Worldwide Motivation

For modern multinational corporations, the most appropriate motto for their sales incentive programs might be, “Think globally, reward locally.” That’s because while worldwide sales performance has become an increasingly important component to many companies’ bottom lines, sales organizations have often struggled to find effective, culturally sensitive, and budget-appropriate ways to motivate a far-flung sales force across the globe.

Thankfully, into the breach marches Maritz Incentives, one of the premier corporate rewards and recognition program providers. This past August Maritz announced the launch of its new “Exclusively Yours” global rewards catalog program. A fully functional online solution, Exclusively Yours is designed to help companies motivate and boost morale worldwide by tailoring reward selection by region and country.

“The number of our multinational clients who request truly global incentive programs has been on the rise for the last several years, but we’ve seen those requests more than double in just the last year,” says Kurt Hosna, international product manager for Maritz Incentives. “We’re excited to offer a new tool − the first of its kind to offer more than just gift certificate options for global incentive and recognition programs, as well as many other features – such as being available in 14 different languages.”

So what makes this program different? Here are a few of the innovations Hosna describes:

Rewards
Employees are automatically offered culturally relevant rewards. That means no Omaha Steaks for the salespeople in India, for example. Instead, Indians might be offered mopeds. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, participants would see dried mushrooms listed among the reward options.

Delivery
The rewards themselves are almost exclusively produced and shipped by in-country or regional facilities. This cuts down on lengthy customs routines and added expenses relating to duty fees and the like.

Customer Service
Coordinating a worldwide incentives program can be a real headache, especially if it all must be done from one central location. Instead, Maritz employs knowledgeable representatives locally to assist program participants in their native languages with any reward redemption concerns.

For customers looking for a customized solution, Exclusively Yours offers the following appealing optional features:

Cost-of-Living Adjustments
In an effort to be equitable, the program can be flexible in offering incentive rewards where the value depends on local cost-of-living differences. In some countries, for example, an expensive watch could cost the equivalent of six months’ salary, whereas in other countries the equivalent may be less than a single month’s salary.

Rules
Local cultures and market conditions can impact the way companies structure program rules. And so, for example, while top line sales growth may be a corporate goal for an emerging market, market share or account penetration may be targeted in more mature markets. The program allows this sort of flexibility to companies that need it.

Say What?
You may want your entire global sales team to “hit a home run” this year, but the salespeople in Argentina, where baseball is not particularly popular, may not have any idea what you’re talking about. That’s why with Exclusively Yours, materials and information on programs distributed to employees can utilize “in-culture” language, communication styles, and colloquialisms. The point is not just to get your message across loud and clear – but also to make sure that your recipients understand what you’re saying.

For more information on the Exclusively Yours program, visit:
www.maritzincentives.com/incentives-international.html