It's not always about the money. Many times it's the more tangible benefits that can motivate your employees. It's been shown time and time again that incentive programs that focus on incentives other than cash bonuses work, and work well. Take a look at the excerpted article below (taken from the Advertising Specialty Institute's (ASI) website). of things to think about when giving gifts to customers and colleagues:

"Scott Testa knows what motivates salespeople. The COO of Philadelphia-area intranet software company Mindbridge has run numerous successful incentive programs for his company's 35 sales reps. "We go for the mindset of something that's big, something that touches this person's life and their family," Testa says. "You can't do it all the time, but giving a gift check for something they can actually show off to friends or family makes them more motivated to sell and to stay with us." And that jibes with what many studies have found.

Contrary to what they may tell you, salespeople are motivated by more than money. Sure, compensation is very important. But for top sellers, whose incomes are generally more than comfortable, it's the noncash rewards that inspire them to perform. Think about it. When you're talking about being recognized at work, you're not going to say, "Oh I got a bonus for such-and-such amount." That's just tacky. But, when someone visits your home and sees a flat-screen TV, you can take pride in saying, "I earned it for being the top sales rep at my company this year. And, see this photo of me in Jamaica …"

Furthermore, noncash rewards also work better over time. When people are given cash rewards, they tend to put it toward paying bills or buying everyday essentials, but highly coveted items like plasma TVs remain as reminders of an achievement for years to come. The 2005 Incentive Federation study found that 60% of survey respondents said that cash bonuses are perceived by recipients as part of their compensation package, but 80% said that travel and merchandise incentives are remembered long after cash rewards are forgotten. Here are just a few ways companies can use promotional items and other rewards to achieve stunning sales results.

Bringing Your Work Home Truthfully, sales incentive programs do much more than increase sales. They help create an inspired and engaged sales team that knows you appreciate the hard work they do for the company. And, feeling appreciated goes a long way toward more satisfied employees who are less likely to run off at the first offer from your competitor. In fact, a recent study by Maritz Incen-tives proved just that. It found that 53% of respondents had left a previous employer because of a lack of incentives or recognition. When you start to think about accounts lost and all the money and time it takes to find and train a new hire, the savings become more apparent. "It costs us more not to do incentive programs" Testa says. "

You don't necessarily have to buy a plasma TV to get your employees motivated either. Just try to make it something that they can, and should be excited about. Many times it can be interesting, even if it's not a terribly expensive gift. With incentive programs, a little forethought can go a long ways. If you are interested in starting an employee incentive program, please call (800) 588-7111, or email us at customerservice@powertexgroup.com.