Introduction
Two Harvard Business School professors, Nitin Nohria and Paul Lawrence, developed a framework in 2002 called the “Four Drive Model of Employee Motivation.” They identified four pairs of drivers that motivate employees: acquire and achieve; bond and belong; create and challenge; and define and defend.
The importance of using drivers such as these to incentivize sales staff is well-known, as are the benefits. Proper incentives motivate sales representatives to sell more, sell the precise products the company wants sold, and provides both them and the company with a means of measuring their success (or lack thereof).
Less well-known, however, is the exponential effect that providing all of these drivers to employees can have. It has been found that providing employees with any single one of those pairs yields a 3 percent increase in performance. Providing them with all four pairs, however, yields a 36 percent increase in employee performance. Despite this, most companies provide incentives in only one category – or none of the categories – to their employees.
ESG Incentives helps companies provide all four primary drivers of motivation to their sales representatives, ensuring that they can capture an exponentially greater return on their incentive program investment. To that end, ESG Incentives created a travel incentive trip hosted by Lenovo for their top 3 percent of sales performers. The trip, called DCG President’s Club, took place in Maui, Hawaii, in June 2018.
Background & Objectives
Lenovo’s goal was to create an alluring program that would both motivate their sales base to achieve their goals, as well as spur positive feedback to gain the interest of other employees in future incentive programs. It also needed to compete with smaller legacy programs, despite being executed on a global scale; that meant it had to be desirable to a large, diverse audience that would be traveling in from all over the world.
On the surface, it seems like the best solution would have been to retain separate incentive programs all around the world. But Lenovo wanted to use the President’s Club program to unify a disparate global team. Therefore, it required a central location easily accessible by award recipients, and one that was also a desirable travel destination. Finally, the trip required consistent branding and communication that would communicate Lenovo’s brand effectively throughout the trip, uniting the team around a common vision.
The Challenges
The program’s cornerstone goal–bringing together Lenovo’s top global sales employees–also presented the greatest challenge. Transporting hundreds of employees from all corners of the globe is no small task, and our logistical prowess was put to the test as visas and all necessary travel documents needed to be procured for each person in order for them to be able to travel.
Once they arrived, the event needed to be focused on team-building and unity in the setting of a culturally relevant experience for a diverse set of global participants. At once, the program needed to provide the “bond and belong” driver, being sensitive to each participant’s native culture (and the native Hawaiian culture), and also celebrating each in an effective, enjoyable and appropriate way.
The Solution
Maui is not the first destination that comes to mind as “accessible.” But for travelers from the Americas, Asia, Australia and Eastern Europe, it presented a perfect central meeting point that also felt luxurious and adventurous. ESG Incentives coordinated and rehearsed a logistical plan in order to provide a smooth travel experience and consistent, top-of-the-line customer service for every one of the 223 participants coming in from all corners of the globe.
To create a sense of unity, we created perfectly consistent communication throughout the program. Details regarding times, locations and travel arrangements were all dispatched with a uniform message and branding before, during, and post trip. At every touchpoint, Lenovo branding was creatively included, making the trip feel unique to Lenovo from start to finish.
The trip included many desirable activities and amenities. Recipients had the choice of an array of exciting day trip excursions for participants to choose from. They also enjoyed upscale dining experiences, a program-exclusive gala and after hours party, and plenty of leisure time. Maui itself provided endless Kodak moments on this little slice of heaven on earth. We pulled out all the stops to make this trip unforgettable for both our client and the trip winners.
The pièce de résistance of the entire event was an outrigger competition. It integrated traditional Hawaiian culture, a unique team-building exercise, complex logistical delivery and ineffable excitement to create a completely inimitable experience. Moreover, it gave Lenovo an opportunity to communicate one-on-one with its top sales performers in an environment they will not soon forget.
The Outcome
The program met every one of Lenovo’s goals: increasing sales revenue; unifying a global team; and turning recipients from enthusiastic participants in planned program activities into ambassadors for the program as a whole, both on social media and in the workplace.
Based on client and participant feedback, the program ESG Incentives crafted beat out competitor’s trips on every benchmark: team unification, consistent messaging and overall experience. Future plans for the program include creating a more comprehensive pre-trip experience by enabling participants to track their status through targeted communication, fulfilling their drive to acquire and achieve.
To create a similarly streamlined, successful travel incentive experience that fulfills all of your employees’ drivers of motivation, contact ESGI today. We offer end-to-end support with unmatched attention to detail and unparalleled dedication to your program’s success.
