Tom Burnside, director of marketing in the grocery division of Houston-based TeleCheck Services, finds this problem most prevalent with top performers who have high salaries. They respond better to my travel and merchandise awards. Admittedly, no amount of preparation and analysis will guarantee a successful program. In the end, the sales manager is still gambling when choosing one reward option over another. However, the more informed the decision, the better the odds.
Gift certificates work especially well for spontaneous or personalized rewards.
Tom Burnside, director of marketing in the grocery division of Houston-based TeleCheck Services, uses certificates that tap into his people's personal interests. For instance, the person who loves Jamaican coffee got a trip to Jamaica and the one who dreams of Cuban cigars traveled to Canada so he could stock up. Debit cards have been described as cash with trophy value. Participants enjoy the cards because they have control over how and when they choose to reward themselves. Also, since the card usually bears the company's or program's logo, users connect their purchases with the incentive.