How to run an effective incentive campaign

Incentive campaigns are present in many companies, especially in sales teams. These campaigns increase the motivation of salespeople so that they achieve better results.

However, it is quite common for incentive campaigns to be used incorrectly or incompletely. Sometimes only part of the desired result is achieved. It is therefore extremely important to understand why an incentive campaign is needed and to know how to manage it correctly in order to achieve the desired result.

Carrying out this type of campaign is no easy task. There are several requirements, including viability studies, time, attention to deadlines, analyses and extreme dedication.

Here are the main points for carrying out an effective incentive campaign:

1. Establish an objective

For the campaign to be successful, you need to clearly establish its objective. It's essential to understand the company's culture and create a policy.

You can choose to stimulate new sales, encourage sales to existing customers, improve sales of a particular product, shorten delivery times, reduce non-compliance rates, etc. You can choose just one option or several, as well as creating your own objectives for your team.

2. Define the results to be achieved by the team

Decide which segment of your business will receive the incentive campaign and what result you want to achieve.

An important tip: Setting achievable targets will help you win the team's support and commitment. Also draw up a communication strategy so that the campaign can really win over your employees!

3. Set a duration for the campaign

Any campaign, no matter how small, has a day and time to start and end.

Pay attention to the duration of an incentive campaign. If it's too quick, there may not be enough time to reach the targets. If it's too long, it could demotivate the team throughout the campaign. To avoid these problems, think about sustaining actions such as publicising rankings, for example.

Ideally, you should set the period for this according to the main objective and the target set. It's worth emphasising that employees can't constantly live in a campaign, otherwise it ceases to be an incentive.

4. Define the reward

This is the part that matters most to your team: What they will get in return for their commitment and time. 

So define how and how many employees will be rewarded. You can't be too careful, because the prize really needs to motivate! A good way to avoid this problem is to define the prize together with your team. Through a survey or an honest conversation, you can find out what the group wants. A trip? A television? An air-conditioner?

5. Adapt to the budget and avoid rewarding with money

Several studies have shown that cash is less motivating than other types of prizes and doesn't provide the recall of a trip or a product. It's important to emphasise that you have to adapt the prize to your budget and the objective of the campaign. 

For example, if the aim is to boost sales, you can invest more because you'll get a guaranteed financial return. If the aim is to increase customer satisfaction (which won't necessarily bring an immediate financial return), you can opt for a less expensive prize, but one that offers a real incentive. Get creative too! The prize could be lunch for the winner's family, a day off work, etc.