Success Stories
Sportswear Company Scores Big with VacationMiles® Sales Incentive (Services)
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Facing competition from stronger consumer brands, a national footwear and sports apparel manufacturer needed to get creative with its sales strategy. The goal: to meet, and exceed, projections by successfully motivating its reps to promote the products. The manufacturer called on HMI Performance Incentives to help infuse an indifferent sales squad with a healthy dose of inspiration — and increase the company’s market share.
The Solution
HMI proposed VacationMiles®, which — like the frequent flyer programs it’s modeled on — rewards participants with “miles” relative to performance activity. These miles can be redeemed for a variety of awards, from individual travel to merchandise and more. In this case, HMI developed a 12-month program geared toward retail salespeople, with greater emphasis on sales of premium products. Store, district and regional managers enjoyed incentives, as well.
Among the methods used to maintain the program’s visibility:
- 2,500 print catalogs
- Customized web site
- Scratch cards for quarterly bonus promotions
- Mystery Shopper bonuses
- Monthly motivational letters and postcards
- Monthly e-mails
- In-store leader poster boards
HMI tracked participation with the help of the retailer’s weekly performance reports broken down by store and sales associate. Statements sent bi-weekly kept participants up to date with their progress and highlighted upcoming specials and chances to earn extra miles. One such special was the “mystery shopper” bonus: when this shopper was greeted by a retail salesperson encouraging the sale of the manufacturer’s featured product, that salesperson received a significant 10,000 mile bonus.
The Success
The results were remarkable and demonstrate the effectiveness of an incentive program done right. Sales increased nearly 12 percent, which inspired the manufacturer to continue the program for another two years.
“The VacationMiles® program helped us create a year-round brand loyalty program with sales associates from key national accounts. And the HMI team has been with us every step of the way. HMI partnered with us to develop an exciting program that was specifically customized to our needs. They continue to bring us creative ideas to maintain excitement with the sales associates. HMI’s excellent customer service and follow-through has made the program virtually turnkey for us.”
