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
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.
