Ryan Shank of Mhelpdesk wrote an interesting article which recently appeared in Forbes called  How to Make Your Salespeople Love Coming to Work. True to startup culture, Shank is keen on some of the “perks” that create a fun, exciting workplace. These include “weekly ping pong tournaments, a full stocked kitchen with Kind bars and Red Bull, a nap room, food truck Fridays,” as well as eliminating the dress code. Sounds like fun! And I’m sure it contributes strongly to a lively, young culture at work, as does the fair and competitive compensation he recommends. In fact, a good sales incentive would fit right in. 

But what Shank also shows is that there are many other techniques to drive sales engagement which are tried and true for organizations of all kinds. They are important strategies to truly grow a business and develop a deeply engaged and collaborative culture because they establish a mutually beneficial environment that goes beyond fun.

First, Shank suggests, “Build an awesome product.” He’s right. Being a brand that employees can get behind and be proud of is an important key to creating engagement at work. Communicating brand values to employees and making sure that the hype is well-deserved gives employees reasons to be proud to do what they do every day. And for salespeople, selling something you believe in super-charges every conversation.

Shank also recommends, “Reward employees – Loudly.” Right again! Be sure that every employee knows when he or she has achieved the goal. By publicly celebrating, organizations not only recognize the achiever, but also send a message to the rest of the team about reaching for goals. Many salespeople thrive on recognition for their efforts. Being seen as a success can go a long way towards igniting even greater effort toward the next goal.

Businesses of all kinds, from startups to government institutions can benefit from thinking about company culture. How the brand is expressed to and through employees is essential. Building in a means to target and recognize successes –  in line with the culture and style of employees – provides a pathway and gets everyone going in the right direction. Engagement programs that consider the whole experience – from ping pong to recognition programs – are good strategy. And good strategy will allow you to, as Shank states, “define your company culture and build out internal motivators that align with your overall, ideal ecosystem.”