For many companies, salespeople are on the frontline of driving growth and success. Are you doing enough to recognise their achievements?
For many businesses, growth and success are driven by one thing above all others - sales. Whether it's generating and following up leads for new clients or retaining an existing base, the salesperson is often the most important front-line contact between a company and its customers.
Given that salespeople are responsible for such a crucial part of operations, rewarding and engaging ways of recognising their achievements should always be considered. Remaining profitable and competitive in the modern world is always a challenge, but letting your valuable salespeople know just how important they are through sales incentives can help deliver the best results for your business.
Proven results of sales incentive programmes
In research conducted by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, a sales incentive programme in the US was implemented for 45 days, and yielded some impressive results. Not only was it found that sales of the scheme's focal product almost doubled following the introduction of the programme, but it also displayed a 10 per cent return on investment.
Figures such as this clearly show the benefits to your company of recognising employee achievement. With that said, it's important to know which salespeople should be the target of your sales incentives programme.
Making the best even better
While motivating less effective people to perform better is an essential concern, it pays to not become complacent with your top performers. These people may not necessarily be in it for the money, but rather thrive on the social recognition of their talent.
Could sales incentives motivate your employees to perform?
A study of sales management from the Incentive Research Foundation found that companies operating at the top level were using public recognition as an incentive 29 per cent more than other businesses. Whether that's through virtual trophies and badges, points-based company awards ceremonies or some other means, displaying to a wide audience the depths of your salesperson's skill and success is an effective motivational tool.
Driving improvement at the lower end
While the adulation of an adoring public can keep your sales superstars happy, getting more out of new or less successful employees requires a different approach. In these cases, research from the Harvard Business Review suggests that smaller, more frequent rewards were more effective than larger annual bonuses for motivating improvement.
It's clear that a flexible, tailored solution is required to target areas where your salespeople motivation strategy needs the most attention. Power2Motivate's sales incentive programmes can be adapted and tweaked to meet your requirements, so talk to us today about how you can get more out of your most precious employees.