Sales channel incentives done correctly and with the right technology can motivate channel partners and sales reps to perform their best, meet and exceed goals, and even boost employee engagement. With a lot of tools on the market and a lot of sales to make, sourcing, tracking, and managing a program can be difficult. Here are five problems with sales channel incentives and five ways to work around them:
Find a system that allows you to enroll sales reps with one click, analyze and track progress, monitor sales invoices, and enable automated birthday and service anniversary rewards.
A program focused solely on rewards without structure and communication in place can often dissolve intrinsic motivation over time as employee focus shifts to monetary recognition. The right sales channel incentives platform with a rewards shop consistent with today’s e-commerce user experience can do the opposite and motivate sales reps to reach their goals for themselves and their organization.
Minimize the barrier between sale and reward. Choose a system that allows sales reps to easily submit proof of sale with mobile receipt uploading, goal tracking, and analytics.
Reward sales reps for meeting goals immediately–a delay in rewards can have the opposite effect in motivating reps to perform their best and exceed their goals. Provide your sales force with a choice in rewards, and ensure they are delivered swiftly.
Cash and merchandise are always (well, cash isn’t always the best motivator) great rewards for high achievers - but experiences can be more meaningful to a hard-working team. Choose a sales channel incentives program that allows employees to not only choose their rewards (on a point-based system), but one that also provides rewarding experiences (think helicopter rides, cooking classes) as an option–a great choice, as 74% of Americans favor experiences over merchandise according to Luxury Travel Advisor.
