others are enticed by a vision of a hammock on a beach in the tropics, Margarita in hand. Finding the right carrot is what your incentive program needs and that means getting inside the heads of your sales staff to delve around in their dreams.
The classical approach to incentives is to offer cash bonuses and other monetary rewards. But this approach has far less resonance than an experiential incentive that answers a desire that’s awaiting realization. Money is something everyone likes. There’s no doubt about that. But money, while answering a need and a desire, doesn’t specifically target your sales force on a personal level. Offering them something you know they want (because you’ve done your homework) is proven to be much more effective.
A truly effective custom sales incentive program motivates employees who aren’t your top performers. Far too often, incentive programs repeatedly reward the superstars. Of course, you’ve got to keep those people happy, but what about the rest of them? The top 20% of your sales force is traditionally responsible for 80% of your sales. This bears out, time after time. It’s the people who aren’t performing miracles who need inspiration. You need to motivate at that level of achievement, because your rock stars are already doing what you need them to. Look at your sales people and their figures. Targeting the 20% of staff that comes in just behind your superstars is how you get better results. And those results trickle down, especially when people beneath that second sales layer see that they have the same opportunities if they move forward with their work.
For over 20 years, ITG has been bringing companies like yours exceptionally well-crafted custom sales incentive programs that ignite the motivational fire in your sales force. We take the time to get to the heart of the matter – employee dreams that drive quality incentives and inspire. We expand your capacity, taking incentive travel program design and execution off your people’s plates. Ready to program? Contact us.
