Incentive - January 2008 - (Page 11)

IN THE NEWS Industry News Letters to the Editor Regarding “The Next Step: 50 industry leaders meet, seek unified voice” [December 2007]: The fact that the meeting attendees comprised both ‘performance improvement’ companies and merchandise suppliers strikes to the heart of the disconnect. These are two completely different businesses and points of view, yet we continue to put them into a mash-up and wonder why we can’t seem to get anything done. Ages ago, incentive companies were the pre-eminent travel resource. We were one of the few industries that had relationships and knowledge of foreign countries. The fact that I can connect electronically with hotels and DMCs and book airline tickets [reduces clients’ perception of] the ‘value’ we bring. This in turn reduces the margin we can charge. The same holds true for the merchandise area of our business. Debit cards are similar. What we need to do is find those partners in the value chain that represent our future. We need to talk to compensation management companies, enterprise incentive management companies, software companies, etc. They hold the true value for us—connecting the information to the objectives. Once that is accomplished we can connect to the appropriate end supplier. However, if we can’t make money on the thinking and design of the program—and we’re not willing to let go of the ‘volume’ part our business model (awards)—we’re going to continue to try to straddle an ever-widening gulf until we fall in. As an industry we need to accept the fact that our value chain has changed and begin developing the new value chain that allows us to continue to help companies drive results and provides us a fair return for our efforts. —Paul Hebert, executive director, Excellence In Motivation Incentive welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length. The full text of Mr. Hebert’s comments can be found on Incenitve’s blog, www.DailyPerk.net incentivemag.com Say What Incentive providers must learn to speak corporate buyers’ language, industry advisory board says t seems that incentive suppliers potential clients can understand. may need to take a few courses “[Corporate end users] want a in the language of corporate language where everybody knows what end users. At a meeting scheduled for [suppliers] are talking about,” says this month, the Incentive Marketing IMA President Karen Renk, based in Association’s Corporate Advisory Naperville, Ill. “Just even how do we Board will be revisiting a topic that define the term ‘incentive’? How do came up at their we define the term inaugural meeting ‘recognition this past Septemprogram’ as opposed ber: developing a to another type of consistent language program?” for the incentive Renk describes this industry. as a “monumental The six-member task,” since it means CAB, which coordinating a consisincludes delegates tent lexicon across a from the financial, huge number of supautomotive, pliers as well as the telecommunicadiverse groups and tions and health associations within care industries, the IMA and in the IMA President Karen Renk was created to wider incentive open the dialogue between suppliers industry. The IMA has already started and their potential client base. Since looking at the glossaries of its own about one-third of the corporate associations, and may soon be making market does not use incentive a wider push to get more members of programs, it is the IMA’s hope that the industry to start talking the same the board will help illuminate how talk. This month’s CAB meeting will best to reach out to the corporate be an opportunity to get more feedmarket. One point the board memback on how best to direct these bers emphasized at the last meeting efforts. was the need for suppliers to present “We want to do this in concert. We how these incentive programs work want it to be an initiative that has buyand what they have to offer in in from a broad sector,” says Renk. consistent terms that managers and —Alex Palmer I | January 2008 | Incentive | 11 http://www.DailyPerk.net http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2008

Incentive - January 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Out of SITE In The News Cover Story: Include a Meeting, Improve Morale Case Study: DHL Delivers Recognition Incentive Primer: How To Use Promo Products How Bob Nardelli Rallied Chrysler’s Dealers Incentive Interview: Ken Blanchard Says Be Nice TV’s Extreme Makeover Motivates Giving Pre-Employment Motivation The Daycare Dilemma Happy Employees Shouldn’t Mix with Sick Employees Incentive Research: Consumer Promotions Report In Her Shoes: Winning Approval Of Flextime Travel News Field Report: Barcelona Field Report: Bermuda Golf: Follow The Pros potentials Here and Now Watches As Jewelry Awards: Online Gift Cards Tech Gadgets for 2008 Last Word: Stanley Bing Bashes Bully Bosses

Incentive - January 2008

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