Whitepapers

Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

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Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

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Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

Published by:

Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

Published by:

Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

Published by:

Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes

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There’s amusement to be had for all at a carnival. There are spinning, flashing rides, whimsical music and, of course, icy snow cones. These things came to mind when Lynne DuVivier, president of Westport, Connecticut-based The Creative Factor, Inc. (UPIC: CREATEIT) was approached by HBO to develop a campaign for its show, Carnivàle.

Published by: Promotional Consultant

Fred Parker, CEO of Bluegrass Promotional Marketing (UPIC: BLUEGRAS) in Charlotte, North Carolina is a football fan—especially since his company has been named the preferred promotional marketing agency for the Carolina Panthers for the 2006 season.

Published by: Promotional Consultant

This white paper highlights four key areas that impact organizational adoption of integrated marketing and motivate employees to think about and cooperate with integrated marketing efforts beyond their functional silos.

Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

There’s amusement to be had for all at a carnival. There are spinning, flashing rides, whimsical music and, of course, icy snow cones. These things came to mind when Lynne DuVivier, president of Westport, Connecticut-based The Creative Factor, Inc. (UPIC: CREATEIT) was approached by HBO to develop a campaign for its show, Carnivàle.

Published by: Promotional Consultant

This study, sponsored by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), looks at questioins that are rarely posed in relation to sales incentive programs: How do sales incentives affect procurement and cost of goods? Shipping? Cash flow? It suggests that developing an incentive program with a focus on sales growth alone, with no consideration for other business functions can produce 1) an adverse affect on cash flow, 2) a possible disruption in supplies, 3) extra shipping costs for ordered merchandise, and 4) a possible impact on customer quality. A "business process" approach, on the other hand, one that takes into account the impact on other business functions, "enables the planning and creation of the needed infrastructure and additional investments, where necessary, to support the results arising from the sales incentive program," the author says.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

A study designed to determine which aspects of selling respond to incentive travel and how that response can be measured. Researchers surveyed 1,800 subscribers of Meetings and Incentive Travel magazine and 3,000 members of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association. To present an in-depth picture of incentive travel, and to provide a practical template for determining program ROI, the authors made a point of recording views of both the people who win the awards and those executives who allocate the money to fund them.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

In many industries and businesses, channel partners are key links between employees and customers- a weak link if they are ignored, an important source of strength if they are engaged. The stakes are high. Channel partner impact can be enormous in terms of sales volume, market share, brand reputation and “share of customer”, i.e., in engaging customers. Indeed, channel partners are often the sole link to the customer. But channel partners can also impact employee engagement, especially when they fail to deliver. Conversely, channel partner engagement is directly affected by the employees who manage them and who produce the products and services. In short, most businesses succeed only to the degree that symbiotic relationships exist between employees, customers, channel partners and vendors. This is the basis upon which “Enterprise Engagement” is built. In this paper, we focus on channel partners as a key constituent of organizational success and we offer practical strategies and tactics to engage them.

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The Incentive Federation Inc. has commissioned a survey involving current users of merchandise and travel items for motivational applications. The Center for Concept Development (CCD) was asked to analyze the data collected in this survey and to prepare this report on the survey findings.

Published by: Center for Concept Development, Ltd.

A summary of research by the ISPI (International Society of Performance Improvement) on the impact of incentive programs and the essential implementation steps necessary for success. Shows how helpful incentive and motivation programs can be in terms of engaging employees and improving performance.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

Yvette Widdicombe, vice president of distributor Jack Nadel, Inc. (UPIC: NADELINC) in Palo Alto, California wanted to pamper her employees with a unique gift. After much thought, she decided on lounge pants with an accompanying spa bag and shirt.

Published by: Promotional Consultant

This white paper delves into the mechanics of sales incentive programs, providing managers with useful information to design successful sales initiatives at their own companies and providing their corporate decision makers with hard evidence.

Published by: The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

There’s a reason for the old adage: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Anyone who has ever tried to run a business knows that’s true. But it is also true that you can’t manage what you measure only once each year. When it comes to employee and customer engagement, most of us collect information through annual surveys, analyze the results, share them in a high-level report and perhaps devote part of an executive meeting to discuss the implications. Like performance reviews, this is usually done once a year – if at all.

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This report presents a series of cases involving companies that implemented sales incentive programs. It makes a case for the use of post-hoc or post-program measurement of ROI to demonstrate the impact of the programs on sales performance.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

This white paper discusses the range of "zero-based performance improvement strategies" that can be developed with the help of full-service incentive and performance improvement companies. It also includes contact information on members of the Incentive Marketing Association's Performance Improvement Council, made up of a dozen organizations dedicated to offering companies solutions-based incentive and performance improvement programs.

Published by: Performance Improvement Council of the Incentive Marketing Association

This paper summarizes two basic ROI measurement methodologies using case studies from companies that have implemented measurable sales incentive programs in the past, and offers insights into understanding the data requirements relative to these two methodologies. It explains that Post-Hoc Measurement is essentially the use of field experimentation using historical data, while Outcome-Based Measures considers such areas as accounts receivable and inventory levels that can be affected by sales improvements.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

Gift cards have become an important corporate tool for reward and recognition. This paper looks at the growing use of gift cards and how to add to the "trophy value" of gift cards via communication, customization, and presentation.

Published by: Incentive Gift Card Council of the Incentive Marketing Association

The federal income tax considerations for incentive programs are often overlooked. While it is difficult to give technical tax advice that would apply equally to all incentive programs, following certain general income tax principles can make an incentive program more successful and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Published by: National Association for Employee Recognition

Section 274(j) of the Internal Revenue Code contains specific rules on the tax treatment of “employee achievement awards.” As a general rule, the employer cannot deduct employee achievement awards, unless they meet certain criteria.

Published by: National Association for Employee Recognition

This paper introduces the discipline of "People Performance Management" as developed by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, a unit of the Integrated Marketing Communications Department of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. People Performance Management refers to an integrated process designed to help firms maximize long-term financial performance through a strategic focus on their most valuable asset -- human capital.

Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement