The Recognition Company

Reward Recognize Remember

MAKE A PAYMENT 

(866) 924-2778

Bill Myers

What Does Research Say About Motivating Your Sales Team?

By

 

If you employ people, you manage and lead people.  I believe it’s a given that managers desire to lead well and maintain a motivated, engaged sales team.

Motivated and Engaged 

These are elusive and abstract descriptions used every day for what we should look for in our organizations.  When held up against the fire of getting our jobs done and achieving results, the intangibles tend to fade on our radar.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”  Lou Holtz

The quote from Lou Holtz does a good job applying motivation and engagement to a given role.  But in addition to work performance, there is the resultant happiness that accompanies motivation and engagement.  Motivated and engaged people tend to be more positive and pleasant to be with; or is it the other way around?  Who cares?

We want and need motivated and engaged people in our business; the more the better.

Traditional Motivation Methods 

The two most common tools we tend to look for in affecting human performance are Compensation/Incentives and Performance Management Systems.  Both comp plans and performance management are critical elements of effective management, but in themselves fall woefully short of hitting the root of what motivates most people.

Gallup research says, “Just one out of five employees strongly agree their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.”  Gallup Blog Jan 3, 2018

Even the best design of performance management systems can only touch around the edges of what motivates any given employee.  Important, yes; sufficient, no.

There is eye-opening research surrounding behavioral effect of “carrot-based” compensation plans.  The London School of Economics analyzed 51 large company compensation plans and produced the discovery that “financial incentives … can result in a negative impact on overall performance.”  LSE: When Performance-Related Pay Backfires” Financial, June 25, 2009

Compensation and financial incentive plans can frustrate employees when too much weight is placed upon them to drive motivation.  The underlying premise that you can always do more or better if I just pay you more can send a message which undermines personal trust.  This approach implies that employees are holding back unless they get more money.  Who feels good in this view?

So The Best Way To Motivate Your Team Is? 

Behavioral scientists agree that “intrinsic motivation…. Is the strongest and most persuasive driver.”  Intrinsic motivation is often referred to as self-motivation or ambition.  David Hoffeld, The Science of Motivating Sales People, The Carrot & the Stick Must Go.

In other words, the key to motivation is understanding what makes employees want to do a good job.

The same Gallup research saying only 1 in 5 are highly motivated by their performance management also reveals some positive and actionable information.

Gallup found motivation comes from how deeply we feel connected to what we’ve created [what we are doing] and the degree to which people appreciate us.  Further, “Employees who feel adequately recognized are half as likely as those who don’t to say they’ll quit in the next year.”

Building motivation and engagement generates organizational momentum that tends to create a buzz in the culture.  Everyone feels it and most respond to it.

Great Tools for Motivation:

  • Recognition – Public celebration and appreciation of a job well done create an awards system that is available to everyone. Encourage it’s use and let your team know they are appreciated.
  • Awards – Create short cycle contests with a menu of awards for accomplishment. Flexibility in the awards reflects the personal interests of the individuals. Be consistent and realistic in setting up goals for your team.
  • Milestones – Milestones can be public or more private which may be more personal. Examples are employment anniversary awards or gifts and project completion events

Human Resource and Sales Directors often look to pay plans and performance management cycles as their key tools for building motivation for performance in their teams.  Consider the less expensive and far less ominous tools in your toolbox of recognition and awards.

Focus your attention on how you can tangibly communicate that you appreciate your employees’ efforts and nurture their intrinsic motivation to want to perform well.

5 Ways to Establish Your Company Culture

By

company cultureCompany culture is defined as the beliefs, actions, expectations, and visions that are reflected in a company’s interactions among the team and outside customers.

Company culture highlights the core values of the brand, employees, and mission statement.

The key to a company’s success lies among the employee’s dedication to the overall organization and, without strong team development, a company’s culture fails to reflect their values and mission.

Below, we’ve listed six ways to establish a company’s culture in the workplace. Feel free to use this as an outline for your organization.

Vision

When crafting a company’s vision, business leaders must be sure to be both futuristic in planning but present in action. It is great to focus on future successes and projects however be keenly alert to what the company is doing right now.

What are the company’s most important goals? Where do you see the company in a year? 5 years? How is the team functioning? Are sales and productivity meeting the targets? Is employee retention high or low?

Learn from the past. Maintain a healthy, productive work environment. Look forward to the future and, in order to keep everyone on the same page, communicate about your organization’s future.

Goals

Organize plans, quotas, and processes around a company’s goals. Without goals in mind, it is inevitable that teams will slack in productivity on tasks and lose their focus on the vision.

For example, to stimulate productivity in sales, set tangible progress markers on projects so that the team is aware of how the project is progressing or falling short.

Encourage weekly or biweekly meetings as a team to discuss where each member is in their progress towards self-imposed deadlines, as well as the overarching business goals.

Direction

Aligning the goals and vision requires direction. Once goals are clearly defined, it is crucial to delegate specific tasks to employees.

Provide constructive, effective feedback consistently as projects are completed. Allow open communication within the team and, as the leader, figure out the best method to accomplishing tasks.

Also, it is a good idea to periodically reevaluate the methodology behind delegating tasks. Ask the team members where their strengths, weaknesses, and interests are on a specific project.

Unity

Much like the trust shared between customers and a business, establishing ongoing trust within the team is critical to developing a company culture.

Some methods of fostering unity in a company are to embrace different types of leaders and followers, recognize accomplishments, and practice positive feedback within the team.

As the team and company continue to expand, aim to practice displaying unity.

Communication

Dave Ramsey, money-management expert and author of EntreLeadership, explained that “strong teams come from strong communication.”

When communication is lacking, the chances of successfully solving issues later on becomes less likely. Showing respect for both the company’s mission and the team’s input is essential to effective communication.

Within the team and overall company, encourage communication often, as it allows teams to operate efficiently.

 

We would love to talk to you about our several options to recognize your team. Call us at 866-924-2778 to talk to one of our staff members.

Choose Corporate Awards: 4 Factors to Consider

By

 

In both large and small businesses, recognizing employees for their achievements is crucial to the overall productivity of the business. In a CBS report, the shattering number of unhappy employees outweighs the number of satisfied employees.

Feeling neglected and useless in the workplace due to the lack of motivation and incentive to do a better job was at the core of why employees performed so low in this study.

We believe the best way to showcase your appreciation for your team is by recognizing their diligence! Below I have listed 4 factors to consider when deciding what type of corporate award to choose.

Generational Shifts

A more matured workforce has traditionally appreciated monetary compensation for their overachievement, however the younger workforce has been shown to appreciate a tangible “thank you” rather than money.

The act of providing recognition for retirement, years of service, or sales awards has been shown to be of greater value to the upcoming generation.

The current and upcoming generation of the workforce is one that values relationships and connections to others. That being said, a tangible award on a corporate level functions as an ideal motivator because it can show the employee what specifically they are being rewarded.

“Thank you for your outstanding sales in the 2018 year” is much more appreciated than a financial bonus because they “did well.”

Motivation

A study held by Anita Bowness, a global leader for Halogen Software, revealed how money can actually function as a “demotivator.”  Perspectives of money vary from person to person and unfortunately, cause more harm than good.

In one year, an employee might be rewarded a cash bonus for their hard work towards a project. However, in the next year, is the employee expected to receive the same amount of money or more?

There is always a risk in miscommunication when the employee expects a certain amount rather than what the business owner feels is an adequate amount. In order to avoid this morale depleting (and awkward) situation, choose other types of awards to recognize employees’ dedication!

As a business owner, I want my staff to feel the most motivated in their workplace as possible. When I was working for other companies, I also craved incentives that highlighted my achievements – not just a pay raise. Instead of attempting to motivate others with money, try successfully motivating your employees with beautiful pieces that they will cherish forever.

Teamwork

Corporate awards reflect how the team is achieving company goals and reinforces the vision of your company. Recognition awards for service or years of dedication are a great way to attract outside talent while also maintaining internal expertise.

In most leadership development tactics, encouraging an employee in a team setting has been shown to be highly effective to productivity. This productivity is a result from group encouragement, in which members work together as a team toward a common goal.

Teams are built to perform better together and showcase each other’s talents. In a corporate setting, team motivation creates more positive interactions and a stronger workforce.

Publicity

Awards draw attention from bystanders, both internally and externally. By engaging with your team in this way, you open the door to outsiders gaining perspective as to what your business stands for, how the leadership functions, and why choosing your corporation would be the best choice for them.

For small businesses, this type of positive publicity is critical in recruiting future employees, expanding sales to other consumers, and increasing productivity within the workplace.

 

We would love to talk to you about our several options to recognize your team. Call us at 866-924-2778 to talk to one of our staff members.

5 Reasons to Love Your Planner

By

Academic Planner

  1. A New Planner is A New Start

Is it just me, or does anyone else look forward to the purchase of a fresh new planner? Now, I purchase planners at the beginning of the year, but I remember the excitement of getting academic planners at the start of a school year! I loved all of the empty spaces and the smell of possibility with the pages. There’s something about a planner that signifies change and a fresh start.

  1. A Planner Holds Our Memories

Somehow I’ve managed to hold on to just about every journal and planner that I’ve used since my teenage years. I can’t bear to throw them away. Why? Because my life was lived within their pages. In our planners, we live and document our everyday lives.

I love that I can pick up an old planner and look back on a year and see what I had written on my little to-do list and remember exactly what life felt like in that season. I can remember the classes that swamped me when I started college, that one summer of freedom and wild adventures, and those crazy 6 months of wedding planning that I would never want to relive again. A planner holds precious memories and we can keep them forever.

  1. A Planner Reduces Anxiety

Planners keep us sane. In the busyness and hectic pace of our lives, planners do the tracking and the remembering so that we don’t have to. I always feel a bit of relief after spending time with my planner because I’m able to sort of just dump out everything that’s swirling in my mind onto its pages. From my head, onto the calendar it goes and I suddenly feel free!

After emptying out all of the details of my mind that I’ve been clutching onto, I’m relieved of that awful tinge of anxiety I have of forgetting something important. Can you relate to this? Planners keep track of the tiny details that our overwhelmed minds can so easily forget. They are anxiety reducers for people like me!

  1. A Planner Ensures Success

For a student a great planner is not only a luxury, but a necessity for success. We aren’t successful by accident; we become successful when we plan accordingly. A planner helps us prioritize what’s most important and keeps all of the details of our life in the right perspective. A planner helps us to see the big picture, like what due dates are coming up so that we don’t have to pull all-nighters to get something turned in.

I love my planner because not only does it reduce my anxiety of forgetting something, but it gives me the confidence that I can do my job well. With my planner, I know what’s in front of me and what’s on my plate so that I can prioritize my time more efficiently.

  1. A Planner Streamlines Communication

Communication is an essential part of being successful. A teacher with a student, a student with a parent- these are just two vital streams of communication that must happen regularly.

For a parent, a planner is peace of mind and communication with your student, as well as your student’s teachers. Your child may not tell you everything that’s going on at school but the planner will! A planner is really a go-between that connects home life to school life. It really is a must-have for a successful school year!

Share the Best Years of Your Life with the Best People in Your Life

By

Imagine this scene: A family piles into the living room and pulls an old book off the shelf. But this isn’t just any kind of book- it’s mom’s senior yearbook. It’s covered in dust and faded from the years, but when it’s opened the memories come alive as if they were lived yesterday.

Laughter erupts as the kids find mom’s picture. There’s a joke about her hair and those glasses that are actually cool again. They ask her about who the boy was that had a heart scribbled across his face. That boyfriend that she had never thought to mention to them before suddenly have them all ears for details.

Mom laughs it off and then changes the subject. She points to their dad- a tall skinny guy that they don’t even recognize. “That’s you, dad?” a little boy asks in shock. He knew his dad played basketball, but on these pages, a better story is told. Dad didn’t just play basketball- he was player of the year! “Do you still have that jacket?” the daughter asks. Dad’s letterman jacket is now a fashion statement that the kids are fighting over.

The kids continue to poke fun at the style of clothing and ask about mom and dad’s friends. They’ve heard some of these stories before, but now that these people have a face, they can really imagine their teenage years. Their attention is turned to all of the hand-written notes on the front and back pages of the yearbook. They ask mom about all of the silly inside jokes and ask about the nicknames she used to have. She had completely forgotten about them! And those love notes from the boys, those are read aloud with dramatic performance. They’re never going to let her live this down.

Memories Come Back to Life in Yearbooks

Right there in a living room, a whole new world of memories were unfolded. Those short high school years that flashed by so quickly can be remembered and treasured forever. Things that we tend to forget about- like that friend that sat next to us in Chemistry and that group of people we always had lunch with- they all become real again and we can share them with the people we love.

What a precious gift that is, to be able to share the best years of your life with the best people in your life.

All because of a yearbook.

You Can’t Put a Price on Sharing Your Life with the Ones You Love Most

Why do people invest money into yearbooks? Because they capture and encapsulate some of the best years of our lives. They hold memories that we would have otherwise lost if they weren’t recorded. Yearbook memories can be passed on to the people that you love the most.