July 9th, 2009
You Get What You Give
Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essay, “Compensation,” wrote that each person is compensated in like manner for that which he or she has contributed. The Law of Compensation is another restatement of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. It says that you will always be compensated for your efforts and for your contribution, whatever it is, however much or however little.
Increase Your Value
This Law of Compensation also says that you can never be compensated in the long term for more than you put in. The income you earn today is your compensation for what you have done in the past. If you want to increase your compensation, you must increase the value of your contribution.
Fill Your Mind With Success
Your mental attitude, your feelings of happiness and satisfaction, are also the result of the things that you have put into your own mind. If you fill your own mind with thoughts, visions and ideas of success, happiness and optimism, you will be compensated by those positive experiences in your daily activities.
Do More Than You’re Paid For
Another corollary of the Law of Sowing and Reaping is what is sometimes called the, “Law of Overcompensation.” This law says that great success comes from those who always make it a habit to put in more than they take out. They do more than they are paid for. They are always looking for opportunities to exceed expectations. And because they are always overcompensating, they are always being over rewarded with the esteem of their employers and customers and with the financial rewards that go along with their personal success.
Provide the Causes, Enjoy The Effects
One of your main responsibilities in life is to align yourself and your activities with Law of Cause and Effect (and its corollaries), accepting that it is an inexorable law that always works, whether anyone is looking or not. Your job is to institute the causes that are consistent with the effects that you want to enjoy in your life. When you do, you will realize and enjoy the rewards you desire.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, remind yourself regularly that your rewards will always be in direct proportion to your service to others. How could you increase the value of your services to your customers today?
Second, look for ways to go the extra mile, to use the Law of Overcompensation in everything you do. This is the great secret of success.
Do your people (customers, prospects, team, colleagues) know they’re important to you? Always? Sometimes? Rarely?
Remember… It’s your occasional words and continual actions that’ll help them know best
Tags: employee rewards, loyalty point rewards, point rewards, reward, rewards
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May 5th, 2009
Companies everywhere are utilizing their Call Centers as frontline sales teams finding real benefit in capturing the customer’s attention from a call that the customer themselves initiate. Organizations are finding more and more that if they sell to their customers they build greater commitment and increase their referral business. Larege costly sales teams are reduced in size and the need for a call to be handed off to another representative is deminished reducing telephone costs.
Most departments that carry dual responsibilities of customer service and sales are doing so with little to no sales training, without recruiting for sales skills and with no incentive program. Goals are often not clear and the “what is in it for me” question is left unanswered for both the customer and the employee.
Call Centers today still primarily focus on Average Speed of Answer (ASA) and Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) getting people on and off the phone in record time. The mindset of call center solutions is changing with developments of software on the horizon to incorporate the sales piece into the equation.
Call Center Trends
Decentralized structuring provide the greatest use of people.
The use of email and self-service has provided ease of service but can circumvent the opportunity to sell.
There has been a spot light shined on quality and resources without compromising costs.
Complexity of products and services continue to grow.
Customers are becoming more demanding.
“Home shoring” with work from home representatives.
Regardless of the type of Call Center that you manage, Morale is paramount. Merriam-Webster defines morale as “the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence or loyalty) with regard to the task at hand.”
Recognition and rewards are an important key to any successful Call Center but finding the right incentive can be tough. Ages and interest of course vary. The best incentive is really their choice of incentive. A one size that truly fits all are internet based reward programs offer all the same merchandise, travel and sporting events that we all love on online today!
Highlights of the Points Rewards Programs:
- Seamless incentives page that continually brands your organization
- Each participant’s email tracks accumulated points and balances
- Send broadcast emails to announce a new promotion or call for action
- Select your choice of online retailers by locations, products or services
- Set a point reward calendar for birthdays or company anniversaries
- Maintain a personal touch with a personalized communication
- Learn what promotions and incentives were a success using provided reports
Organizations that attach any loyalty significance to such an interaction is going to obtain their goals and create an environment that communicates quality service and builds customer loyalty. Sales will increase and employees will feel that they are benefiting their company.
Tags: crm, CRM incentive, incentive, incentive program, incentives, point rewards, rewards
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April 24th, 2009
Your self-concept is made up of three parts, each of which affects each of the others. Understanding these three parts enables you to put your hands on the keyboard of your own mental computer. When you learn to take charge of the development of a new and positive self-concept of selling, you can then control your sales destiny for the rest of your career.
Determine Your Direction
The first part of the self-concept is the “self-ideal.” Your self-ideal largely determines the direction in which you are going with your life. It guides the growth and evolution of your character and personality. Your self-ideal is a combination of all of the qualities and attributes of other people that you most admire. Your self-ideal is a description of the person you would very much like to be if you could embody the qualities that you most aspire to.
Strive Toward Excellence
Throughout your life, you have seen and read about the qualities of courage, confidence, compassion, love, fortitude, perseverance, patience, forgiveness and integrity. Over time, these qualities have instilled in you an ideal to which you aspire. You might not always live up to the very best that you know, but you are constantly striving to be a better person in light of those qualities that you value so highly. In fact, everything that you do on a day-to-day basis is affected by your comparing your activities with these ideal qualities and your striving to behave consistently with them.
Clarity is Essential
Successful salespeople have very clear ideals for themselves and their careers. Unsuccessful salespeople have fuzzy ideals. Successful salespeople are very clear about being excellent in every part of their work and their personal lives. Unsuccessful salespeople don’t give the subject very much thought. One of the primary characteristics of successful men and women in every walk of life is that they have very clearly defined ideals and they are very aware of whether or not their current behaviors are consistent with their idealized behaviors.
Set Challenging Goals
Part of your ideals are your goals. As you set higher and more challenging goals, your self-ideal improves and crystallizes. When you set goals for the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, your self-ideal rises and becomes a greater guiding and motivating force in your life.
Your Future is Unlimited
Perhaps the most important thing for you to realize is that whatever anyone else has done or become, you can do or become as well. Improvements in your self-ideal begin in your imagination, and in your imagination, there are no limits except the ones that you accept.
What is your ideal vision of the very best person you could possibly become? How would you behave each day if you were already that person? Asking yourself these questions and then living your life consistent with the answers is the first step to creating yourself in your ideal image.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, dream big dreams. Set big, exciting, challenging goals and ideals for yourself in every part of your life. Allow yourself to imagine a wonderful life ahead.
Second, think about how you would act if you were an outstanding person in every way. Then, practice being this person, as though you were acting a role in a play. You’ll immediately notice a difference in your behavior.
Tags: crm, incentive, incentives, motivating, motivational programs, point rewards
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April 24th, 2009
Whether you run a business, or are an employee, or manage a family – you are always ‘selling‘ something.
Selling is the art of exchanging value. In the commercial world this is a simple equation – money is given in exchange for a product or service.
In the office, ’selling’ might happen when you try and convince others of your proposal, or negotiate a pay rise.
On the home front, you are constantly ’selling’ ideas to your kid (or spouse!) about what is in their best interest.
Surprisingly, considering how much we actually do selling, a fear of selling is a pervasive experience.
If you’ve got a ‘I don’t-want-to-be-a-slimey-salesperson’ fear of selling, then there’s never been a better time to knock that block on its head.
Here are three main reasons to deal with this issue now:
1. If you don’t sell, your business (or personal life) suffers – that’s obvious.
2. If you don’t sell, your confidence suffers – that’s obvious too.
3. If you don’t sell, you can’t help as many people. Obvious, but not always remembered.
Why do people feel resistance to selling? You might recognise yourself in one of these situations:
You love to buy, but you hate being ’sold’. You might have had that sleazy car salesman experience where the subtext is – ‘they don’t care about me – they just want my money’. Like a dog sniffing a skunk, you can smell ‘desperate’ a million miles away.
You believe all salespeople have a touch of ’snake oil’ deceit about them. Somewhere along the line, from your parents, friends, school, or daily life, you’ve linked salespeople with ‘insincere, dishonest, just out for themselves, just trying to screw the little guy, cheaters, liars’ and so on. No one likes to buy from selfish people!
Fear of being rejected:
If you make an offer you’re afraid of people saying ‘no’. It’s the cold sharp knife of rejection. Or you’re afraid that people are going to think YOU are the slimey salesman!
These are all clues that you’ve got some limiting beliefs about selling and what you have to offer.
How to get over your resistance to selling:
Step 1.You need to reframe your concept of ’selling’. Selling is an exchange of value. For example, if I give you something, you give me something in return of equal value. I give you two cows, you give me three bushels of hay. I give you my product or service, then you give me a certain amount of money. There’s giving AND receiving.
Step 2. You need to believe in your product or service heart and soul –regardless of whether people buy it or not. You would rave about it even if you weren’t selling it. This is called the ‘raving fan syndrome’.
If you don’t have the ‘raving fan syndrome’ about your product or service, here are some questions to consider: How do you feel about the price of the product/service? Is it a no-brainer/sensible investment?
Do you use it or have used it before yourself?
If you weren’t selling it, would you still use it or rave about it?
Unless you answer ‘yes’ to each of these questions you will have an ‘out of integrity experience’ in your selling – and you will give off that shonky used-car-salesman vibe.
Step 3. Practice this mantra: “the customer is more important than the sale”. You may not make the sale this time, but if you focus on offering value and helping people with their needs, rather than serving your own, you will build a lifetime fan. And that will mean more ’sales’ over the long run.
Tags: gift cards, incentive, incentives, point rewards, rewards
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April 22nd, 2009
Casinos are offering deeply discounted rooms, free shows and food for a visit to Las Vegas this season. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, my first in almost two years, I noticed an immediate difference in casino and restaurant activity. To no surprise business was down even after the strip’s biggest hotels discounting their rooms.
The story is not all bad for Las Vegas though. People are starting to venture out this spring! Although there is still some concern over the economy, people still want to enjoy and experience. Kids want to have fun and parents want to provide a vacation. What better place than Las Vegas to forget your problems for a while and get the most of your vacation dollar! The hotels are still impressive, shopping and food are some of the best in the country if not in the world.
So how can Las Vegas bring more visitors to the city? By returning their focus to families once again! Over the past two years or more, Las Vegas seemed to concentrate on advertising to those looking for the adult experience with their ”What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” campaign. Changing how some families view of Las Vegas.
Families still that want a spring and/or summer vacation should look at see what Las Vegas has to offer. Hotels such as the Mandalay Bay Hotel, New York New York and Excalibur are a wonderland of fun for families. What family does not love big wave pools for body surfing, roller coasters, shows and games?
Small children love the M&M and Coca-Cola store where they can sample Coca-Cola from around the world. The Big Top circus presents circus acts with the world’s largest permanent circus that are free 7 days a week. Are your kids animal lovers? The white tiger open air exhibit, lion habitat and dolphin habitat is perfect experience for them.
For teens, the Adventure Dome is one of America’s largest indoor theme parks and the Manhattan Express that soars up to 203 feet. For the rollercoaster and NASCAR lovers there is ”Speed -The Ride” at 70 mph. For the entire family experience the shows at the Bellagio, Treasure Island and Fremont Street all offer no cost entertainment with ease access right on the strip.
Casinos would be smart to consider a point reward program for their guests. Much like other programs, if food, entertainment or other services are used within their hotel they earn points during their stay to shop online at over 300 online retailers. This will encourage their hotel guests to stay in their hotels for most meals and for some types of entertainment.
Point reward incentives provide hotels branded benefits with no set up or monthly fee.
Highlights of Most Point Rewards:
- Seamless incentives page that continually brands your organization
- Each participant’s email tracks accumulated points and balances
- Send broadcast emails to announce a new promotion or call for action
- Select your choice of online retailers by locations, products or services
- Set a point reward calendar for birthdays or company anniversaries
- Maintain a personal touch with a personalized communication
- Learn what promotions and incentives were a success using provided reports
An incentives broker’s relationships allow them to share discounted incentives that hotels and casinos can use to thank and motivate clients and employees. Incentives include travel, sport, music, and point rewards. For more information contact www.strategicconcepts-ca.com.
Tags: incentive, incentives, point rewards, Travel
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March 4th, 2009
In the early years of my career, I did not have a correct view of life. I approached life as if it were a slot machine. I wanted to put as little as possible into it, and I always hoped to hit the jackpot. I’m embarrassed to say that I often had a similar approach in my interaction with people. I was more focused on what people could do for me than what I could do for them. As a result, I would try to make relational “withdrawals” without ever having made any deposits. Needless to say, I was not very successful.
As I matured, I begin to place a higher value on people. As I made this transition, I noticed a fascinating development: the more I gave to relationships, the more I seemed to gain from relationships. In my book, Winning With People, I named this phenomenon The Boomerang Principle. What you put into relationships has a way of coming back to you.
During my time in leadership, I’ve noticed that people fall into three broad categories with regards to how they view relationships.
1) Takers
Takers receive and never give. They are the people in life who have a me-first mentality. They try to extract as much as they can from the relationships in their lives, and they rarely, if ever, consider giving back.
2) Traders
Traders receive and then give. Traders will only send you a Christmas card, if you’ve mailed one to them. They picture relationships as an equation in need of balance. If someone helps them, they feel a debt of gratitude. If they aid another person, they expect a favor in return.
3) Investors
Investors give and then receive. These are the people who give purely for the joy of giving. They add value to others, not as part of a cold calculation, but as a habit. Although doing so may not earn them an instant return, in the long run they reap the gratitude and goodwill of those they have helped.
Investment Strategies for Relationships
Instead of viewing relationships as a slot machine, picture them like the stock market. To get rich, make regular deposits in people over an extended period of time. At first, you may feel like the value of what you’re putting in isn’t worth the investment. However, like the stock market, in the long run, you’ll reap dividends and earn rewards.
1) Think “Others First”
Human nature tends to focus us on personal needs, but investing in relationships requires us to prioritize others. Instead of self-advancement, think others-enhancement. Like a responsible investor, resist the temptation to “time” the relational market, using someone only for short-term gain. That’s a strategy doomed to fail. On the contrary, make a habit of adding value in relationships and trust that the long-term results will be in your favor.
2) Focus on the Investment, Not the Return
If you’ve ever purchased stocks personally, then you know the agony of watching the vicissitudes of the market. Like a roller coaster, your portfolio climbs up one day only to lurch down the next day. Instead of agonizing over returns, a shrewd investor focuses on making the investment. The same principle holds true in relationships. Don’t expect specific and immediate benefit from your relational inputs. Through time, you’ll be taken care of as long as you’re willing to invest.
3) Make Educated Investments
Not all investments yield the same interest, and not all relationships produce the same reward. As a leader, make investing in others a general principle, but be deliberate about putting energy into low-risk, high-reward relationships. Seek out talented people with teachable dispositions, and offer your relational capital to those who will make the most of it.
4) Initiate the investment
A stockbroker won’t hack into your bank account and invest money on your behalf. You have to be willing to take the first step. Don’t be stingy with your relational investments, giving only to those who’ve first given to you. Rather, take responsibility for setting the tone of adding value in your relationships.
Tags: donor rewards, point rewards, rewards and incentives
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February 12th, 2009
The purpose of man is in action not thought – Thomas Carlyle
Often people will ask me how I get so much done in my life. They wonder at how I am able to accomplish so many things. The answer is found not in what a great person I am, but in an equation I came up with a few years ago and remind myself of on almost a daily basis. And when I live this equation out, it produces big results. What people don’t seem to grasp is that this equation will work for anybody! Anyone can see results in their life if they will live it out!
This little equation, when it is understood, and acted upon, is perhaps the most powerful equation there is in regard to long-term achievement and accomplishment. Yet, this is not a complex equation. In fact, it is rather simple. So what is it?
Your short-term actions multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments.
If you want to see change in your life, see big results, the first thing you must do is change your current actions. Otherwise the old saying becomes a reality: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got!” But if we change our actions, we will see different results!
Most people want to accomplish a lot in their lives. Yet very few actually do. Why is this? It is because what they believe will equal their long-term accomplishments is wrong. Here are some of the things that people believe will create great accomplishments for them:
Beliefs
Vision
Big dreams
Ideas
Ideals
Values
Desire
The truth is that while these things are very important, they are not enough in and of themselves. We need to have the above underlying all that we do, but we need to actually do something! And this is where most people stop. We need to take action on our dreams and beliefs every day.
Here are some examples of how this works.
Who loses weight? The one who knows all about the benefits of exercise or the one who walks three miles a day?
Who retires early? The one who dreams of a house on the beach, or the one who invests $300 a month?
Who writes books? The one who desires to become a best-selling author, or the one who gets up early and writes for half an hour a day?
Who has the best marital relationship? The one who knows how much spending time with their spouse can improve their relationship, or the one who sits down and talks with their spouse every night?
Who makes the most sales? The one who believes they can become a great salesperson, or the one who makes 10 sales calls a day?
I think you get the point. When it all comes down to it, we must act upon our vision, beliefs, and ideals or we won’t see them come to fruition. I see too many people who know what is right, but don’t ever do anything about it. Imagine what a difference we could make in our own lives and the lives of others if we would simply begin to act upon on our beliefs!
When I get to the end of my life, I want to know that I have done all that I can to make this world a better place and to enhance the lives of those around me. I want to know that I gave it my best shot. And I am sure that you do to.
I remember reading an interview with an author who has written numerous books that have sold in the tens of millions. They asked him how he did it. His answer was that he got up every morning before anyone else in his family and wrote, long hand, with a pencil, for an hour. Then he quit and went about his day. But his short-term actions piled up. 7 hours a week. 30 hours a month. 365 hours a year. After a while, he had lots of books!
Some questions as we leave:
What long-term accomplishments do you want to see come to pass?
What short-term actions will you need to do over time to see them come to pass?
What will you do today to begin seeing your dreams come true?
What will you do this week to see them come true?
You can have an awesome future, filled with great achievements and results if you begin today to take action and make it a reality!
One more time, so you can plug it in, memorize it, and live it.
Your short-term actions multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments.
Tags: incentives, point rewards
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February 11th, 2009
Many people long for a better life. In fact, I think it is innate to humans to desire a better life. Wherever we are at, we look beyond and dream of a better place. That is good, and that is not so good. It is good because the dream is alive and we can see, even if it is far off, a better situation for us, our families and our businesses and communities. So why is it not good? It is not good because it is not yet a reality! A dream is no good if it is only a dream. Sure a dream can make you feel good, but long-term, if you don’t pursue it and make it a reality, it will cause you frustration more than anything. But there is hope!
I’m talking about the day your life really changes. The day that your dream begins to become a reality, and not some pie in the sky wish. This is the day life turns around for you, the day things begin to get better and you begin to fulfill your purpose, mission and destiny! When is this day?
It is the day you make a decision!
The key to changing your life is to make a decision, and then to act upon it. And once acted upon, to follow-through consistently until your dream becomes a reality.
So the decision is the key? Yes it is. Every dream begins as a thought. “I would love to have my own business, to be free to run my life and earn as much money as I want to and take as much vacation time as I want.” Good dream, isn’t it? Probably a dream that most of us have. But there it is, a little electrical impulse bouncing around inside our head. Does that do us any good? Only if it becomes action! And it only becomes action if we make a decision.
Let’s carry this example out. What are the decisions to be made here? Well, there are a few I can think of. One would be to quit your job. You can’t go into business for yourself until you quit your job (or your current boss will be quite upset!). Decide to do it and schedule an appointment with him or her. Walk in and quit! Another decision is to go get your business license. Schedule the time, go get the papers, fill them out, pay the money and register with the State. Bingo, you’re in business!
You must decide what you must do to make your dream a reality.
Then you must act upon those decisions. If you do not act, your dream becomes a pipe dream, a non-reality.
When you have acted, you must follow through. Continue to follow your plan, day by day, carrying your dream to completion.
Here is a practical exercise to get you moving:
What is your dream? It could be in any area of life: Work, family, finances, health etc.
What is a decision you have to make to get yourself MOVING in the right direction? This should be action oriented not philosophical in nature. For example it should be “I am going to resign on March 1st,” not “I’ve decided that being in business for myself would be more fulfilling.” That is an idea, not a decision.
Next, pick a day you are going to do it. Pick a time. Be specific.
Next, do it!
Next, begin the process of continually following-through.
Next, enjoy yourself; you are pursuing your dream! It may be hard but it will also be the most fulfilling and rewarding time of your life!
“The history of free men is not written by chance, but by choice – their choice.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
Decide, Act, Follow-through. The day you do will be the day you change your life – for good!
Made for Success Quote and Commentary
“Be ready when opportunity comes…Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.” — Roy D. Chapin, Jr.
Chris’ Commentary:
Sooner or later, your “break” will come. You will get your chance. The question is not whether or not opportunity will knock or if the door will open, but whether or not you will be thoroughly prepared to knock back and blow through that door! You certainly don’t want to have to tell your opportunity to “hold on for a minute while I go get ready!” I hate to tell you this, but opportunity can be an impatient suitor. If you can’t or won’t dance, he will find someone who will.
Action Point: What would be your “dream opportunity? Write it out. Now write out what you can do to be thoroughly prepared when you get the call. Write out what you can do to quicken the speed by which you will get your opportunity. When the pitch is thrown, you want to hit it out of the park!
Tags: corporate incentives, point rewards, rewards
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January 27th, 2009
Here are a few thoughts on financial freedom and how to find it for yourself.
Financial freedom is a buzzword for our generation. It is the pursuit of literally millions of people. So what is it? Is it that elusive? Can anyone achieve it?
Let me start by saying that this is not about how to earn money, or even more money. Rather, it is about how to find financial freedom, which surprisingly, may or may not involve making more money.
The first step in finding financial freedom is to realize that financial freedom has absolutely nothing to do with how much money you have or make.
What? Exactly. Financial freedom is something that goes on inside of you.
This is why someone who makes very little can be happy and someone who makes a ton can be extremely stressed out over his or her financial situation. So the first step is to realize that financial freedom is more about our attitudes toward money than about the amount of money.
“Okay Chris, I’m with you. So what are the attitudes that provide financial freedom?” Here are a few that keep me in financial freedom.
I do not have to worry about money. I used to catch myself saying, “If I had more money, then I wouldn’t have to worry about…” But do you know what? I don’t have to worry anyway. I can control my income. I can control my outgo. I can make choices that can alleviate any of my worries. I also realized that things always work out. So why worry? I choose not to worry. I work hard, invest, plan for the future and I do not worry about it.
I can be happy regardless of my financial state. I know people who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and I know people who don’t have two nickels to rub together. Some are happy and some aren’t. And none of the people who have a lot of money say to me, “Chris, I’ve become so happy since I got money.” They were happy before they had money and they are happy now that they have money. Their happiness has nothing to do with the money. Billionaire David Geffen once said, “Anyone who says that money will buy them happiness has never had any money.”
Money is a means to an end, not the end itself. Another way to look at it is that money is a tool to build the house, not the house itself. I would set some financial goals if I were you, but go beyond that to know what greater purpose there will be when you reach them. What will the house be used for that you build with this tool?
I am free. I am free to earn – some people think it is bad to earn more money. It isn’t.
I am free to save – some people believe it is bad to save. It isn’t.
I am free to give money away – some people feel they will be better off hoarding it. They won’t.
I am free to spend – some people believe that they can’t spend anything on themselves. They can.
We are free to make choices. That is financial freedom.
Embrace delayed gratification. Here is the principle: Buy it now and struggle later. Another principle: Delay buying it now, invest the money, and have all you want later on! And you won’t even have to touch the principal! We tend to think that having it now will bring enjoyment, but unless you can do it and not cause yourself financial stress, you will actually get more from waiting!
Have more by managing better. The fact is that most of us earn enough. What would be beneficial is to set our priorities and live by a budget. As we get control, our budget will loosen up a bit and we will find ourselves enjoying it more. Money that is already there can be your answer if you put it to work for you.
You can experience financial freedom no matter how much money you have. Granted, it is great to build wealth and that should be our goal, but no matter what level you are currently at, or what level of wealth you ultimately attain, if you keep money in the proper perspective, you can be happy and free.
Questions for Reflection:
Q. Do you have an investment plan? Do you follow it? How well?
Q. Do you have a plan to invest in hard assets? Income producing assets?
Q. What ideas do you have that you can invest in?
Q. Are you investing in your company? If so, how? If you don’t have one, have you considered starting one? What would it take for you to step out and do so?
This week, take some time and put some thought into your Financial Freedom plan, then take the action necessary to accomplish your Freedom!
Tags: charity marketing, incentives, increase sales, point rewards, sale incentives
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November 6th, 2008
Globalization and technology are impacting employee engagement. Employees throughout the world have different engagement motivators and indicators.
There are two common employees: 1) Happy to there people and new employees 2) Hard workers but not working to their fullest. Telecommuters are more engaged than office employees but there are challenges such as the dark that barks at the wrong time and temptations of household chores.
J.C. Penny studies note 10% per square foot of their stores have engaged employees. Best Buy engaged employees are at .10 on a 5 point scale equallying $100,000 in sales last year. A study by Blessing White demonstrated 1 in 3 employees are fully engaged in the U.S. Many companies such as these that employee incentives are key to motivating engagement and success.
Engaged employees stay for what they give disengaged employees stay for what they get. An engagement approach uses a) An emotional approach b) Cognitive approach c) Behavior approach. Results from global studies tell us that organizational health, culture and policy and procedures are imporatnt to employees including; management excellence, job design, workplace readiness, extrinsic reward which considers pay and stability on the job.
In China, diversity and challenge toped the list with their employees. What employees felt was working is work itself, confidence and trust, organization and communication.
Engagement across cultures considers consistency that is possible across the world. From upper management to layers down to employees for maximum outcome. China’s retention includes: pay, comp package, development, creative work, retention, work/life balance.
China’s challenges are surveyed to be 87% of interest in building leadership abilities, 66% key talent recruiting and retaining talent.
In India surveys indicate recruitment, balance, youth and experience, engagement cross culturally and insurance. In India 25% of 3 million graduates are considered to be highly employable. In the year 2010 there will be a shortfall of 500,000 that will be actually qualified women in the workforce. There is a system to gaurantee a job in engineering and government to assist with recruitment.
Culture might be described as a collective human behavior distinguishing one individual from another. For example in India lines are not formed to buy items from an outside vendor and there are no lines at the airport, it is not their culture. A lack of understanding another’s culture was experience in Africa when Gerber baby food entered the market with non-readers seeing a picture on the baby food jar labeled Gerber which in many languages in Africa means vomit. Understanding each others behaviors and lifestyle is becoming increasingly important in our global economy.
Regardless of where you live and work, we all want to feel loved and appreciated. Employee incentives are notable opportunities to demonstrate sincere appreciation for hard work, cleaver money saving idea or part of a benefits package. Follow the following step to ensure that your employees understand your recognition program and that all benefit from it.
- Determine budget remembering that is crucial to retention and recruitment
Recognition Strategy
- How will you measure results from contests and determine ROI
- Communication plan to introduce and reinforce the incentive plan throughout the incentive period
- Plan a celebration for public notarary
Point reward programs offer an online shopping mall for employees to earn points with a predetermined point values and shop at over 300. It is also easy to administer because it is automated and you can run multiple incentive at one time using only the employee’s email address. The best incentive really is the gift of their choice.
Tags: employee engagement, employee rewards, gift cards, point rewards, retention
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