The HMInspired Performance Incentives Blog

Everybody multitasks. It’s unavoidable in today’s world, where a person sitting in a restaurant can be found talking, texting, eating, and watching a game all at once. Unfortunately, despite what some people might claim, this multitasking “ability” actually inhibits our overall productivity more than it helps—as pointed out in a 2009 study coauthored by Stanford researcher Clifford Nass. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but anything that gets in the way of productivity is generally considered to be bad for business. If part of your business involves managing (or would “juggling” be the more appropriate term here?) multiple marketing/incentive campaigns and promotions/spiffs simultaneously, then perhaps you can relate to the particular drawbacks that are associated with trying to multitask. For example:

“Extra, Extra, read all about it!”

Managing an international meeting, incentive, conference, or event (MICE) takes a lot of work. A LOT! You will undoubtedly confront certain challenges in the planning process, even with a domestic program. For those planning international events, there are some additional complexities. Take it from me: at HMI we organize MICE in destinations all over the world, and each time we’re faced with a set of unique challenges that force us to bring our strategic “A” game. Based on these experiences, I’ve come up with a set of essential, common sense suggestions that should help prepare anyone interested in organizing an international meeting, incentive, conference or event:

If there was a popularity contest for incentive group travel destinations, who do you think would win? My bet is on Hawaii. Why? Maybe it’s because of Hawaii’s near-flawless weather, or perhaps it’s the impeccable service of numerous 5-star resorts? It might have something to do with the abundance of world-class beaches that populate these unforgettable islands. It really could be any of the numerous factors that contribute to Hawaii’s standing as one of the loveliest and most desirable tourist getaways the world over.

I recently accompanied an electrical wholesaler on an incentive group travel trip to beautiful Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. To make their incentive trip a bit more special, this client decided to treat their participants to some extra spending money, “on the house.” Instead of simply handing the participants cash, the client looked to HMI to come up with something that would be a little more unique and memorable.

Technology has changed the way we all do business. In many ways, it has made our lives simpler, faster, and more convenient.  This has been as true for incentive group travel, meetings and events as for any other industry.  Tools like online registration have made managing and trouble-shooting group travel data easier than ever before. Data management is less cumbersome for the internal support staff; participant registration is now a breeze; reports can be catered to the needs of the client; and frequently asked questions can now be found on a simple, straightforward webpage that anyone can access. While these technological tools are great in a number of ways, there are still certain components of the group travel registration process that will always require a more human touch.

While doing some year-end analysis a few months ago for a distributor client, we noticed a significant difference between participant performance and non-participant performance (those who were invited but chose not to participate in the incentive program). Following our observation, the client ran their own analysis to confirm the results. They found that non-participating dealers grew by only 11.6%, whereas participating dealers grew by 26% - almost 15% higher. Because of the implications of this analysis, the client began placing a bigger emphasis on enrolling more dealers into the incentive program. HMI established an additional incentive solution for the client that created a personalized formal invitation that was mailed to the dealers’ homes in a sleek envelope. Included in the invitation was a sweepstakes for 10 new enrollees to earn two event tickets to the sporting or entertainment venue of their choice. This exciting “call to action” resulted in an increased response rate within a one-month period, and will likely yield higher company revenue across this group by the end of the year (as per the findings above). 

Your partner served up their flagship client and introduced your team and solutions. Now, maybe it’s time you served them up something in return. In fact, I have just the thing.

No matter your true heritage, on March 17th, it seems that everybody’s Irish. That’s because Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated and high-spirited holidays worldwide. It’s no secret that the biggest, most entertaining St. Patrick’s Day festival in the world occurs in the holiday’s birthplace: Ireland, and more specifically, Dublin. What better way for your participants to spend their next St. Patrick’s Day than with an incentive trip to the country where it all began?

Over the course of my 16 years selling incentive solutions for HMI, I’ve helped provide exciting programs to manufacturers, distributors, VARs… you name it. I’ve become pretty familiar with the advantages and difficulties of maintaining a cohesive channel environment. One thing I continually seem to hear about is the channel disconnect between manufacturers and the frontline salespeople who market and sell their products.