by John Udell
By all stellar accounts, your firm has just completed the best incentive travel program it has ever held. All of the pieces of the puzzle finally came together. The pre-trip promotion generated excitement and stimulated interest. The sales program achieved the targeted dollar and product goals. The travel program was filled with an exceptional mix of innovative team building, bonding, recreation and relaxation. The president, qualifiers and even the chief financial officer were pleased with the outcome.
Now that the program is over, it's time to change the whole approach. Why fool with a formula that has been working? The reason is that yesterday's objectives, program, audience, demographics, features and destination may not apply to your new and evolving winner universe. This is arguably one of the most important and generally overlooked parts of a successful travel incentive strategy.
The dynamic mix of the marketplace plus the home environment creates a fluid platform for incentive planning. Every day members of your sales organization are exposed to new ideas from internal and external sources. They are constantly revising their wish lists for destinations, resorts, activities and amenities.
Company's operational needs are also changing at a staggering speed. For some firms, new products, improvements and services are increasingly coming online. This trend will speed up the time line for moving outdated inventory and developing loyal customers for new products and services which, in turn, will affect a travel incentive program’s business goals.
On the other hand, just a few months ago, the economy was running at full speed. Many organizations showed low inventories, balance sheets tallied in the black and hiring was at an all-time high. But quoting Bob Dylan, "The times, they are a-changing." With the recent business projections for slower growth in 2001-2002, travel incentive programs must be transfigured to insure that the business model remains relevant.
The starting point of the next, great incentive program is at the end of the last program. A "zero based" prospective is best.
| • | Identify the sales goals and objectives in concert with the organization's mission. |
| • | Create the performance standards, rules and regulations in a fair and equitable manner. |
| • | Design the travel award to match the increased efforts and projected winners' demographics. |
| • | Promote the incentive award at every opportunity. |
| • | Deliver the incentive travel program in a creative manner that reflects the corporate culture to complete the process. |
These key components will insure that the incentive campaign will reach the targeted results.
Incentive sponsors and over-achieving winners are, by nature, never satisfied. They want more and are ready to invest their time and efforts to achieve ever-higher objectives. Make sure yesterday’s incentive travel program metamorphoses into tomorrow’s success and insure that all stakeholders' needs are met.
Published with the permission of Sales and Marketing Strategies & News.
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John Udell is President of Allied Hospitality Marketing, a New York-based incentive sales organization specializing in international representation. He is also a partner in fourCE.org and a trustee of the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives Foundation. You can reach him at judell@alliedho.com or at info@fourCE.org.