The Best Sales Awards & Recognitions
Depending on your business, your sales teams are likely compensated based on their performance. Traditionally, it is the commission that comes along with a successful sale that motivates the salesperson to perform well. If your goal is to increase your sales by motivating your salespeople, you may want to also consider rewards or recognitions that are outside traditional commission-based compensation.
If you’ve ever worked in a sales capacity, you likely know that being successful is hard work. While salespeople are motivated by money, they’re also motivated by time off work. That’s why a vacation or retreat is one of the best sales awards you can give your top performers. Depending on your business and your budget, determine how many salespeople and their spouses or friends you can award with the vacation. Then announce the sales program and the “grand prize” vacation. Throughout the program, you can update sales teams on who the frontrunners are, and provide extra motivation by revealing more details about the vacation, like photographs of the hotel or resort, or a list of activities included.
Salespeople want to be compensated for their hard work, but they also want to be recognized for it. That’s why forming an elite group of top performers is one of the best sales recognition initiatives you can employ. Your top performers' club can include the top 10 salespeople in the company in terms of overall revenue, or their percentage of growth over last year's numbers. Once the “club members” are established, they can be recognized with items that show their status as a top performer, such as customized business cards or desk plaques.
Many salespeople are competitive by nature; this helps them be successful in a field that requires self-motivation to succeed. You can foster even more motivation among your teams by establishing limited-time sales competition. This is particularly effective during those times when sales business might be otherwise slow due to seasonal changes or economic instability.
When you establish your competition, communicate effectively with your sales team so they understand the objectives and awards of the program, and have a clear idea on how to help obtain your business goals. Choose awards or prizes that resonate with your salespeople. Popular choices might be the hottest new electronic device or gadget, spa packages, retail gift certificates, or a lump cash prize.
Once a year, hold a recognition and awards night for your salespeople. This is a time when you can recognize the efforts of your sales teams while letting them know that they are appreciated. Include a nice dinner or fun activity in the awards night to encourage your salespeople to attend. On the night of the event, hand out special recognition awards to individuals who showed certain outstanding qualities throughout the year. For instance, you can recognize one salesperson as “Best Customer Service Provider,” while another receives the award for “Best Positive Attitude.” This format also allows you to award and recognize your sales teams for attributes other than sales figures.