3
2
What’s My Motivation?
Don’t over-think the reward. Most top performers are
self-driven.
“When I’ve had the opportunity to run focus groups for
high-earning salespeople, so much of what motivates them
is the challenge itself and the recognition of being No. 1
when the competition is stiff,” says Tim Houlihan of BI.
“I remember one guy asking how high the goals in a
program would be? ‘How high do you think they need to
be?’ I asked. He said he’s typically at 120 percent of quota.
‘Whatever the top level is, I’m going for it.’
“When he said that, I immediately knew that
he is a guy who competes against himself. He just
wants to be challenged. It’s sad to say, but it really
wasn’t about the rewards at all. It was all about his
intrinsic motivation. But if he could connect his
own personal goal to achieve something above
and beyond with a lifestyle item that he couldn’t
afford or wouldn’t afford, it would be icing on the
cake.”
Medtronic Knows
How To Pamper Its Stars
Count Medtronic, a world leader in medical technology, among
those companies that prefer to reward top-performing, high-
salaried salespeople with merchandise and travel rather than
cash.
“Participants actually like it better than cash and it doesn’t
conflict with our compensation program,” says Jane Kopp
Houlihan, a sales analyst at the Minneapolis-based FORTUNE
500 Company. She is responsible for setting sales quotas,
completing revenue trend analyses, and overseeing sales incentive
efforts for more than 100 highly compensated sales reps.
Medtronic has used BI’s AwardperQs program to motivate top
performers for the past three years.
The company’s compensation director told Houlihan in
a note that at least 10 sales reps approached him at a recent
conference to express how much they enjoyed the AwardperQs
program.
Medtronic also has awarded a top salesperson a $1,500
HDTV, a $20,000 Harley Davidson bike and numerous
trips. They also have held drawings for a Harley Davidson
and HDTVs. “The drawings create a lot of enthusiasm and
excitement, but the downside of a drawing is that someone with
only one ticket can win the big prize while the hard-working rep
with 30 tickets can go home with nothing.”
1
Feature Story
3 Things to
Remember
Some people
like
Yanni.
There’s no accounting for taste, so avoid
the one-reward-fits-all approach. BI Senior
Vice President John Jack’s favorite answer to
the riddle, why did the chicken cross the road?
Only the chicken knows.
Experiences can’t be duplicated
.
Travel is a popular incentive for high earners
because it’s the ultimate indulgence. Houlihan
says travel is often thought of as “more savoring.”
Be sure to provide something more than tickets
to a destination, however. Create an experience
that can’t be duplicated.
Don’t drag it out
.
A tendency when using expensive rewards is to
lengthen the incentive program’s time frame.
That’s a mistake, says Houlihan. The trip to Maui
for top performers at the end of the year is more
recognition rather than incentive. “It’s hard to
keep people engaged in something for a full year.
Very few people in our society pursue long-term
goals.” Allowing participants to accrue points
from several three-month programs will produce
better results.
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