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Incentivize Learning, Realize Sales Growth 

According to the April, 2023 Academic Research in Action report by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), US organizations invest more in sales training than they do for any other employee group. The report states that annual investments average over $2,000 per salesperson1, amounting to more than $100 billion each year2.   There’s good reason – training can help to align sales …

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Budgeting for Sales Incentives

We’re in the thick of budgeting for the coming year, and quite often we’re asked by clients, “how much should I allocate for incentives this year?” That’s always a difficult question to answer, because the sweet spot in spend for your situation is, well, situational. We look at it like this: if you design your incentive right, it not only …

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A Case For Incentives

As You’re Budgeting for ’23, Plan for Incentives Incentives, rewards, and loyalty programs can have a remarkable impact on the success of your business. As we enter Q4 and the planning season or 2023, we’ve outlined some of the key benefits of budgeting for performance-based incentive programs. Focus on sales performance Incentive programs allow you to quickly focus the behavior …

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Reward Preferences: Which Rewards Really Motivate?

To succeed, an incentive program must capture the attention of participants and inspire them to do great things. Rewards are key to earning mindshare and achieving results.  I serve on the Research Committee of the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and we recently completed the Rewards Preferences: Making a Lasting Impact on Incentive Program Participants study to understand which rewards really …

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Incentive Travel: Get Ready for a Comeback

COVID-19 vaccines are in distribution. Hotels and airlines are operating with new health and safety protocols. Destinations are opening their doors with clear guidelines. And if the gorgeous hotels and resorts filling my social media feed are any indication, there’s a great deal of pent up demand to get back on the road, or on the beach. Get ready for a comeback! Incentive travel is ramping up.

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5 Things You Should Know About Incentive Budgets Now

In a turbulent year, forecasting for recognition and incentive programs can seem challenging. The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) has just released the Industry Outlook for 2021: Merchandise & Gift Cards study, capturing the changes of 2020 and forecasting for 2021. The outlook is indeed positive – strong financial performance in 2021 is expected by the majority of corporate program owners.

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Research Indicates Increased Return on Incentive Travel Programs

When it’s time to plan your incentive travel program or to defend your recommendation to senior leaders, it can be challenging to know where you stand. How do you know if your program is on-target, and how it compares to other organizations? In a recent joint study, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), SITE, and Financial and Insurance Conference Planners (FICP) conducted the largest incentive travel survey to date and came up with a helpful incentive travel program benchmark.