Incentive: What Motivates

Unlike traditional sales incentives, channel sales rewards present particular challenges -- and opportunities. To delve into these, and discuss some best practices in managing dealer and channel sales incentives, we spoke with Luke Kreitner, vice president at Incentive Solutions. He discusses How an incentive program can influence a contractor’s recommendations to an end user, why it’s key to keep things simple for contractors and why gamification has particular appeal.

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In the final part of this discussion, the seven panelists talk about the trends they are seeing in merchandise rewards, predictions they have for the industry in the months ahead and address a variety of topics raised by audience members. 

1This year's panelists are:
Rhonda Brewer, vice president, sales, for BCD Meetings & Event
Shelly Colla, national sales manager, Premium Incentive Group, Sony Electronics
David Gould, CEO of CR Worldwide
Tony Lorenz, CEO of PRA
Mike May, president/owner of Brightspot Incentives & Events
Steve O'Malley, division president, Maritz Travel
Melissa Van Dyke, president of the Incentive Research Foundation

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In this section, leaders in the reward and recognition industry delve into the concerns they are hearing from clients and those C-suite decision makers, as well as the trends they are seeing in the travel sector particularly. 

This year's panelists are:
Rhonda Brewer, vice president, sales, for BCD Meetings & Event
Shelly Colla, national sales manager, Premium Incentive Group, Sony Electronics
David Gould, CEO of CR Worldwide
Tony Lorenz, CEO of PRA
Mike May, president/owner of Brightspot Incentives & Events
Steve O'Malley, division president, Maritz Travel
Melissa Van Dyke, president of the Incentive Research Foundation

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In this lively conversation between seven luminaries from across the incentive industry touches on a wide range of topics, including big data, artificial intelligence and the economy’s effects on rewards and recognition. In this first of three parts, the panelists offer up the one trend they believe is having the greatest influence on rewards and recognition today. The answers might surprise you.

This year's panelists are:

Rhonda Brewer, vice president, sales, BCD Meetings & Events
Shelly Colla, national sales manager, Premium Incentive Group, Sony Electronics
David Gould, CEO of CR Worldwide
Tony Lorenz, CEO of PRA
Mike May, president/owner of Brightspot Incentives & Events
Steve O'Malley, division president, Maritz Travel
Melissa Van Dyke, president of the Incentive Research Foundation

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Incentive programs can be enormously complicated and involve very sensitive information, creating challenges for managers and administrators. Could blockchain be the solution to these challenges? Holly Glowaty, cofounder of financial-tech consultancy K+H Connection as well as Flourish: The Growth of Branded Currency Conference, discusses the basics of blockchain and the possibilities it offers to the incentive industry, from gift cards to consumer incentives to travel rewards.

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Happy Employee Appreciation Day!  We are speaking with Dr. Bob Nelson, author of numerous books including 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees, who 25 years ago invented Employee Appreciation Day. He talks about why this concept has proven so powerful, why so many managers can still use a reminder about the value of employee appreciation and some simple ways to celebrate.

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When someone talks about motivation in the military, we might picture a harsh drill sergeant demanding 20 pushups -- or else. But the armed forces have developed much more sophisticated means of inspiring hard work and outstanding performances than the movies might lead you to believe. It’s no wonder, then, that those who serve often go on to successful careers as leaders in a wide range of other industries, bringing with them the management skills and insights they learned during their time in the military. On this episode of Incentive: What Motivates, just in time for Veterans Day, we speak with two incentive and motivation experts who also are veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

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Choosing the right reward is key for the success of any incentive. But often overlooked is the importance of how the reward is presented to the recipient. A special presentation in front of the whole company makes a very different impact than an email notification that you qualified for an incentive award. Research has found that as much as half of an award experience relates to aspects outside of the reward itself. For this episode, we spoke with Ric Neeley, director of marketing of Hinda Incentives, about this research and the broader questions of how presentation impacts an award's effectiveness — and how it's possible to over-package an award. Listen on to find out.

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When planning an incentive trip, extra "wow" moments are key. And one of the most effective ways to add a bit of unexpected excitement to a reward trip, meeting or any get-together of staff or customers you want to thank is to add a merchandise gifting experience. On this episode, we hear from two experts from major incentive houses who have long experience with running these gifting activities. They’ll discuss why these offerings work, how to arrange them, and how to bring the experience off without a hitch.

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Selecting the right rewards that will appeal to recipients is hardly a new challenge for incentive planners. But as technology evolves and the industry shifts, strategies for choosing impactful rewards also evolve. In this episode of “Incentive: What Motivates,” we are spotlighting a pair of presenters from our recent webcast discussing these shifts as well as wider movements in the incentive industry and how they are shaping the selection of program rewards.

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