SalesForceXP: September-October 2009
The Pitch
Do you still think offering your salespeople a cash spiff is the best way to hit your sales goals? If so, you're an antique. And you're doing your company-and your career-a disservice. [275-word article]
Cover Story
5 Reasons Why Companies Offer Incentives During Economic Uncertainty
The Incentive Performance Center (IPA), a non-profit source of information on the benefits of motivating employees with non-cash incentives, has identified five key reasons why non-cash incentive programs survive - and, indeed, often thrive - during times of economic stress. [249-word article]
There's no way to keep workers engaged without a competitive salary, but money often is the most expensive way to motivate people, says author and behavioral economist Dan Ariely. That left him wondering whether there are aspects of life that would be, in some ways, better without cash. [634-word article]
The Best Incentives Are Desirable and Difficult to Duplicate
The value of recognizing top performers with non-cash rewards is greatly enhanced by incorporating aspects that are difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate. The "Run With the Bull" winners didn't just get high-end electronics, housewares and sports equipment for finishing tops in the spring sales contest. They grabbed all of that stuff during an adrenaline-inducing, two-minute dash through a warehouse stocked with goodies while their colleagues and family members cheered them on. [300-word article]
If offered a choice between an assortment of name-brand merchandise for reaching a sales goal or the cash equivalent, Ally Gunther admits that, like any other hard-charging salesperson who's focused on the bottom line, her first instinct would be to take the dough. That was before she experienced "the adrenaline rush of a lifetime" this summer [1500-word article]
Closers
Barry Feasel, General Manager for the Bridgestone/Firestone Affiliated Dealer Sales Channel, says merchandise and travel incentives provide the best traction with his group of independent tire store dealers. [416-word article]
Incentive Products
A collection of 2009 Holiday Business Gifts assembled by the editorial staff of SalesForceXP Magazine. [138-word article]
Top Performers - September/October 2009
Incentive ideas and exclusive offers from the September/October 2009 SalesForceXP advertisers [133-word article]
Off Sites
A 'Bucket List' for Sports Fans
Robert Tuchman founded TSE Sports & Entertainment, a sports marketing company that he sold in 2006 to Premiere Global Sports. He stayed on as president of Premiere Corporate Events, and now spends most of his time traveling with corporate groups to the most notable sporting events in the world. [1016-word article]
Team Building ROI: It Doesn't Have To Be An Oxymoron
Selling top brass on off-site team building, a challenge during any economy, has been next to impossible since the economy tanked one year ago. [303-word article]
The Leap: Moving Into Management
Leadership Lessons for Hard Times
A lot has been written and talked about in the past year about the mistakes that sparked the financial and economic crisis. Less attention has been given to what's been done well amid the turmoil. [772-word article]
Managers Should Be More Personable
Management scholar Henry Mintzberg followed 29 different managers through their work days for his new book, Managing. He recently discussed his findings with MIT Sloan Management Review editor Martha E. Mangelsdorf, who asked Mintzberg what he'd tell a group of managers who are beginning their first day on the job: [273-word article]
There is a group of fundamentalist Mormons in Utah whose houses have windows covered with wood, roofs patched with blue tarps that blow in the wind, and walls that aren't there. It's not a consequence of poverty. Their inhabitants simply aren't motivated to finish them. [610-word article]
There Is An "i" in Leadership: Influence
When you ask leaders - even good ones - what constitutes leadership, you often get vague and vapid responses, says Joseph Grenny, an author and BusinessWeek columnist whose company, VitalSmarts (vitalsmarts.com), works with Fortune 500 organizations to drive improved performance. [463-word article]
The Motivation Show Preview
We were about to use this space to tell you how it's more important than ever to focus on employee engagement. How studies have proven that com-panies that are able to keep employees challenged and motivated outperform competitors and retain their top talent. We were going to tell you that The Motivation Show in Chicago (September 23-25), has always been an excellent place to catch up on the latest strategies for keeping employees engaged. [486-word article]
The Sales Funnel
3 Questions for Better Brainstorming Sessions
Brainstorming sessions can easily degenerate into lackluster wastes of time, with the same ideas coming up again and again. Business consultant Julie Gilbert says these three questions can prevent your next session from turning flat: [143-word article]
5 Challenges Social Media Brings to Business
Becoming a "social business" (meaning true participation as opposed to leveraging social media as a new means of marketing) can impact nearly every function of a business. [305-word article]
Micromanagement impedes your ability to get things done, whether you're working for yourself or with a team. [207-word article]
Managers worldwide could increase employee engagement significantly by stripping back the layers of outdated, military-like management structures and replacing them with a democratization of the work force, says Welsh Professor Paul Thomas of the University of Glamorgan Business School. [146-word article]
Professionals - lawyers, architects, engineers, etc. - cite lack of time as one of the most serious obstacles to their rainmaking. Time can be a real problem or just a handy excuse; often times, it's both, says Ford Harding, President of Harding & Company (hardingco.com), a sales consultant for professional service providers. [179-word article]
In the film "Super Size Me," documentarian Morgan Spurlock reported that the ad budget for a media campaign encouraging kids to eat five fruits and vegetables per day was $2 million, while McDonald's annual ad budget for the U.S. is around $750 million. [138-word article]
Recent wall-to-wall coverage of the late Edward M. Kennedy's legacy got Sarah Green thinking about late bloomers. [250-word article]
Numbers Don't Lie...But do they tell the story you want them to?
It's a safe bet that no matter what industry you sell in, there is more data available than ever before to put in front of customers. If any part of your sales presentation involves numbers, however, ask yourself if they really matter. [186-word article]
The Best Managers Are Good Storytellers
ders gain trust and teach people what's important by telling stories. [144-word article]
The Sales Pitch Is Dead - Or Is It?
Old-fashioned sales pitches may still work on the Home Shopping Network, but in the B2B world, the sales pitch is timeworn and totally ineffective. Or so says sales and marketing writer Geoffrey James. [418-word article]
Think Before Pushing the Send Button
Sales teams have embraced e-mail as an efficient and easy way to maintain contact with customers and prospects. [128-word article]
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The First Step To Designing A Winning Sales Compensation Plan |
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Is your sales compensation plan helping you get the most from your sales people? Listen to this episode of the Sales Management Minute to learn the first question to ask yourself when designing an effective sales compensation plan.
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Audio. 60 sec. - 09/01/2010 |
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