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Business Motivation: Articles/StudiesTable of ContentsSummary of Articles/StudiesAssessing the Impact of Sales Incentive Programs: A Business Process PerspectiveThis 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 At Last, A Real Way to Measure ROIA 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 Effectiveness of Promotional Products as Giveaways at Trade Shows: An attendee’s perspectiveJust how effective are promotional products as giveaways at trade shows? A 2003 study by Georgia Southern University explores how promotional products impact recipient’s perceptions of the company, usefulness of the product and much more... Published by: Promotional Products Association International Federation Study 2001: A Study of the Incentive Merchandise and Travel MarketplaceIn 1999, the Incentive Federation requested that the Center for Concept Development conduct focus groups with incentive users in the New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta areas. Published by: Center for Concept Development Federation Study 2003: Incentive Federation Survey of Motivation and Incentive ApplicationsThe 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. Federation Study 2005: Incentive Federation Survey of Motivation and Incentive ApplicationsThe 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. Federation Study 2007: A Study of the Incentive Merchandise and Travel MarketplaceThe Incentive Federation contracted with GfK, an international market research company, to develop and conduct a market sizing study of the U.S. marketplace for incentive travel and merchandise. Results showed that, overall, 34% of companies used either incentive travel or merchandise incentives in 2006, spending a total of $46.1 billion on incentive programs. Breaking down that total, the study finds that companies spent $13.4 billion on incentive travel and 32.7 billion on merchandise incentives. In addition, more than half of the study participants expect their future spending on incentive programs to increase. Published by: Incentive Federation How to Make the Shift to a PPMM StrategyNo doubt some people might dismiss Integrated Marketing as a passing fad, and who would view the burgeoning discipline of People Performance Management and Measurement (PPMM) as a buzz phrase or "flavor-of-the-month" marketing strategy. Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement Human Resources and Marketing: A Missing Link?This study, conducted by Prof. Frank Mulhern and Patricia Whalen of Northwestern University, identified a significant gap between the view of human resources and employees on the role of employees on delivering customer satisfaction, but found that companies with a close link between human resources and marketing outperform companies that don't. Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement Improve Trade Show Traffic With Promotional ProductsPromotional products can increase traffic to an exhibitor’s trade show booth. A 1991 study by Exhibit Surveys Inc., found that using promotional products can give you an advantage over other exhibitors for buyer attention. Published by: Promotional Products Association International Incentives and the Automotive IndustryThis paper explores the different types of consumer, dealer, and aftermarket incentives used in the automotive industry. It also looks at how advertising agencies view incentives. It examines traditional incentive strategies and concludes with advice on program implementation. Published by: Design Incentives Incentives, Motivation, & Workplace PerformanceA 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 Increase Booth Traffic With Promotional ProductsWith the increase of postal rates over the past several years and dwindling advertising and promotional budgets, many companies are tempted to reduce or eliminate investments into pre-show mailings with promotional products in tradeshow settings. Is this a wise choice? The results of a 2004 study by Georgia Southern University indicates the answer is NO. Published by: Promotional Products Association International Internal Marketing Best Practice StudyThis study analyzed attempts by a dozen diverse companies to integrate their external and internal marketing practices. Published by: The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement Internal Marketing Best PracticesThis study analyzed attempts by a dozen diverse companies to integrate their external and internal marketing practices. Published by: Northwestern University Maintaining Brand Safety in Profitable Special MarketsManufacturers are sometimes cautious about the use of their brands in special markets. Obviously they want to maintain their brand integrity and avoid any impact consumer sales channels. This white paper from the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA), however, suggests that with basic safeguards in place, special markets like the incentive industry are “a win for the supplier, a win for the company, and a win for the employee.” Published by: Incentive Marketing Association Making the Case for Sales Incentives to the Tune of 10 Percent ROIThis 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 Measuring the ROI of Sales Incentive ProgramsThis 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 Motivation In The Hospitality IndustryA study on employee motivation and performance in the hospitality industry that looks at strategies for reducing employee turnover. Published by: Incentive Research Foundation Performance Management & Incentives in the Era of Sarbanes-OxleyFederal legislators in 2002 enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), which was designed to improve the accountability of corporate managers to shareholders and to improve public confidence in publicly traded companies. This white paper is an outline of the potential impact of SOX on the use of performance improvement and incentive programs. Published by: Performance Improvement Council of the Incentive Marketing Association Performance SolutionsThis 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 Post-Hoc Measurement and Outcome-Based Measures - Measuring the ROI of Sales Incentive ProgramsThis 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 Promotional Product Incentives Produce Valuable Referrals From Satisfied CustomersMarketers need not rely on their salespeople to elicit new leads for business. Existing customers are a gold mine for getting referrals—when they are asked! Through direct mail offers of promotional product incentives, marketers can leverage customer satisfaction and secure more valuable referrals. These findings are from a 2005 customer "referencing" study done by an advertising faculty at Louisiana State University and Glenrich Business Studies. * Published by: Promotional Products Association International Promotional Products' Impact On Brand/Company ImageAn experiment conducted by Georgia Southern University shows that recipients of promotional products have a significantly more positive image of a company than consumers who do not receive promotional products. Published by: Promotional Products Association International Promotional Products: Impact, Exposure And Influence.Once again we see statistically how well promotional products can help market business, thanks to a 2004 study by L.J. Market Research. Published by: Promotional Products Association International Promotional Products—The Key Ingredient to Integrated MarketingMany traditional forms of advertising and promotion are losing ground to newer media. This trend presents opportunities for the promotional products medium. However, very little research exists documenting the effectiveness of promotional products when compared to and combined with other traditional forms of advertising such as television and print. Published by: Promotional Products Association International Putting Trophy Value Into Your Gift Card ProgramGift 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 Seven Steps to Performance Through PeoplePresents an overview of the essential elements involved with performance improvement strategies. Breaking new ground, "people performance management" takes familiar disciplines and integrates them across functional lines to maximize results. Published by: Incentive Performance Center Tax Considerations for Incentive ProgramsThe 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 Taxation of Employee Achievement AwardsSection 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 Testing the Internal Marketing ModelWhile it is widely believed that employee attitudes and engagement directly influence customer experiences and customer spending behavior, there is little empirical evidence that has explicitly demonstrated this. This study, subtitled "An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Employee Attitudes, Customer Attitudes, and Customer Spending," combines results from an extensive survey of employees and customers at a hotel chain with the actual spending patterns of customers. Results show a direct, measurable relationship between the employee and customer perceptions of the hotel brand and customer spending behavior. Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement The Birth of a Needed New Profession: People Performance ManagementThis 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 The Economic Case for People Performance Management and MeasurementCompelling research links financial results and customer satisfaction to engaged employees and channel partners. Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement The Economics of EngagementIn today's economic environment, employers are struggling to find every advantage possible to thrive, grow or simply to stay in business. For most US based organizations payroll represents the largest expense. Advantages therefore, come first and foremost through better talent management. Published by: Human Capital Institute The Path to Employee EngagementThis study, a follow up by Prof. James Oakley, identified key internal levers that affect employee satisfaction and, more importantly, the level of engagement. Published by: The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement The PMA/Northwestern University ROI of Integrated Marketing Research ProjectThis study, conducted by Frank Mulhern on behalf of the Promotion Marketing Association with the support of the Forum, identified key challenges facing organizations attempting to fully integrate external and internal marketing. Published by: The PMA/Northwestern University The ROI of Integrated MarketingThis 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 The Role of Gift Certificates and Gift Cards In Corporate Recognition and Incentive ProgramsThis paper looks at the types and applications of gift cards and gift certificates and reviews the research that points to the efficacy of gift certificates and cards in achieving business results. Gift certificates and cards have been shown to increase sales, improve employee performance and build loyalty, foster teamwork, and create new markets, among others. Published by: Incentive Gift Card Council of the Incentive Marketing Association Why Incentive Programs Endure RecessionsHistorically, incentive programs, unlike other sales and marketing strategies, have endured economic downturns. In fact, according to a review of past Incentive Federation and industry studies, the incentive industry managed to grow following the recessions that occurred in the late 1980s, after September 11, 2001, and during the downturn of the late 1990s, following the dot-com collapse. In fact, there is no evidence that the industry suffered serious declines following the recession in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and the industry continued to prosper even during the Great Depression when the industry’s trade magazine at the time, Premium Practice, was filled with advertising pages. Published by: Incentive Performance Center |
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