When an important man was asked by a reporter how many people worked in his company, the important man replied with a smile, “About half!”
“About half!” With that in mind you will surely agree that the optimum starting place for increasing sales and profits in your company are your employees. Why? Because they are already here. Easy to connect to and with. And because you are the manager – They will listen when you talk, and read what you write.
And that is exactly the prime objective of employee motivation. What, pray tell me, would be the result in your department (division or company) if you could find a way to excite and to motivate all of your employees? To get them all working, stretching together to achieve a common goal.
Wouldn’t the results boggle the mind?
Is that idea a sort of Charlie Sheen fantasy?
Are these concepts grown men and woman should be pondering?
Yes.
No.
Yes.
Don’t be afraid, M/M Manager. Reach for the stars that way if you fall short you’ll be at least on a mountain top.
There are six point eight billion humans living in this 21st century. One feature all six point eight billion have in common is a sense of self-interest. Psychological Egoism (do not confuse with Egotism1) is a philosophy that holds that individuals are always motivated by self-interest. That our sense of self-interest motivates everything we do every day of our lives.
To a psychological egoist the word “selfless” is a one word oxymoron. A selfless act, i.e., an act done “without concern for oneself.” is simply beyond comprehension. The classic example: What motivation made the GI fall on a live grenade to save his buddies, is easily explained by the egoist. The GI’s sense of self-interest told him he would be better off dying for his buddies than living with the memory that he could have saved them but didn’t . . . that’s the way it had to be.
“What’s in it for me?” is an expected question; generated by Man’s sense of self-interest. We have all asked this question in one form or another, when appraising a new opportunity. Since it is so natural a part of our human nature, we should include the answer in our planning at all times.
“You’ll get to keep your job,” is an unrealistic answer unless you really will fire them for ordinary performance.
“That’s why I pay you,” is unacceptable, as bad as saying, “Because I said so.”
“I give you excellent benefits," is pretty weak. You’ve been giving them excellent benefits for ordinary performance.
However, if you answer, “If you do what you have to do to achieve the goal I have set for you, then in addition to the usual fine benefits and working conditions ... I will pay for a vacation for you and Beth to Maui2 three months from today.”
That was perfect. Boredom has left your subject’s workaday world faster than a jet, his pale shark-bait skin is feasting on the anticipation of Maui’s golden sun, his self esteem is glowing with the expected admiration & love he’ll feel from Beth when he announces the same to her3, in addition he is made a bet with know-it-all-Marsha that he’d get to Maui before she does which made him happy because he knows he will.
When you want performance that exceeds the normal and you answer, “What’s in it for me?" satisfactorily; you are on the road to productive workers in a win-win situation because you don’t pay out any monies until Ted (Beth’s husband), know-it-all-Marsha, and the rest of the work force achieves their goal and your extra profit is in the bank. Welcome to the world of successful employee motivation.
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1 Egoism is a philosophy. Egotism is a word that signifies an inflated sense of one's own importance.
2 For simplification I use Maui. Fill in whatever location you would love to vacation at.
3 No vilification for PC please, it works just as well with know-it-all-Marsha as it does with our hero Ted.
What’s in it for me? Can the question be the answer?
In the worst days of Boston’s Blizzard of ’78, the Governor of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced on television “ ... non-essential government employees should not attempt to come to work (the next day).”
Had I been a Massachusetts state employee, I would have left my house at 4:00 am, walked through the 27 inch high snow fall and fought off the 86 mile per hour hurricane winds to be at my office that morning. Because to me there could be nothing worse than being labeled “A non-essential employee?” But then I am an entrepreneur – a title that by its nature declares me self motivated.
But for the non-self motivated, what incentive do they have to work hard, or be proud of their work, to think of ways to do their job better when the Chief Executive of their state has identified them as non-essential? Does he believe that by stripping them of their self respect he is adding relevance to their job?
Engagement is the 2012 buzzword. “What’s in it for me?” is the ongoing query. To engage your people put them in an employee motivation program with clear & attainable goals. If they make goal give them a weekend in the best hotel in town and you pay the room. If they go a little over goal give them a weekend in the best hotel in their choice of 500 locations and two airline tickets to get them there. If they far exceed goal lengthen the award to four nights and two airline tickets.
Your employee motivation programs are engaging your people and they can answer the “What’s in it for me?” question. Now they are coming to work not only for a paycheck, their 401K, or hospitalization benefits . . . They are coming to work to win a contest and a prize.
At The Journeymasters we often comment that Motivated People can and do perform Miracles. We are well aware, however, that it isn’t a miracle it is simply an outstanding job of work.
Bob Guerriero for The Journeymasters
rjg@journeymasters.com
1-800-875-3422
"Trips for Two" is more descriptive than "Individual Incentive Travel Program".
In 1971 we introduced The Superweekender - the very first non-group incentive travel program in the US - and we, for some reason, called our creation an Individual Incentive Travel Program.
Why did we call it an individual incentive travel program? Because ... I forgot. (40 years was a long time ago.) However, I will hazard a guess that "individual" is one of the antonyms for "group", so it made sense to us at the time.
But now in the 21st century, 40+ years later, hindsight kicks in and "hindsight," as Billy Wilder tells us, "is always 20/20".
Individual means one, a single person, alone, solitary, et. al. But our awards are travel holidays that are always for two people.
If the award is always for two people, we should not title it individual, we should call it what it is, a travel award for two people. Or a travel vacation for two, a couples' travel holiday, a Trips-for-Two incentive prize...
And that is as it should be as travel is a sharing experience. Travel with a best friend, a spouse, a lover ... (all one person by the way), is the best kind of travel in the world. It is unsurpassed because you can find again the memory together. The adventure that sent blood rushing to your brain is revived and shared again, the sentimental remembering of a special moment creates warm nostalgia that is shared by both once more. Yes, travel is a sharing experience at its pinnacle in your hall of memories.
And so, we say good-bye to the "individual incentive travel program" and say hello to our Trip-for-Two travel holiday.
A Travel Incentive Trips-for-Two Program is, Actually, Easier to Run than a Merchandise Program.
- Because number 1: Nothing, absolutely nothing to purchase to get started.
- Because number 2: No time wasted picking out the award, purchasing the award, stocking & shipping the award.
- Because number 3: No time wasted worrying whether or not the participants already own one.
- Because number 4: No contract to sign, no minimum to guarantee, no money up front.
- Because number 5: Nothing left over, nothing to return, no newer model replaced your prize, no competitor’s model made your prize obsolete.
The icing on the cake: When you finally have to pay, you pay from the incremental profit that is already in the bank, delivered by the winners who have already made their goal.
A Travel Incentive Trips-for-Two is not only easier but more welcome. We know, as we wrote on our website, “... there is almost no human emotion more powerful than Man’s need to ‘walk on the sands of a distant shore.’”
We are believers in the remarkable benefits of group travel incentives, however, group travel incentives are not easier to run than a merchandise program. Group travel incentives require up front monies, blocking of airline seats, the reserving of rooms, reserving sightseeing tours, and designing memorable daytime & nighttime events. Group travel incentives, however, are worth every speck of effort. The rewards they produce in increased excitement, increased sales, increased loyalty are legendary. No merchandise program has ever or can ever compare to a properly structured group travel incentive.
However we speak in this blog of the ease of designing a Travel Incentive Trips-for-Two program. Which is generally a one or two month - maximum three month - sprint contest designed to generate immediate response from the sales force or channel dealer-distributor family.
These programs are “shovel-ready.” All you need to do is 1. Set goals to achieve the objective 2. Announce the contest and 3. Promote the contest. Promoting the contest is the most difficult yet the most essential ingredient if the contest is to successfully achieve the objective.
Pretty basic.
Like when they asked Casey Stengal what was the most important position on the team. Casey answered emphatically and without hesitation, "The Catcher!"
"Why the catcher, Casey?"
"Because, if you don't have a catcher the ball'll roll all the way to the screen." Pretty basic.
Because if you don't have a goal how can you know where you are going, and how can you know when you arrived?"
Your business is not like my business or your brother's business. Your business is distinct, completely separate, maybe even unique. That being so there are rules, just like the Laws of Nature, that transcend the differences and remain immutable.
The Prime Rule to grasp when you design a Travel Incentive goal is: A Travel Incentive should be a profit center, i.e. Any expenditure of money should return more than its worth in additional profits.
The second of these Rules: Always use a Point Goal Structure. A goal structure utilizing points not dollars, not percentages ... but points. I.e. 600 or 6,000 or 60,000 trip points wins a trip. The prime reason a Point Goal Structure is better (than a Dollar Goal structure) is flexibility. You can manipulate trip points to assume a design that will support and reinforce every one of your contest objectives. When you download our “Ground Rules for a Point Goal Incentive Travel Contest.” You will see the effectiveness of our use of trip points to guarantee two basic rules of the Travel Incentive Marketing Tool:
(a) Guarantee that our contest will be a profit center,
(b) Made the trip achievable by anyone willing to expend the extra effort, by setting the participants required sales increase goal for their first trip at a most reasonable level (19%). And for their second trip, a tough but attainable level (33%).
Author’s opinion: Don't over-stess at the needed 33% sales increase for two reasons: The first is that no man or woman will ever have a stronger incentive, or could be more motivated to suceed, than when he or she is has earned a deluxe, all expense paid, heavenly vacation for himself or herself and now must earn a companion trip for their spouse to make the journey a shared experience they treasure together, and remember as long as they remember anything. You'll receive the greatest extra effort they are capable of giving. Second, because we will offer them a way to buy the needed points to insure the sharing experience.
The flexibility of a trip points structure is a wondrous thing.
The Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta Canada. A fine destination for Travel Incentive winners.
The last Rule: Make the trip point goal challenging but achievable for the majority of the participants; "If it is viewed as unattainable, the program will be destined for failure." Quote from Wikipedia.
Accumulating Trip Points: The Participants are, to use a fitting metaphor, climbing a mountain. They are part of a team but it hardly matters how their teammates fare. They alone are the important team member. What matters is that they reach the summit not how many of their team mates make it with them.. For once they reach the summit they will be rewarded by a flight to a deluxe, all expense paid (yes, heavenly) vacation with their most significant other!
Their first leg from ground to Base Camp is the easiest. So we set a Base Camp goal that is equal to their total revenue produced during last year’s contest period. We award the participants one trip point for every $1,000 in revenue they produce until they reach their Base Camp goal.
Author’s opinion: Any salesman or entrepreneur worth his or her commission check or annual profit believes they can, at the very least, equal last year’s sales. That’s why I said it was the easiest.
Once past their Base Camp goal we award them twelve (12) trip points for each $1,000 in revenue.
Once they have earned their first trip we award them twenty four (24) points for each $1,000 in revenue.
