Sales and Marketing Nov'15 Issue

THE RISK OF
SALES SUPERSTARS ...... 6

LAST-MINUTE
BUSINESS GIFTS........... 30
WHY THE SALES
ROLE SURVIVES ........... 50
SALESANDMARKETING.COM
NOV/DEC 2015 $10
The power
of workplace
recognition
page 32
Money is not
an all-powerful
motivator
DISH
Networks
secret
sales force
What moves
Millennials
GIVE LIKE
A CHAMP
FOR A
HOLIDAY
THEYLL
REMEMBER
Best Buy gift cards turn gifts into technology
theyll love long after the holiday is over.
SHOP HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS AT

WWW.BESTBUY.COM/SMM
Volume discounts
1
No program fees
Customizable fulllment options
See Price Match Guarantee details online at BestBuy.com/PMG. 2015 Best Buy. All rights reserved.
cover story
32
Recognition
must be
more than
a reward
DEPARTMENTS
editors notebook
My glass house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
by Paul Nolan
NEXT
COVER ILLUSTRATION: ILLUSTRATIONSOURCE.COM / WAYNE LOCKWOOD
The riskk of having sales

superstars and other sales
and marketing talkers . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
marketing opinion
Top performers
An assortment of
new incentive ideas
from our advertisers
5 ways to turn content into

revenue generators . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
the sales conversation

How contrast drives change. . . . . 16
44
marketing
Social media in the B2B
environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Incentive product review

Last-minute holiday business gifts
31
30
meetings
IMEX America thrives,
but could Las Vegas lose
some major shows? . . . . . . . . .
22
technology
How ad blocking impacts
B2B marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26
closers
Robots cant close:
Geoff Colvin on why
humans are underrated . . . . . . .
50
NOV/DEC 2015
editors notebook
My glass house
PUBLISHER Mike Murrell, mike@salesandmarketing.com, 952-401-1283

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paul Nolan, paul@salesandmarketing.com, 763-350-3411
ART DIRECTOR Susan Abbott, susan@abbottandabbott.com
Iff you didnt see the two-part, four-hour documentary

Walt Disney that launched the new
w season off the PBS series
American Experience in September, nd it online or watch
for it to air again. Its a fascinatingg look at a brilliant and
driven individual. Longg before Steve Jobs was reimagining
personal computingg and consumer electronics, Disneyy was
pushingg the boundaries off animation and inspiringg his team
off world-class animators to push the boundaries with him.
Youre goingg to leave the room more inspired than when
you came in it. To me, thats leadership, Disneyy engineer
Bob Gurr says about workingg with his boss. But as inspiring
as Disneyy was, he was also notorious for his low-keyy approach
to acknowledgingg his employees achievements. There were
no attaboys from Walt, Gurr says. Disneys pat response to
great achievements was, HmmThatll work.
I found it astonishingg and disappointingg that one of
American cinemas greatest storytellers couldnt work up
more enthusiasm to appropriatelyy celebrate his teams
successes.
And then I caught myselff makingg the same mistake. Or
rather, myy oldest daughter caught me. I spoke with her on
the phone on a Fridayy night. She moved to Boston earlier
this year for her rst job out off college and she was llingg me
in on her weekend plans, which included a dayy at the Boston
Book Festival. Earlier in the week, she heard Bob Woodward
speak.
I always feel like you give off
ff the impression I dont get
out enough. You always sound underwhelmed when you ask
about myy weekend plans. But Im happyy with how
w things are
goingg right now, she wrote in an email after our phone
conversation.
I quicklyy responded, assuringg her that I felt exactlyy the
oppositethat I was amazed at how
w busyy she stays and how
manyy interestingg activities she nds to enjoy. It was a lesson
for me to bringg more energy, whether talkingg with my
children or praisingg a co-worker.
Thats the heart off the message off our cover package on
what motivates in the workplace. Rewards are great, but its
the enthusiasm you bringg when recognizingg someone that
matters most.
Paul Nolan, Editor

paul@salesandmarketing.com
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Greg Alexander (salesbenchmarkindex.com); Brad Breininger (zync.ca);
Bob Domenz (avenue-inc.com); Josh Davis (twoawesomehours.com);
Gavin Finn (mediapost.com); Seth Godin (sethgodin.typepad.com);
Ben Green (oktopost.com); Philip Inghelbrecht (techcrunch.com);
George Jacobs (peoplemetrics.com); Cynthia Johnson (ranklab.com); Irina Jordan
(zurple.com); Rachel Klein (avenue-inc.com); Hassan Kotob (northplains.com);
Gary Parkinson (business2community.com); Tim Riesterer (corporatevisions.com);
Anver Suleiman (luntzsuleiman.com); Katie Douthwaite Wolf (themuse.com)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Gary Dworet, gary@salesandmarketing.com, 561-245-8328
Lori Gardner, lori@salesandmarketing.com, 952-451-6228
PRODUCTION MANAGER Tony Kolars, tony@salesandmarketing.com
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Vicki Blomquist, vicki@salesandmarketing.com
OFFICES Mach1 Business Media, LLC
PO Box 247, 27020 Noble Road, Excelsior, MN 55331
Phone: 952-401-1283 Fax: 952-401-7899 Online: www.salesandmarketing.com
PRESIDENT/CEO Mike Murrell
VP FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Bryan Powell
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Tim Houlihan, BI Worldwide; Mike Landry, Tumi; Michael Leimbach, Wilson
Learning Worldwide; Dave Stein; Jay Zemke, Clockwork Active Media Systems;
Lee Salz, The Revenue Accelerator
Sales & Marketing Managementt Volume 96, No. 6 (ISSN 0163-7517) is published
six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November by Mach1
Business Media. Copyright 2015 by Mach1 Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or illustration without the
written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Annual subscription rate
$48 U.S.; $67 Canada plus 7% GST; and $146 all other countries. Single copy
price $10.
BACK ISSUES, PERMISSIONS AND REPRINTS
Email: melissa@salesandmarketing.com, Fax: 952-401-7899
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADDRESS CHANGES
Sales & Marketing Management, PO Box 247, Excelsior MN, 55331
Subscriber Customer Service: circ@salesandmarketing.com, Fax: 801-998-1732
smmconnect.com
ONLINE
Find these and otherr online exclusives at
SalesandMarketing.com
Our extended Q&A with Geofff Colvin, author off Humans
are Underrated is at SalesandMarketing.com/Closers.
Youll also find archived interviews with Daniel Pink,
Jill Konrath and more.
Contributed articles from sales and marketingg leaders
are posted throughout the week on our home page.
Review our schedule off free webinars on timelyy sales
and marketingg topics and reserve your seat.
NOV/DEC 2015
NOV
DEC
2015
Is your customer contact

a group hug?
Understanding the risk of customer
relationships that are focused too
intently on a single sales rep
BY RACHEL KLEIN,
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY, AVENUE
B2B sales force turnover continues to
worsen, with total churn of 22.4
percent in 2015, signicantly higher
than the year before. The high cost
of replacing and retraining sales
reps is painful enough. But there is
a potentially more damaging risk that
can arise from this rapidly revolving
doorone that is best summed up as
the Loyalty Giveaway.
Loyalty Giveaway is when
customer loyalty resides primarily
with the sales rep, or other customerfacing employee, as opposed to the
company or brand that provides the
product or service. Where does loss
of customer loyalty begin?
Everyone knows the story of the boy too shy to talk to the girl,
who enlists the help of his friend to become his mouthpiece. In
the end, the friend and the girl develop the relationship, while
the boy gets left out. Why? Its hard to develop a relationship
withand loyalty tosomeone with whom you have no direct,
meaningful connection.
Its much the same with sales-driven B2B companies,
which too frequently delegate all relationship management
responsibilities, including customer communication and the
customer experience, to a single sales rep (who then becomes
too much of a star to the client). If that rep walks out your
door, the customer relationship and its revenue are likely
to follow.
Problems beyond loss of loyalty

As if loss of loyalty, and the eventual loss of your customers,
isnt enough, theres another major downside to the single sales
rep as the star model: immediate loss of sales opportunities.
NOV/DEC 2015
Even the best sales reps will selectively sell, naturally

concentrating on what facilitates their individual sales goals
rather than the companys overall objectives. If the client
sees only their one star, they get incomplete information,
potentially missing or misunderstanding the companys full
offering. As a result, upselling and cross-selling is curtailed, and
the customer never comes to fully understand the company
values (and value adds) that can motivate additional buying.
Reverse the risk of lost loyalty

Fortunately, you can prevent all of the above losses if you
pre-empt the single sales rep as the star, model by creating
what will be an entire organization of stars in the clients eyes.
This can be accomplished in ve ways:
1. Dene your customer experience. Loyalty grows from
providing an unparalleled overall experience that the customer
wants to repeat. Some people call this brand experience,
and it is indeed guided by your brand strategybut its all about
the customer.
IILLUSTRATIONSOURCE.COM / STEPHEN QUINLAN
What youll be talking about.

EDITED BY PAUL NOLAN
Arriving at your unique strategy to empower a positive
customer experience requires answering fundamental questions:
What does your customer base desire and value?
What is your compelling and differentiating value
proposition?
What are the values and beliefs that make your
organization stand apart?
What promise are you making and how do you want
your customers to feel every time they interact
with your company?
Once you dene your strategy it will in turn dene and guide
the kind of experience you need to imbue in every customer
communication and interaction.
2. Create a constellation, not a single star. You need to
create a consistent, compelling, captivating experience across all
touch points in a customer relationship, not just via a rep or any
other individual. Your entire organization should become a
constellation of customer-facing stars, comprised of company
leadership, experts and functional roles beyond just sales. (See
sidebar for elaboration.)
3. Focus your hiring. Creating that constellation begins with
better hiring. Once your core brand values and customer
experience are established, you know what kind of salespeople
to look forthose who share your values and beliefs. While this
seems like a no-brainer, nding sales reps that are inherently
aligned with your value system remains a challenge for most
B2B organizations, which instead focus primarily on hiring

based on capabilities, not character.
4. Provide actionable training. Identify the trainable
behaviors you want your people to display, those that reinforce
the brand experience you want every customer to enjoy. To what
lengths are sales and customer service reps encouraged to go to
please the customer? How much room do they have to create a
customized solution for their client? Be specic and train with
situational examples and role-play. Then regularly acknowledge
individuals who display these behaviors in order to
reinforce them.
5. Deliver innovations and value that make customers
stick. A powerful means to avoid Loyalty Giveaway is through
innovation that delivers exemplary value to the customer. This
can encompass products and services, value-added programs,
insights and advisory consultations, and certications and
training, among others. When your offering delivers exceptional
value, you create a must-have situation that makes customers
stick with you.
There will always be sales force turnover, but that doesnt
mean you have to turn over your customers to your salespeople.
By creating a multifaceted approach to customer communications and relationship management, any B2B company can
prevent the Loyalty Giveaway.
Rachel Klein is the Director of Strategy for Avenue (avenue-inc.com),
a Chicago-based marketing strategy and activation rm.
The Loyalty Takeback: 5 things to keep customers from walking

BY BOB DOMENZ, CEO OF AVENUE
Loss of loyalty happens over time, and

addressing the core causes can take time,
too. Nonetheless, there are immediate steps
you can take to move away from the single
sales rep as the star model and begin
transferring customer loyalty back to your
company and brand.
Create a strong, involved account team.
Whether your team is two or 20, the key
point is that your team needs to be more
than one sales rep. Be sure that each team
member has a meaningful role, so that each
contact provides customer value and
doesnt simply take up time. Make certain to
prescribe the amount of contact each

member has, and measure it.
initiatives all the things that create

awareness and shape perceptions.
Ensure executive involvement.

Every client feels important when they get
attention from the top (or near it). Create
regular opportunities for client face time with
your business and sales leadership at road
shows, eld visits, VIP meetings or even
phone calls and emails.
Create an account plan. The ultimate

customer relationship is one trusting enough
that joint strategic planning takes place
regularly, in which you work closely to review
the relationship, evaluate performance, and
look ahead to identify areas that can be
mutual wins. Short of that, your account
team can still make its own plan, informed
by your multiple customer contact points,
and focused on a customized approach to
serving their specic needs and goals.
Establish an intentional, consistent,

direct communications program.
The sales rep is there primarily to sell, not
inform. Its up to you to directly
communicate about your company to your
customer. Keep them up-to-date on your
vision, growth, hiring, new products and
Bob Domenz is the founder and CEO of

Avenue (avenue-inc.com).
NOV/DEC 2015
Distractions
may help you be
more productive
We are taught from a young age to believe in the power
of sustained attention, but psychologist Josh Davis says
if your workforce is struggling to be productive, they
may not be daydreaming enough.
Research suggests that mind wandering has
important benets when it comes to performing the
kinds of tasks that are among the most cognitively
challenging to professionals creative problem
solving and long-term planning. Participants in a
University of California at Santa Barbara study who
did more mind wandering came up with more creative
solutions to the problems presented to them after they
had some time to let their brains chew on them.
The next time you nd your mind drifting away
from a complex challenge or a problem you are trying
to creatively solve, rather than yell at yourself for losing
your focus, just let it happen and reap the benets of
mind wandering, Davis states in his new book, Two
Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness
Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work
Done (HarperCollins).
Davis reinforces
the notion that
success in the
workplace is
indisputably tied to
diet, sleep patterns,
exercise and other
factors we dont
focus on enough.
At some level,
we all know from
experience that we
can be remarkably
effective in short
amounts of
time when we
treat ourselves
rightand horribly ineffective when we dont, Davis
states. Once you understand the science behind what
makes us truly productive, you can trust and build
on what you already know about yourself, and start
thinking about your day in terms of how and when to
set yourself up for two awesome hours.
NOV/DEC 2015
Building and keeping

your business network
Beat maintenance is a term journalists use to refer to the cultivation
and upkeep of useful sources for their stories. Its a reminder that top
performance in most professions revolves around strong relationships.
Hufngton Post contributor Irina Jordan, inbound marketing manager at
Zurple, a provider of lead-nurturing software for real estate professionals,
recently offered these tips for building and keeping strong business
relationships.
Keep track of clients important dates.
Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and any special
events for your clients and prospective clients in a CRM
platform. Make any special notes about their family,
friends and professional accomplishments that you can
mention in one of your upcoming interactions.
Leverage social media. You want to have an
established online presence: not only through your own
website but through any social media channels your
target audience frequents. Hint: its about your clients
and not about you. Provide content of value, share your
expertise freely without asking anything in return and
build trust with your potential and existing client base
for years to come.
Do the ask. Youve done the work and established your
cred, now ask your clients to spread the word about you.
Ask them to refer their business contacts to you as their
way of saying thank you for all the invaluable service
and expertise youve provided to them.
Stay in touch. Leverage the intelligence youve
gathered about your clients important dates to reach
out on those dates instead of predictable holidays via
oh so boring holiday cards. Stand out by tailoring your
communications to events and happenings that are
personal to your clients.
The holiday gift ideas on pages
30 & 31 work any time of year.
Content vs. SEO? The truth is you need them both

to buying intentions. If you rank for long-tail terms
There is a fundamental relationship between content
that are indirectly related to your core business model,
marketing and SEO because both tactics are about
your content will reap the benets of a well-executed
providing information to searchers. SEO specialists
SEO strategy.
recognize the best way to rank websites to help searchers
nd them is by creating great content, while marketers
Think about what content appears in search
realize that optimizing their work using SEO tactics
engine results pages The content you insert into the
increases the authority of content, says Gary Parkinson, a
title and meta description tags should encourage
Toronto-based marketing consultant. He offers these
people to click the URL that appears in SERPs.
tips for enhancing the authority of your content
Engage your audience Create content
so search engines recognize your site as a
Content
that captivates your audiences mind and
valuable source of information:
encourages them to share with their own
Keywords still drive results While
networks of friends or followers. If
keywords are no longer as relevant as
you successfully create something
they were a few years ago, they are still
Your
with that extra wow factor, you
relevant to optimize content for ranking
Target
can even attract the attention of
authority. To diversify your ranking
powerful inuencers who may be
authority and potentially increase your
inclined to comment on your work
Search
Social
leads, research long tail keywords.
or share it with their own networks.
These search terms are longer
phrases or sentences that are specic
2015 TUMI, INC.
2014 TUMI, INC.
DESIGNED IN AMERICA
F O R G LO B A L C I T I Z E N S
TUMISPECIALMARKETS.COM
800.669.3181
NOV/DEC 2015
Meetings make business happen

Yes, B2B buyers are increasingly moving through the buying cycle
on their own time and collecting their own product information,
but lets be clear: news of the death of face-to-face sales meetings
is denitely premature.
In fact, reports Gavin Finn at MediaPost.com, data from
Forrester research and others proves that in-person meetings are
the most important part of a customers buying experience.
Oxford Economicsstudiedthe effectiveness
of virtual meetings (phone, video, chat, etc.) and
determined that for new prospects, in-person
meetings were85 percent more effectivethan
virtual meetings, and this benet was incredibly
signicant even for existing customers (65 percent).
What advantages do buyers in a complex B2B sales
process receive from a personal touch?
When it comes time to help the prospect make
a good buying decision, cognitive studies have
shown that there needs to be anemotional
connectionthat goes beyond analytics. Body
language, facial expressions and voice tone
are all examples of emotional cues that are not
10
NOV/DEC 2015
captured in email discussions, chat rooms and even

videoconferencing to help buyers evaluate vendors.
Buyers want to establish a relationship with the
company, and even the people in the company. That
relationship will transcend the initial transaction,
and will allow for a mutual exchange of value that
lasts a long time.
Geoff Colvin
on why robots
cant close
deals
page 50
A study of organizational behavior

showed that overall outcomes of
group purchase decisions were
far superior when there were face-toface meetings with vendors, highlighting
effectiveness both in terms of better decisions
(long-term satisfaction) as well as efficiency
in the process.
Perhaps the best reason salespeople should

embrace real client contact is because studies
have shown thatsales cycles are much
shorterwhen face-to-face meetings are part
of the process.
4 quotes that will make you a better marketer

Great marketers are great communicators. Theyre passionate about getting their message to the people,
says Lolly Spindler, inbound marketing manager at marketing consultancy xoombi. She blogs at xoombi.com/blog
and recently shared these four quotes that will inspire you to be more courageous with your marketing efforts.
The customer
experience is the
next competitive
battleground.
Jerry Gregoire,
CIO of Dell
Keep the customer and his

or her buyers journey in mind
when creating everything from
gated assets to social media
posts. This will help them more
easily navigate the process,
making for happier customers.
Content builds
relationships.
Relationships
are built on trust.
Trust drives
revenue.
Andrew Davis, author
and marketing consultant
(akadrewdavis.com)
By building up your content

arsenal and delivering truly
valuable, engaging content,
youll be able to build a
relationship with your target
audience.
If you cant
explain it to a
6-year-old, you
dont know it
yourself.
Your brand is a story

unfolding across all
customer touch points.
Jonah Sachs, author and CEO of
Free Range Studios, a Washington, D.C.based marketing and advertising rm
Albert Einstein
Sometimes our products or

services are so intricate
and were so close to
them that its hard to break
them down in simple terms.
As marketers, we must take
a step away from the jargon
and put our messages in the
simplest language possible.
Marketers today have more channels to

worry about than ever before. Wherever
customers interact with your company
is where your brand takes shape. Thats
why its incredibly important to partake in
social media marketing and monitoring.
Knowing how your target audience sees
your business will help you continue to
shape it.
Memorable
GIFTS
Make lasting impressions with ease.

Effortless Business Gifts
FREE Shipping Combos
Exclusive Certicates
Bulk Shipping Choices
Co-Branding Options
100% Guaranteed
2015 OCG | OS SalesCo.
3 EASY WAYS to order your business gifts.

B2B@OmahaSteaks.com | 1-800 -228-2480 | www.OmahaSteaksB2B.com/SMM
NOV/DEC 2015
11
Top-performing teams dont happen by chance

Greg Alexander, CEO of Sales
Benchmark Index, a B2B sales
and marketing consulting rm,
hosts a monthly Web TV show
in which he interviews topperforming sales executives.
Recently, he spoke with Todd
Cione, chief revenue ofcer
at Rackspace, the top global
provider of cloud computing
services, on the topic of
building a team of A players.
Here are some highlights from
the Cione interview, which
can be viewed in its entirety
at salesbenchmarkindex.com/
blog:
Cione on recruiting the
right people: Planning
is the start of success. We
have a talent management
framework in place and the
rst couple pillars are planning
and then hiring. The plan is
critical. It dictates the type
of job descriptions you need
and what the ideal candidate
proles are. Weve spent some
time building those out by
job type. There are a lot of
different roles, a lot of different
job descriptions per role and a
lot of different ideal candidate
proles associated with those

job descriptions.
The best people are often
not looking for a job:
There are certainly some
anomalies where strong talent
gets put into the marketplace
for a variety of reasons, but
passive candidates, without
question, are typically the
highest and most targeted
folks we go after. If you go
to market with a product or
service and you dont have a
strong value proposition thats
really clear, you arent going to
be successful. Its the same in
recruiting. If you dont have a
strong, clear value proposition
for level A talent, youre going
to struggle. Its important for
our leaders to understand what
a value prop for an employee is
and ensure that our recruiting
team knows that as well.
Collaboration and its
correlation to sales
success: Gone are the
days of an individual being
successful working on their
own. We have a broad product
and services offering, so
we have specialists that a

seller has to work with to
be successful. If you cannot
effectively communicate and
collaborate with other people,
youre just not going to be
successful.
The onboarding process:
We use three primary
components learning through
training, learning through
mentoring and learning

through experiences. We
found that visually seeing and
engaging with someone who
does your job well is really
important for onboarding.
And putting an individual
into experiences where they
can see what is expected of
them in action is also really
important.
The workplace as ant colony and how to x it

Remember the fable about the
grasshopper who ddles away his
summer while the ant stores up food for
the winter? Well, it turns out ants may
not be such devoted workers after all.
George Jacob, a content architect
at PeopleMetrics, creators of customer
centric software, stumbled across
research that indicates ant colonies may
resemble many workplaces. Of the ants
the researchers dened as workers, they
found that:
12
NOV/DEC 2015
More than 7 in 10 (72 percent) were

inactive at least half the time they
were observed
One-fourth were never seen working
Less than 3 percent of the ants were
always active
The sad reality is those numbers dont
feel too far off base for a disengaged
workforce, Jacob says. But there is hope.
Independent research shows that
customer focus plays a role in employee
engagement. Employee satisfaction

surveys show that two-thirds of
employees in a customer-centric culture
are engaged, and one in four is fully
engaged.
Want to know the biggest, brightest
difference between the anthill and the
workplace? Jacob asks. We can ask
each other whats wrong, and then we
can work together to x it.
Have you lost that lovin

feeling for your work?
Top performance doesnt mix with complacency. Katie
Douthwaite Wolf, a content marketing writer for a
health care IT company and a contributor to The Muse
(themuse.com), an online career guidance resource, provides
these signs that your drive to succeed has waned:
1. Youve stopped sharing your ideas.
Maybe your ideas were met with resistance too many times,
or maybe you simply fell into the teams long-established
processes, and now it seems that any change would be an
unnecessary burden for yourself and your team. You may
feel completely competent within your current workows,
but if youre not constantly looking for ways to improve, its
clear that youve lost some drive to succeed.
2. You dont speak up when
you disagree.
Instead of looking out for your
teammates best interests, you
have an attitude of if they want
to make bad decisions, let them;
theyll get whats coming to
them.
3. Youre no longer
interested in staying current.
Are you opting out of
conferences and other events
that would keep you up to date
on important knowledge and
trends in your industry? When
you feel a little too smug in your
position, its easy to let your job
knowledge slip.
4. You dont take initiative.
Instead of working ahead on
your to-do list, you let your
responsibilities pile up until the
last minute.
If you allow yourself to remain
complacent, youre likely going
to grow dissatised while your
performance suffers, says Wolf.
For the sake of your happiness
and career, learn to recognize
these signs and start considering
what steps you can take to renew
that new job feeling.
FULFILLMENT
SIMPLIFIED
The hottest in-demand categories,
Game Room Appliances,
at distributor direct pricing.
Bulk or Drop Ship Fulfillment .
24-hour order turnaround

on in-stock merchandise
with no minimums.
A fulfillment partner that
makes doing business easy.
www.pmcusa.com
(262) 203-5440
*
Not available on oversized merchandise.
CHILL Personal Home Vending Machine

Perfect for Family Room or Game Room
Customizable LED Backlit Front Panel
Separate Lower Cooling Compartment
Easy to Move
OVER 100 BRANDS INCLUDING...
NOV/DEC 2015
13
marketing
Converting digital
assets to sales
5 ways to turn content into revenue generators
Technology has dramatically shifted the research and selection
process by customers, who now expect a fast response and
relevant content delivered, how they want it and at every stage
of the sales engagement process. In return, organizations of
all kinds are creating digital content at an exponential rate,
realizing there is a major opportunity in this new always on
world to use these digital assets to deliver revenue.
However, creating a wealth of content is one thing; making
the most of these digital assets as part of the revenuegeneration process is another. This is resulting in the rise of
the asset-focused mindset, as organizations of all kinds build
digital content into the very core of their sales and marketing
strategies rather than as an after-process.
An integral part of this is ensuring that employees
especially those who have contact with customers in one way
or anotherhave simple and easy access to the latest content
and messaging. This not only helps to ensure that employees
are up to date with the latest products or services, but are also
in line with any compliance or regulatory requirements.
According to a November 2014 Forrester Research report,
digital asset management (DAM) solutions must effectively
support both the increase in the amount of content with more
scalable solutions, the ability to manage complexities like
different content types (e.g., 3D and CGI for product
packaging), and better integration with various systems (e.g.,
CRM and customer services tools, WCM, and eCommerce).
Whos minding your content?

The reality is that many organizations lack clear insight into
what digital assets exist, nor who is creating, approving,
accessing or distributing that content. This is not surprising,
since many businesses have a legacy of multiple systems and
are over-reliant on the likes of email and le share servers.
While these mechanisms are ne for the purposes for which
they were designed, they lack the transparency, workows and
archiving on which effective digital asset management depends.
So how do organizations overcome the challenges around
digital asset creation and sharing? Here are ve proven best
practices:
Provide one up-to-date source. Ensure everyone has
centralized access to current, accurate content through a single
content repository that manages digital sales and marketing
assets. Have in place a process or system that automatically
14
NOV/DEC 2015
retires any content that has

become redundant across the
entire organization, so that
there is no risk of it being
BY HASSAN KOTOB
accidentally accessed or shared
by employees.
Make content easier to nd. Unless a system is easy
and highly intuitive to use, people will nd another way to
access content. Focus on design, so that content is easy to nd
(but without overwhelming staff with too many choices) and
also focused around the market and its needs (not products and
part numbers).
Access content on the y. Its important to help staff
adapt content in real-time, so they can respond to conversations
(whether one-to-one or via a broader medium, such as social
media) without having to go back to HQ for guidance. Getting
as many pre-approved content components in place in
advanceincluding any associated rights management, brand
guidelines or compliance requirementswill help employees
to self serve in a dynamic, rapid way.
Understand customer personas and deliver the right
content at every stage. This requires closer collaboration
between sales and marketing to better understand the customer
engagement process and the content needed at each point in
the purchasing decision process. An efficient sales process will
not only identify what stage of the buying cycle each customer
is at, but will trigger the right information to prompt the
next step.
Monitor content access. Whether customers or
employees, tracking who is accessing what content helps to
highlight what isor isntworking, which can contribute to
future planning processes (for instance: we need more sales
pack like that one, or lets not bother with datasheets, no-one
is downloading them.) Monitoring content usage will also help
to support return-on-investment analysis.
With dependency on digital communications exploding, the
need to manage digital assets has never been more important.
For the organizations that embrace this shift by adopting the
right approaches, content becomes a driver in the sales revenue
generation process.
Hassan Kotob is CEO and chairman of North Plains Systems,
a global digital asset management (DAM) company.
INSTANT
REWARDS
Create instant fun
and excitement with
FUJIFILM instax cameras!
SIMULATED IMAGES. DEVELOPMENT TIME ROUGHLY 90 SECONDS.

FUJIFILM, INSTAX, SHARE AN ORIGINAL and VALUE FROM INNOVATION are trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation and its affiliates.
2015 FUJIFILM North America Corporation and its affiliates All Rights Reserved. All images simulated and not to scale.
Fujifilmincentives.com
the sales conversation
How contrast
drives change
One simple technique can make your
message more impactful and persuasive
What if you could change one simple thing about your message,
pitch or presentation to make it more persuasive? What if one
basic technique could convince your prospect that the change
youre proposing is superior to the status quo?
According to fresh research from my company, that technique
exists. If you take advantage of it, you stand to signicantly
improve your chances of convincing prospects to accept the
idea of doing something different.
Working with Zakary Tormala, a Stanford Graduate School
of Business professor, I wanted to measure the effectiveness of
a messaging technique at convincing prospects to leave their
current situation and do something different. Specically, we
wanted to test the persuasive impact of messaging, pitches or
presentations that establish contrast between a prospects
current state and a proposed future state.
Would highlighting key differences between a desirable
future state, such as product features and benets, and an
unsatisfactory present state make a statistical difference in
inuencing buying decisions? Could contrastas opposed
to presenting future-state information alonesoften a
prospects resistance to change and make doing something
new more palatable?
To nd out, heres how we set up the experiment.
We told two groups of participants to imagine they had
their current smartphones for about a year and were reading
information about a new phone option. Before viewing the
information, participants were told they would receive
information about the new smartphones features and benets,
beginning on the following page.
The participants didnt know that before the study, they were
randomly assigned to two different presentation conditions. The
conditions differed in the presence and location of information
highlighting issues with their current phones.
The rst group viewed the non-contrast condition ( future
benets only), in which participants received a list of four new
smartphone features and benets. Participants were exposed to
no other information.
The second group viewed a contrast condition (current issues
vs. future benets). They received the exact same feature and
benets list for the new phone, but next to it, they received a list
of four issues or problems associated with their current phones
that correlated to each of the features and benets.
16
NOV/DEC 2015
Which condition fared the best?

Although all participants
received the same information
about the new smartphones
features and benets, the study
revealed this information was
BY TIM RIESTERER
more powerful and persuasive
when presented in direct contrast
to the disadvantages of the current smartphones.
The contrast condition outperformed the future benetsonly presentation by a statistically signicant margin across
several areas:
Purchase intent Contrast condition participants
reported more interest in and a higher likelihood of
purchasing the new smartphone. On average, this condition
creates more than a 14+ percent boost in purchase intent.
Willingness to change Contrast condition participants
reported more favorable attitudes toward the new phone
and a greater willingness to switch to itand even pay
moreby a margin of 14+ percent.
Advocacy Comparative condition participants were
12+ percent more likely than future state-only participants
to share information about the new smartphone and
recommend it to others.
Perception of quality Comparative condition
participants believed the new smartphone to have higher
quality, be more innovative and stand as a more marked
improvement over their current phones. In these areas, the
contrast conditions outperformed the future state-only
scenario by a margin of 13+ percent.
The results were further validated by additional tests in
which we measured two other contrast conditions (putting
information on different screens or in various positions on the
screen) against the future state-only presentation. In both
cases, the comparative conditions outperformed the future
state-only presentations by the same statistical degrees across
the areas above.
The implication from this experiment is clear: Contrast has
the power to persuade. To defeat your prospects status quo
situation, you need to tell a story that draws a sharp distinction
between the struggles of where your prospect is today and what
can be gained by switching to you.
Tim Riesterer is the chief strategy and marketing ofcer for
Corporate Visions and co-author of Three Value Conversations.
Give more
this holiday
Give convenience. Give custom. Give choice.
This holiday its easy for you to recognize every employee and salesperson
b|_om;u;-u7b;;lro;;v-"r;u;uC1-|; to show your
-rru;1b-om-m7u;1o]mb;|_;l=ou-|_;bu_-u7ouh"r;u;uC1-|;
!)! "-u;u;7;;l-0;=ou]b[1-u7v=uol|_;v|ou;v-m7u;v|-u-m|v
they love the most. Give more today!
SuperCertificate
www.gcincentives.com | 877-737-0200
gift cards | SuperCertificate REWARDS | digital or physical | individual or bulk fulfillment
2015 GiftCertificates.com Corporation. All rights reserved. | GC Incentives, IncentCore, SuperCertificate, e-SuperCertificate and Greeting card SuperCertificate are either registered trademarks or trademarks of GiftCertificates.com Corporation in the United
States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The merchants featured are not sponsors of GiftCertificates.com.
marketing
B2C hasnt monopolized

social media marketing
Green stresses that B2B social media
B2B brands tend to share content
Consumer brands dominate reports of
users must recognize that social media
that would funnel leads to their offers
how companies are using social media to
leads require a more gentle follow-up.
(i.e. whitepapers, ebooks) in order to
market their brand, but that doesnt mean
Free whitepapers or articles, special
generate lead information.
they have the most to gain from it. In
offer
downloads or more information
truth, with a smaller customer base and a
Content Types: B2C posts tend to
packets
are examples of soft lead offers.
higher price point, B2B companies have
be quicker; B2B companies publish
Many
of
your social media followers have
even more to benet from using social
content that tends to be longer and
not
taken
any action that would portray
for their business but they must do it
take more of the readers time
they
may
buy,
he says. It is your job to
effectively, says Ben Green, a social media
because theyre more educationprovide
them
the
opportunity to take
evangelist at Oktopost, providers of social
oriented.
those actions. Social media
media marketing ROI.
campaigns should be designed
While B2B marketers
Top 5 Reasons Why People Follow
in such a way that you are
can learn from their B2C
constantly convincing all of
counterparts successes and
Brands On Social Media
these potential leads that they
failures in the social world,
can trust and believe in your
it is important to keep key
brand. Even if they are not
differences in mind. One of
potential customers, when
the biggest areas where the
followers believe in the brand
two differ is in the kind of
and are impressed with your
content being createdand
For latest
Customer
Promotions
product
company and concepts, they
how it is presented, Green
service
and Discounts
information
can potentially generate leads.
says. He offers these
Although B2B and B2C social
insights on the main
content is very different, there
differences between social
is one key similarity that
content for B2B and B2C
marketers should always
brands:
remember: measure your
Tone: B2C companies
results to nd out what works
tend to be more casual.
for you. Measuring results will
B2B marketers focus
Ability to
allow you to A/B test quite
Entertaining
on more professional
offer
content
easily, Green points out. One
feedback
types of content that
of the great aspects of social
aim to educate and
media is there is such an
position themselves
immense amount of variables
as industry experts.
to potentially change and
However, their tone
experiment with; the A/B test
Promotions,
new
product
news
and
the
opportunity
to
offer
varies from industry
combinations are endless.
feedback are primary reasons why customers follow brands
to industry.
Different post topics, themes,
on social media.
Goal: B2C companies,
structures, images, timing, and
on social media, tend
social platforms are just a few
to share content that
Where B2C companies use social media
of the things you will be able to change
would be more promotion-oriented
to reinforce brand and interact with
and experiment with during your social
(a discount, email signup, special
customers, B2B companies mostly want
lead nurturing strategy.
offer, etc.) in order to generate sales.
to generate leads through social media.
1.
2.
4.
18
NOV/DEC 2015
3.
5.
SOCIALMEDIATODAY.COM
marketing
To get event marketing

right, study whats wrong
Many companies marketing mix includes training programs,
trade shows, seminars, conferences or a variety of other business
or social events. Luntz, Suleiman & Associates, Inc., a consultant
for training, tradeshow and education companies, published a
booklet 76 Event Mistakes Event Marketers Sometimes Make.
Here are some highlights:
We use the wrong formulas for success. One example
is lowest cost marketing piece not realizing the impact on
response rates and the all-important return on marketing.
For instance, what if mailing a second time to past attendees
produces half the response? How do you evaluate that?
We dont partner and leverage enough. Sponsors,
exhibitors, venues, speakers, magazines, associations,
newsletters, blogs, etc. Make a list of folks you can engage
for mutual brand advantage...sometimes even competitors.
We dont help folks visualize the experience of the

event, especially new folks. Think about someone who has
never been to your event, never had the caring experience
that you provide and that will put you on the right/write
track (and maybe even help you better structure your event).
There are so many ways to do this, e.g., photos, copy,
testimonials, schedules, lists of others coming/came, FAQs,
providing the ability to email or call with questions, etc.
We dont look closely enough at what others are doing
in unrelated elds for unrelated audiences. You will be
amazed at what you can learn from the practices of the Mayo
Clinic and Sears and Dell. Not to copy, but to learn, modify
and adapt.
To request a free copy of the booklet, email Anver Suleiman at
Anver@aol.com.
Travel Certificates for

Custom Vacations
Our fully-managed, incentive travel gift

certificates are flexible to use for vacations
anywhere in the world with features such as:
} No blackout dates
} Use on cruise or land vacation
packages
} Issued in any dollar amount you
specify (min $500)
} Co-branded with your logo
} Marketing material and brochures
to sample destinations
Gift of Travel Certificates are Perfect for:
} Sales Incentives
} Employee Rewards
} Retirement Gifts
} Client Recognition
TRAVELINK
For more info visit:
travelink.com/GOT or call 888-261-5521

NOV/DEC 2015
19
marketing
The gospel
according to Seth
Its always smart to take a crash course
now and then from author/marketer/
entrepreneur Seth Godin. Heres a
collection of wisdom from his blog, which
can be found at SethGodin.typepad.com.
Selling like Steve

Have you thought about the fact that
just about every time Steve Jobs appeared
in public, he was selling us something?
And yet few rolled their eyes and said,
Oh, here comes another sales pitch.
Jobs sold us expensive, high-margin
hardware that we knew would eventually
became obsolete, and yet people lined up
to hear the pitch. How come? I think its
because he was saying, Here, I made this.
It might be worth talking about.
Inherent in this statement is the ip
side: It might not work. And in almost
every case, he was rightthat it might
be worth talking about, and that it might
not work. Sometimes he was early, but
he was usually interesting. Thats a slot
thats available to more people than ever
before,regardless of industry or audience.
Average stuff for average people is
getting ever more difficult to sell. If thats
all youve got, get something else.
The two-review technique

As you work on your project (your
presentation, your plan, your speech,
your recipe, your...), imagine that its
the sort of thing that could be reviewed
on Amazon. Now, write (actually write
down) two different reviews:
A ve-star review by someone who
gets it, who is moved, who is eager
to applaud your guts and vision
And then, a one-star review, an angry
screed, not from the usual yby troll,
but from someone who actually
experienced your work and hated it
20
NOV/DEC 2015
Youve got two reviews, heres the

question: Are you working to make it
more likely that the ve-star reviews
are more intense, more numerous and
more truthful than ever, or are you
working to minimize the number of
one-star reviews?
Very hard to obsess about both since
they tend to happen together. The thing
is, if you work to minimize criticism,
you have surrendered the beauty and
greatness of what youve set out to build.
The thing about the y

on the wall, though,
is at the end of the day,
he spends a lot of time
eating dung.
For less than its worth

The only things we spend time and
money on are things that we believe are
worth more than they cost. The key
words of this obvious sentence are often
miscalculated: Believe, worth and cost.
Believe as in the story we tell ourselves.
Believe as in the eye of the beholder.
Believe as in emotion.
Worth as in what well trade. Worth as
in our perception of its worth right now,
not later. Worth as in how we remember
this decision tomorrow or next year.
And cost, as in our expectation of how
much it will hurt to get it, not merely the
price tag.
If people arent buying your product,
its not because the price is too high.
Its because we dont believe you enough,
dont love it enough, dont care enough.
Promotion, demotion
and opportunity
You can learn a new skill, today, for free.
You can take on a new task at work,
right now, without asking anyone.
You can make a connection, nd a aw,
contribute an insight, now.
Or not.
In a uid system, when people are
moving forward, others are falling behind.
The question, then, isnt, when am I
going to get promoted?
No, I think the question is, will I grab

these openings to become someone whos
already doing work at a higher level?
Act as if. If the people around you
dont gure out what an asset youve
become, someone else will.
A y on the wall
Its easier than ever to listen in, to hear
what your customers say about you,
to read what your friends are posting,
to eavesdrop. Keep surveying your
employees, tap their phone lines, hang
out in a stall in the break room...
If you try hard enough, you can hear
what people are saying about you behind
your back.
The thing about the y on the wall,
though, is at the end of the day, he spends
a lot of time eating dung.
What people say isnt always what they
mean. Its more productive to watch what
they do.
marketing
5 brand myths debunked

The word brand has become so ubiquitous it has joined
innovation and synergy in the land of lost meaning. There
are a multitude of opinions about what it means and how to
get it right. Brad Breininger, principal at brand agency Zync,
debunks ve brand myths:
1. Brand is how you look. Yes, but, its much more.
Its the voice of your communication, its the
commitment of your people. Its how you deal with
issues and how you celebrate wins. Think of brand as
the personality of your organization.
2. Brand is an expense with hard to measure ROI.
Many feel brand cant be monetized, but thats a
shortsighted view of a complex concept. What makes
Coca-Cola the market leader, the drink itself or its
personality? Interbrand values the Coke brand at over
$81 billion thats the bottom line.
3. Brand reects the people at the top. Leaders

are essential, but brand is a business asset that must
representand be delivered byall levels of an
organization. If the brand is created without attention
to all levels, it wont have staying power beyond those
who are running it.
4. Brand is not as important in the digital world.
Online, there is a huge increase in transparency and
competition. Brands must be even more diligent to
establish strong, positive associations. The global
marketplace requires brands to be distinct to be
memorableand successful.
5. Brand it and forget it. As times and trends change,
brands must evolve. You must carry the value youve
built forward while constantly updating. Its not only
possible to respect your brands heritage while staying
currentits essential.
NOV/DEC 2015
21
meetings
IMEX reflects health of
meetings and incentive travel
Continued evidence of the rebound in
corporate use of off-site meetings and
incentive travel was evident in every aisle
at the fth IMEX America trade show in
Las Vegas in October. IMEX Group
Chairman Ray Bloom announced that, in
every important facet, the show achieved
new records. A total of 3,100 companies
representing 150 countries exhibited,
including 80 new booths and 56
expanded booths, while the IMEX-hosted
buyer program brought a record 3,000
buyers from 54 countries to the show.
More than 10,600 people participated
in the event. There were 66,000 business
appointments of which over 57,000 were
one-to-one appointments and booth
presentations.
The interest in meetings and incentive
travel is welcomed news for an industry
that saw business drop dramatically in
2008 and struggle to revive
itself for several years.
IMEX America and its
European counterpart, IMEX
Frankfurt, continue to build
on a valuable educational
component that provides
valuable insights suited for
both professional meeting
planners and corporate
executives who plan their
events internally. Topics
covered in this years
educational sessions ranged
from leveraging technology
during events to designing
healthier meetings for participants. (The
shows new wellness initiative, Be Well
at IMEX, included a meditation room
and the rst IMEX run Las Vegas,
inspired by Rio de Janeiro in advance of
its hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics.)
At the International Association for
Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) booth,
Marsha Flanagan, vice president of
22
NOV/DEC 2015
Nothing kicks off the last day of a trade show like a 5K. IMEX America participants
were invited to run the Las Vegas Strip before the show opened. Below, the shows
educational component includes campre sessions on the show oor.
learning experiences, revealed exhibition

and events education trends. With the
amount of money spent per employee on
education increasing (according to the
Association for Talent & Development),
Marsha shared her thoughts on how
meeting planners can provide cuttingedge education, beginning with
researching the target market and
identifying the education gaps. She ran
through the options for

session formats for education
both inside and outside the
event, outlining how planners
can move beyond the
traditional classroom setting
towards informal and
interactive formats. Marthas
tips included the use of
technology, games, exercise,
outdoor locations and set
design.
Greg McCormack, director
of national sales at T3 Expo,
who attended Flanagans
session, stated, Education is increasingly
about sharing information rather than
being talked at. People want to be part of
a community and get together to network
and learn.
Looking ahead, IMEX Frankfurt 2016
is scheduled for April 19-21 at Messe
Frankfurt. IMEX America 2016 is set for
Oct. 18-20.
meetings
Leaving Las Vegas?

An outdated convention center has associations pondering relocating their events
An aging convention center combined
with aggressive marketing by rival cities
seeking convention and trade show
business has organizers of some of the
largest events to visit Las Vegas annually
considering relocating.
According to a report in the Las Vegas
Review-Journal, trade show managers
from the Consumer Electronics Association, the Association of Equipment
Manufacturers, the Specialty Marketing
Association and the International Council
of Shopping Centers told members of the
Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure
Committee in October that its vital to
begin work on a proposed improvement
plan for the Las Vegas Convention Center
or risk losing the millions of dollars that
each of those associations brings to the
city through large events.
The story by Review-Journal reporter
Richard N. Velotta states that Tim
McGuinness, staff vice president of global
trade expositions for the International
Council of Shopping Centers, told the
committee his organizations board of
directors voted 23-1 to move its annual
ReCon commercial real estate show to
Chicago, but changed its mind when it
learned the Las Vegas Convention and
Visitors Authority (LVCVA) had begun
efforts to expand and refurbish the
convention center.
Karen Chupka, senior vice president of
the International Consumer Electronics
Show, said her group has tested the
waters in Asia, staging its rst CES show
in Shanghai earlier this year. The show
drew 28,000 attendees. CES in Las Vegas
usually draws more than 150,000 people.
Chupka also said that because of the
lack of space in Las Vegas, the
organization will cap attendance to the
2016 CES in January for the rst time in
its history.
Chris Brown, executive vice president of

conventions and business operations for
the National Association of Broadcasters,
said the Las Vegas Convention Centers
technology is subpar compared with
facilities in other locations.
In addition to the need to expand
existing large shows, panelists said
expanding facilities would enable the
city to attract new shows that cant get
on the Las Vegas calendar because
existing venues are full.
A four-phase, $2.3 billion Convention
Center District improvement plan has
been proposed, but only the rst phase
has been fully funded. The plan calls for
the acquisition of 26.4 acres occupied by
the old Riviera hotel-casino for future
outdoor exhibits and the construction
of 1.4 million square-feet of new exhibit
halls, meeting rooms and support
facilities. By pursuing the project in
phases, the LVCVA would be able to
build new facilities without disrupting
the existing show schedule.
LVCVA President Rossi Ralenkotter
told the committee that the loss of a
PHOTO: LAS VEGAS CONVENTION AND VISITORS AUTHORITY
50,000-delegate convention would

represent a $51 million economic hit
to the community.
Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts
International and Caesars Entertainment
also told the committee about their
convention facilities and how they t into
the Southern Nevada transportation
infrastructure. According to the ReviewJournal report, while MGM and Caesars
support the Las Vegas Convention Center
project, Las Vegas Sands became the rst
local company to oppose it, stating they
view it as taxpayer money being used to
develop facilities of a private-company
competitor.
George Markantonis, president and
chief operating officer of The Venetian
and Palazzo and a member of the
committee, said the company supports
investments in pedestrian walkways,
roads, mass transit systems and even a
stadium in support of citywide events
and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
But he nds the investment of public
money in the Convention Center to be
inappropriate.
NOV/DEC 2015
23
meetings
Networking
for wallflowers
There are ways to stand out even when you feel like staying in
There is zero correlation between being the best talker and
having the best ideas, says Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The
Power of Introverts In a World That Cant Stop Talking.
Yet the biggest returns from industry conferences or even
corporate meetings often go to those who make the most of
networking opportunities. Reaching out to others in order to
improve the outlook of your career is common sense, but for
those who are introverted, its much easier said than done.
In a recent Entrepreneur article, Cynthia Johnson, partner
and director of marketing at RankLab, a digital marketing
consultant, shared these tips on how introverts can become
better networkers.
Make connections online. Connecting with people on
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and social media platforms
before an event can be helpful. Familiar faces, even if they
belong to a stranger, can be comforting. You can also use this
to nd new events by connecting with people who are a part
of or work at organizations that you belong to.
Talk about your accomplishments.By denition,
introverts often stay in the shadows and seldom celebrate
their achievements publicly. Its not a bad thing to let people
know what youve done and what youve accomplished
and talking about these achievements can help you to make
connections that you are able to help.
Discuss your goals and ideas. Theres no need to prattle
on about 100 different ideas that are oating through your
head, but if youre looking for something to talk about when
you meet someone in the industry, bring up an opinion that
you have or an idea that is specic to your industry to
jumpstart the conversation.Ask the person what their goals
Any time people come together in a

meeting, were not necessarily getting
the best ideas; were just getting the
ideas of the best talkers.
Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts
In A World That Cant Stop Talking
24
NOV/DEC 2015
are and take time to see

if you know anyone that
could help them.Sharing
your connections is a
great way to gain new
strong connections.
Dont overthink it. When
you go home, leave your
interactions and networking
attempts alone emotionally.
No need to go over and over
what you said, how the other
person responded, or whether
or not you were well received.
Even if you feel like you made a
few social blunders, dont dwell
on it. Concentrate your energy
on the positive things that came
out of your networking attempt
and let your mistakes inform
your choices next time.
Maintain strong
relationships.
Every so often, youll make a
strong connection, and when
that happens, it will help you
with your networking to maintain that connection and create
a solid relationship. This person may be likely to speak up on
your behalf, introduce you to others, and make your
networking easier. This goes both ways. Make sure to speak
for your other connections and listen for opportunities for
them as well.
While it is important for introverts to occasionally venture
outside of their comfort zone, its equally important to stay true
to themselves, Cain states in her book. Dont think of
introversion as something that needs to be cured. If you like to
do things in a slow and steady way, dont let others make you
feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, dont force
yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multitasking, stick to your guns. The secret to life is to put yourself in
the right lighting. For some, its a Broadway spotlight; for
others, a lamplit desk.
ADVERTORIAL
prole
Give rewards theyll
remember at every destination
with Best Buy gift cards
Travel incentives are about rewarding
your employees with experiences.
Best Buy gift cards can help turn those
experiences into memories that last a
lifetime. When used as incremental
rewards, these gift cards make the perfect
complement to your travel incentive
program, motivating employees along
every step of the way toward their next
big adventure.
As the worlds largest consumer
electronics retailer, Best Buy gives your
employees access to all the travel tech
they need. Battery chargers, outlet
adapters and travel routers bring an
added level of convenience while
cameras, tablets and headphones make
their trip all the more enjoyable (and
memorable).
Even if you havent established a travel
incentive program, or, if youre looking
for rewards that extend beyond your
Company name:
Best Buy
Key contact:
Tracy Varnes
CorporateGiftCards@BestBuy.com
Address:
Best Buy Co.
Attn: Corporate Gift Cards
7601 Penn Ave. S.
Richeld, MN 55423
Phone/Fax Details
Phone: 877-370-1234
Fax: 952-530-4915
Website address:
www.bestbuy.com/smm
existing program, Best Buy gift cards

serve as great stand-alone incentives.
Available in any amount from $5 to
$2,000, they make for coveted loyalty
rewards, holiday gifts, wellness program
incentives and customer thank you gifts.
Give them the technology they want
When it comes to rewards programs,
tech products offer even more than travel
convenience. Everything from wearables
to smartphones to home theater systems
consistently top the list of what people
want most. Tying your incentives to these
must-have items will help you make a
lasting impression with every reward,
reminding your employees and clients of
a hard-won sale, a job
well done, a loyal brand or a milestone
anniversary long after they redeem
their reward.
Best Buy gift cards are the ideal
way to make this impression, offering
access to thousands of sought-after
tech products. With no expiration date,
theyre easy to redeem in store and
online where recipients can nd items
at every price point.
Perks program administrators love
With no program fees and no minimum
order requirements, the Best Buy
corporate gift card program offers bulk
discounts starting at $5,000. Gift cards are
easy to purchase with fulllment options
for direct shipment to your employee or
client or in bulk to the office. For a
personal, earth-friendly touch, e-gift

cards can be customized with a unique
message. Whichever format you choose,
Best Buy gift cards are an exceptionally
exible option for your most memorable
loyalty and incentive programs.
No fees. No expiration dates.

Just happiness.
NOV/DEC 2015
25
technology
Will ad blockers impact

your marketing mix?
If you havent read about ad blocking in the recent past,
I envy you. For those of you who did escape the bonanza,
please share the location of the rock you were living
under, stated Philip Inghelbrecht on a recent post at
TechCrunch.com.
Ad blocking gives Internet users the ability to remove
all ads shown on any web page. The product is typically
run in a browser through an extension. PageFair, a
provider of ad block solutions to web publishers, states
that a whopping 200 million people worldwide use ad
blockers when surng the web. About 16 percent of those
who use the Internet
in the United States,
or 45 million people,
have already installed
an ad blocker, up
48 percent over
the last 12 months,
said PageFairs Sean
Blancheld.
Its undeniable that
ad blocking creates a
better Internet
experiencenice
clean pages, no
ashing ads, or, God
forbid, pop-ups,
Inghelbrecht said.
At the same time,
however, ad-blocking takes away the main source of revenue
for content creatorsadvertising is their livelihood and the
reason why we get to enjoy most of the Web for free.
People have been able to use ad blockers on their desktop
web browsers for some time. But the number of people
installing ad blockers has increased with the arrival of blockers
on mobile devices because so much computing has now moved
to those devices.
Within days after Apple enabled ad-blocking apps through
iOS 9, its new mobile operating system, users embraced the
new technology. The New York Times reported that in less than
48 hours, several ad-blocking apps with names like Peace,
Purify and Crystal soared to the top of Apples App Store chart.
While much of the recent backlash has come from nervous
web publishers, any company that employs online advertising
26
NOV/DEC 2015
as part of its marketing mix faces potential

hurdles. Its the beginning of a new
conversation about creating a quality
environment for consumers, particularly on
mobile devices, John Montgomery, chairman
of WPPs GroupM Connect in North America,
told the Times.
Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer told
an audience at a New York advertising event
that increased use of ad blockers could result
in more companies turning to native
advertising as a key marketing tool.
The more the advertising and sponsored
messages are like the content around it, the
more of a reason you are giving users to not turn that off
because its actually very content rich. Its like the article post
they are viewing right next to it that wasnt sponsored,
Mayer said.
Damon Ragusa, CEO of ThinkVine, a provider of technology
solutions for marketing optimization, say ad blocking may
force marketers to stretch their creativity well beyond native
advertising, branded content and location-based targeting.
Advertisers with deeper pockets and a more strategic view
will seek opportunities which are less likely to be affected by
ad blocking, Ragusa says. The most strategic marketers will
revisit their content, targeting and media strategies, and
challenge themselves to offer more relevant and rewarding
audience experiences. In other words, they will focus on
earning their audience.
technology
Up Periscope
Is live video streaming the next hot social media marketing platform?
The best way to nd out what your customer wants is to at
out ask them. Periscope connects brands to their customers
in real-time. This direct-to-target consumer advertising
opportunity is priceless. Periscope has arrived and so has livestream marketing. Companies will need to adapt or be left
behind, Long says.
Its safe to say that no other technology is capable of having
such a widespread impact, digital marketing strategist Samuel
Edwards stated in a post for Entrepreneur. The future of
Periscope, and live streaming technology in general, is unclear.
Will it be a ash in the pan, or will it morph into something
transformative? As a business owner or marketer, you have to
bet on the latter. The companies that are able to build a strong
foundation in the beginning stages will reap long-term benets
down the road.
Reinforce your authenticity
Periscope, the live streaming video app purchased by Twitter

in February and launched about one month later, is oddly
addictive despite the fact that two-thirds of scopes seem to be
people driving in cars or sitting around their home. There are
more valid uses for Periscope and its counterpart, Meerkat, but
they have yet to be embraced on a large scale.
Periscope marketing will be in the mix at some point, but to
date, businesses make up a small percentage of scopers. Early
adopters on the consumer side include some of the usual
suspects, including Red Bull and Mountain Dew. Business
writers and marketing types have taken notice of the technology
and sounded off on the possibilities.
A marketers dream
Marketing executives should be drooling right now. While a
traditional tweet might only receive a small click-through rate, a
live-stream audience is much more engaged, which presents an
opportunity for much larger traffic surges, says Jonathan Long,
founder and CEO of Market Domination Media, in a Huffington
Post blog entry. Companies that really connect with their
Periscope audience correctly will build an army of promoters.
Long suggests companies could Periscope to announce
special offers, give behind-the-scenes production facility tours
and offer live Q&A sessions with clients and prospects.
28
NOV/DEC 2015
Commenting on MadeFreshly.com, an online marketing blog,

contributor Alyssa OSullivan says Periscope provides an
important enhancement to the authenticity that other social
media marketing platforms have initiated.
Think of Periscope as a direct window into the unedited
world of your business for your customers, she says. The
authenticity of a real-time broadcast without Photoshop or
post-production is a more trustworthy form of brand
storytelling that your viewers will believe, connect with and
respond to.
She offers these tips for live streaming marketing:
Create an exclusive experience. People will only follow
you if youre adding something worthwhile to their feeds,
which is why youve got to offer exclusive experiences.
Embrace the interactivity of live broadcasting.
Remember that this new technology is not just a show
your viewers can comment and you can respond right on
the air. Research shows people get a psychological lift when
they get a shout out on social media.
Involve viewers in brand decisions to boost
loyalty. Offer livestreams at decision points during new
product development and invite fans to help in the
planningthen your new product baby becomes their
baby and theyre emotionally attached.
The good news is both Periscope and Meerkat are cheap and
easy tools to use, with little risk and resources needed to
experiment with their marketing possibilities.
product review
Last-minute holiday
business gifts
Youve turned around and November has almost disappeared!
These holiday business gift ideas can be sent at crunch time
without giving away your lack of planning.
Rebel decanters
Amber, Plum and
Blush are the ying
colors featured in
Rebel Decanters.
Taking the heritage
crystal brand into
a dynamic new
realm of expression,
Waterfords Rebel
Collection is a revolution inspired by irreverent punk rock attitude, bold personal
style and spirited individualism. The extensive collection, which includes gift ware,
travel accessories and jewelry, is the latest collaboration between Waterford and
leading British designer Jo Sampson. The Rebel Decanter set includes all three
decanter shapes and the gold Rebel Metal Serving Tray. For more information,
contact WWRD US Special Markets Department at 800-933-3370.
A business gift
that pops
Surprise and delight with the gift of
world famous Garrett Popcorn. Create
a lasting impression with personalized
Tin Lids, perfect for wishing your
clients warmth and joy well beyond
the holidays. For more information,
contact Nancy at 312-494-2041 or
sales@garrettpopcorn.com. Mention
Sales & Marketing Management
magazine Holiday 2015.
Tressia solar
Gourmet
gift baskets
Omaha Steaks has allnew gourmet gift baskets,
perfect for last-minute
employee and client holiday
gifts. These arrangements
include a variety of gourmet
salame, mustards, nuts and
more. For more details all
800-228-2480 or email
B2B@OmahaSteaks.com,
or visit OmahaSteaksB2B
.com/SMMHoliday.
30
NOV/DEC 2015
No battery change required

and powered by light energy.
Solar cell with high-performance
electricity generation. Energyefcient movement with
12-month power reserve once
fully charged. This attractive
womens watch is designed
with a stainless steel case
and bracelet and features
a mother-of-pearl dial and
18 diamonds around the
bezel. Water-resistant to 30
meters. For more information,
contact Seiko Special Markets
at 800-545-2783 or visit
SeikoUSA.com.
product review
Give more this holiday
Give more this holiday with a SuperCerticate from GC
Incentives. The SuperCerticate gives you a way to personally
connect with the people who grow your business that is
meaningful, memorable and enjoyable. Its a great experience for
you to give and allows your recipients to
choose their own gift cards from hundreds
of popular brands. Call 877-737-0200 or
visit gcincentives.com to give more with
your corporate holiday gifting program.
Cambridge lanterns
Made out of 304-grade stainless steel, these Cambridge
lanterns feature a polished nickel nish and a grey leather
handle that makes it the perfect outdoor accessory.
Create a warm atmosphere by turning the dark of night
into starlight with this beautiful candle lantern. For more
information, contact Eric Anderson at PMC/Almo at
262-203-5440 or visit pmc.almo.com/index.asp.
Make a Sugarwish
A Sugarwish gift starts as an eCard that leads to a virtual candy
store where recipients get to pick their favorites (from over 80
yummy choices!). Their selections are packaged in a beautiful blue
box, tied with a red ribbon and shipped right to their door. The
corporate gift program allows businesses to customize eCards
with logos along with dedicated gifting landing page. For more
information on the corporate program, contact Sugarwish at
720-722-4071, email info@sugarwish.com or visit sugarwish.com.
Recognizing partnerships
with Pelucida Glass
Hand-formed and mouth blown ornaments for all
occasions, designed and produced in Vermont.
The perfect last-minute gift. A stunning variety
of colors. Ribbon and gift box included. Contact
Jeffrey Brenner of Pelucida Glass at 802-548-4572,
email jbrenner@pelucidaglass.com or visit
PelucidaGlass.com.
NOV/DEC 2015
31
cover story
The power of
workplace recognition
A new survey of incentive program participants
reveals the importance of a holistic approach
Dish Network sends thousands of technicians into the
eld every day to connect new customers and service existing
ones. Seth Watson thought about all of those technicians hitting
the streets when he joined the company in 2011 and imagined
the possibilities if a sales element was added to the job.
And so was born Dish Smart Home Services, Dish Networks
lucrative venture into selling added-value services such as
installation of home theaters, wireless networks, surround
sound or simply mounting a TV on a wall or providing extra
cables and screen cleaner.
Actually, I try not to use the word selling because we arent
trying to drive the mentality of overcoming objections and that
sort of thing, Watson says. Were simply trying to delight the
customer in a low-pressure situation.
Call it what you will, Watson says by enlisting technicians
to offer simple add-ons, Dish Network rang up $1.5 million in
additional revenue in 2014, its fourth year of operating the
program. A lot of companies would love to bring in those kinds
of numbers from a sales effort that isnt a sales effort.
Dishs not-so-secret weapon

Watson credits a large part of the programs success to an
incentive program that Dish has used since launching the
program in 2011. It partnered with BI WORLDWIDE to roll
out a non-cash awards program that garnered 100 percent
participation from its thousands of technicians nationwide.
We expected getting people signed up for the program
would be one of the biggest challenges, but we were able to
accomplish it in 30 days, Watson says.
The motivational power of incentives has been well
documented over the yearsin this publication as well as
many others. But a recent study co-sponsored by the Incentive
Research Foundation (IRF) and the Incentive Marketing
Association (IMA) reveals new insights that help explain why
Dish Networks program and thousands of others like it are
32
NOV/DEC 2015
so successful. In a survey of more than 450 individuals who

had participated in incentive programs, as many as eight in 10
preferred a non-cash award to cash.
More importantly, the survey showed that for both largescale and smaller reward programs, the total reward
experiencewho presents the award and how it is presented
is equally if not more important than the award itself.
According to the survey, a whopping 52 percent of the
effectiveness of a large award program (dened as something
that is attained over a year or more) hinges upon who presents
the reward, how it is communicated and whether or not
professional development is attached to the award (see story on
page 36).
Weve always known that award presentation is important.
Now we know just how important it is, says IRF President
Melissa Van Dyke. The award is half of the experience or
more, but the other side of that is it is an experience, and what
people prefer is much broader than just the award itself. If
were going to create really rewarding experiences, we need
to be mindful of that.
Peer power
Dish Networks Watson says the company has always
emphasized presenting awards publicly so top performers
are recognized among their peers. We absolutely believe in
publicly rewarding, he says. The value of non-cash awards, he
points out, is that people are proud to receive them in public.
Watson received a letter from one Dish Network technician
who was traveling to Japan with a signicant other using points
he earned through the program.
The beauty of that is hes willing to tell me about it and hes
willing to tell others about it. When you get a $200 bonus,
while its nice, youre probably not going to tell everybody
about it and youre not going to get the overall experience that
goes with that, Watson says.
cover story
by Paul Nolan
NOV/DEC 2015
33
cover story
Are other users of non-cash incentives as tuned into the

importance of presentation? I dont think its being done as
effectively as it could be, says Rick Low, vice president of
special markets for Citizen Watch and the immediate past
president of IMA. Managers who deliver the rewards have never been
taught the importance of how to deliver. And those that are designing the
programsthe performance improvement companiesmay not have
stressed the importance.
Some companies are doing a good job of paying attention to the overall
award experience, some are not, adds Van Dyke. Program sponsors must
be mindful of educating managers on how to ask questions about what
employees nd rewarding. When we are cognizant of the importance of how
people want to be recognized, the power of non-cash awards becomes much
more evident and maps more readily to what people prefer.
More than a paycheck

Non-cash incentives increase organizational commitment
Companies use non-cash incentives to
drive performance in a way they dont
believe cash can. An additional benet
of these programs that should not be
slighted is the enhanced relationship
between employees and the employer.
Scott Jeffrey, a professor of management
and decision sciences at Monmouth
University in New Jersey refers to it as
organizational commitment.
In a research paper written by Jeffrey
and published by the Society for
Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), he
summarizes three types of employee
commitment: continuance, normative
and affective.
Continuance commitment is a feeling
of being tied to an organization for
economic reasons. In other words,
needing a paycheck. Jeffrey says it is
the weakest form of the three types of
commitment. Normative commitment
represents a feeling of an obligation to
stay, either out of general work ethic or
due to some treatment the company
provides. Employees stay because they
feel they should.
Affective commitment is a desire to
stay with the company. There are a
number of positive consequences
associated with affective commitment
34
NOV/DEC 2015
that go beyond retention, Jeffrey states.

In citing other research, he emphasizes
that employees with high levels of
affective organizational commitment will
engage in what are known as citizenship
behaviors performing above and
beyond what is required by the job. The
provision of non-cash incentives is an
effective way to encourage affective
commitment, which will in turn lead to
more of this behavior.
Its about feeling valued

Researchers have studied a concept
they call Perceived Organizational
Support, which essentially is the degree
to which an employee feels valued and
appreciated by their organization.
Employees who feel appreciated are
more affectively committed to an
organization. Non-cash incentives have
been shown to be better at leading to
increased feelings of support for a
number of reasons:
Manager discretion The behavior
that makes employees feel valued
needs to be viewed as discretionary.
If something is provided because it is
required, such as compliance with
OSHA regulations for safety, it is not
perceived as a sign of being valued. In
the same way, cash is viewed by

employees as something they are
due or entitled to, says Jeffrey.
Memory Non-cash incentives come
with physical artifacts that trigger
memories of the performance that led
to receiving them. This leads to
increases in employee commitment,
lowers turnover and absenteeism, and
increases the provision of behavior
above and beyond what is required
by the job.
Relationship with management
There is a high correlation between
the quality of the relationship with
ones immediate manager and how
valued they feel by the organization.
Higher quality relationships between
employees and managers are viewed
as more social, including recognition
and mutually benecial exchanges.
The use of non-cash incentives is more
likely to be viewed as discretionary
and therefore is much more likely to
improve the relationship between the
employee and manager.
Additional articles on workplace
motivation and information about SITE
can be found at SITEglobal.com.
cover story
Cash is not king and other workplace award lessons

A key discovery from the survey of incentive program
participants co-sponsored by the Incentive Research Federation
and the Incentive Marketing Association is the importance of
the overall experience. Somewhat surprisingly, respondents
said the award choice is even less important in large award
scenarios (programs in which goals took a year or more to
attain) than small reward scenarios.
Participants in large award scenarios consider professional
development an important component of award programs
(32 percent versus 14 percent in small award programs). IRF
President Melissa Van Dyke says professional development
includes networking opportunities and other career-enhancing
elements that can accompany recognition.
Other interesting ndings from the study:
Work setting matters. The importance of the award, the
professional impact, the person doing the recognizing and the
communication cuts similarly when you compare gender, age,
income and job role. Differences occur when you compare
work environments in large award programs. Factory workers
and those in a retail setting place more importance on the
professional impact of an award than professionals who work
in an office or home office.
Cash is not king. For large rewards, such as annual sales
program recognition, the study found that when participants
were rewarded by the right level of management, with the right
communication and professional development, 80 percent

would prefer incentive travel and experiences in that award
scenario, not cash.
For smaller awards, such as short-term and spot recognition
programs, the study found that when participants were
rewarded by the right level of management, and with the right
communication and professional development potential, about
66 percent of participants preferred a personally meaningful
non-cash reward instead of cash.
We have always said to date that if you put cash,
merchandise, gift cards and travel in front of people and asked
them what they want, they will say cash. That is actually not
true, Van Dyke says. We need to stop thinking that the
question is just about cash and non-cash. The question is about
award experiences and creating those experiences.
Individual travel is preferred over group events.
Participants expressed a signicant preference for a three- or
four-night resort getaway for two (42 percent) over all other
types of incentive travel programs, including group events with
top-performing peers (9 percent). Many users of incentive
travel favor group events because of the higher perceived ROI
to the program sponsor. It will be interesting to monitor this to
see if companies give way to the preference for individual
incentive travel. For now, says Van Dyke, a compromise appears
to be giving participants and their spouses on a group trip more
free time.
Work Environment:
Large Reward Preferences
Comparing Small and Large

Award Scenarios
Recognized by 9%
Professional
Development 14%
Communication
16%
Recognized by 9%
12%
11%
21%
Professional
Development
32%
15%
18%
Communication
34%
28%
Professional
Impact
43%
Reward
11%
Recognizer
31%
32%
31%
19%
38%
Communication
12%
48%
Reward
62%
Small Reward Scenario
36
NOV/DEC 2015
49%
46%
Reward
48%
Large Reward Scenario
9%
8%
Total
Office
3%
Home
Office
31%
10%
Factory
45%
6%
Retail
Other
SOURCE: IMA PARTICIPANT STUDY, 2015 IMA EXECUTIVE SUMMIT
cover story
The high cost of ignoring a low-cost solution

A recent survey of nancial services and insurance employees
by Tinypulse, a company whose mission is to help businesses
eld engaged work forces, shows that only 20 percent of
employees polled feel strongly valued at work. Not surprisingly,
employees expressed a low level of
satisfaction with their managers (47
percent said they are satised with their
supervisors) and only 22 percent say
they are happy at work.
Its not all bad. Nearly nine out of 10
workers (87 percent) said their manager
clearly dened each persons role and
how it relates to the overall success of
the company. But that is a wake-up call
that employees can be dissatised even
when goals are clearly spelled out.
I am not looking for a pat on the
back every time I do something for a
co-worker or a customer, but I think my
hard work has been ignored, one
survey respondent said. I have gone
above and beyond in many ways and
never been recognized for it.
Trey Taylor, CEO of Taylor Insurance Services in Valdosta,
Georgia, explains that a large part of this recognition malaise
can be attributed to the nature of the job. Taylor notes that
insurance agents suffer from long delays between when they
complete a sale and when a client will benet from its payout.
An agent rarely sees the value of what hes sold to the client
and almost never gets recognized for selling something that
has huge impact to the beneciaries.

Taylor also mentions that employees feel underappreciated
because employers are not investing in them, as evidenced by
reduced commissions, no onboarding and a complete dearth
of client-focused sales training. Did you
know that for every 100 people who will
join the industry this year, only 11 of
them will still be in the job in 36
months? It wears on people, Taylor says.
Forbes contributor Victor Lipman says
making workers feel appreciated was a
pain point throughout his career of more
than 20 years in the nancial services
sector. (Hes quick to add that its a
problem that is pervasive across most
industries.)
The most ironic and unfortunate
aspect of this widespread productivitydiminishing recognition gap is that its
so avoidable, Lipman writes. Sure,
companies can set up elaborate, costly
formal recognition programs. They can
be useful. But if I learned anything in
decades in business, its that the kind of recognition
employees really appreciate in the trenchesin the day-to-day
grind of workis much simpler. Its a pat on the back from
their manager. Its being told theyre doing a good job. Its a
heartfelt thank you for a tough project well done. Sincere
appreciation sincerely expressed. All of which take hardly any
time. And all of which have exactly the same cost: nothing.
The science behind achieving group goals

Good managers foster widespread
support for team initiatives. Great
managers develop precise plans to
help their teams accomplish what they
say they will. Using what motivational
scientists call if-then planning to express
and implement your teams intentions
can signicantly improve execution,
says Heidi Grant Halvorson, associate
director of Columbia Business Schools
Motivation Science Center.
When people decide exactly when,
where and how they will fulll their goals,
they create a link in their brains between
a certain situation or cue (If or when X
38
NOV/DEC 2015
happens) and the behavior that should

follow (then I will do Y). In this way, they
establish powerful triggers for action,
Grant Halvorson explains in Harvard
Business Review.
Often, when groups set goals, they
tend to make sweeping statements and
omit details essential to execution. If-then
planning pinpoints conditions for
success, increases everyones sense
of responsibility, and helps close the
gap between knowing and doing. Grant
Halvorson breaks the design of if-then
plans into four key steps:
1. Establish the organizational goal.

2. Break the goal down into specic
concrete subgoals.
3. Identify detailed actions and
the who, when and where
for reaching each subgoal.
4. Create if-then plans that trigger
the actions.
If-then planning enables groups to
do more of what they mean to and
do it better by fostering ownership
and essentially reprogramming people
to execute.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Cash, credit or barter?

When ITEX speaks with small business owners, they ask: Would you rather write
a check for a business expense, or trade an equal dollar amount of your companys
goods or service and gain new business? The answer is always the latter.
The benets of barter...save cash on operating expenses by trading your goods
or services to new customers.
How does bartering work? Lets say a hotel wants to expand

their employee benet program without increasing their cash
budget. What assets can they use other than spend cash? The
answer is excess capacity. The hotel can trade excess rooms in
exchange for employee incentives; all tied to goals like
customer satisfaction or improved work/time performance
schedules.
Companies start by:
Offering goods/services on the ITEX Marketplace
Selling goods/services earning ITEX dollars
Using ITEX dollars to purchase employee incentives
The hotel gains new customers from the ITEX Marketplace by
trading excess capacity. And, they increased their purchasing
power for employee incentives without increasing their cash
budget. Thats trading what you have...for what you need.
Barter...the nancial tool that youve been looking for.
As well, barter works for companies with excess product.
Rather than selling off excess inventory for pennies on the
dollar, sell the inventory for full value in the ITEX Marketplace
in exchange for ITEX dollars. Then, use the ITEX dollars

for a variety of business and personal expenses, ranging
from auto or home repair to office equipment, printing and
advertising, available from the thousands of businesses in
the ITEX Marketplace.
Barter is an option that every

business owner should have available.
The net effect: new customers and
conserved cash. Thats what the
barter option is all about.
To learn if ITEX is right for your business,
or to activate your free registration, call 800-277-9722
or visit www.itex.com..
NOV/DEC 2015
39
cover story
Motivating Millennials: part common sense,

part counter intuitiveness
There is a lot of discussion about how to manage and
motivate Millennials in the workplace. Michael Fertik, an
Internet entrepreneur and author of The Reputation Economy
(Crown Business, 2015), says twenty-somethings are
especially hungry to learn and to receive afrmation that they
are doing a good job. The best ones are motivated much
more by incremental education and acknowledgement than by
a modest bump in salary, he states in an article for Harvard
Business Review. Here are Fertiks other suggestions for
keeping younger employees engaged:
Throw them into the deep end on their rst day.

Give them decision-making authority on at least one mission
immediately. If they dont know how to do it, tell them to gure
it out. Even talented younger employees may be tempted to
ask questions they can answer themselves. If you tolerate
learned helplessness, they wont improve. If letting them solve
something on their own feels too risky, reconsider assigning
the project in the rst place. Once they have completed the
objective, give clear feedback immediately. Postmortems are
critical accelerators of their learning process.
turnarounds creates high-velocity rhythms and a happy,

productive-feeling younger work force.
Fire those who are not performing.

Younger workers are disproportionately affected by seeing
others slide by in their jobs. Excellent junior colleagues
start to resent their less-competent peers and the boss who
keeps them. Middling-quality junior colleagues emulate the
bad ones who arent red.
Beware of setting up high-performing

22-year-olds with 28-year-old managers.
Too many managers in their late twenties are threatened
by super-smart colleagues in their early twenties.
Publicly reward junior members

who are doing a great job.
Praise in front of peers is the traditional method, but an
effective alternative is ask the employee in front of others what
he or she thinks of an idea, especially when the debate has
been among senior people. The question itself is conrmation
of the employees growth within the company, and it will raise
that persons status in the eyes of his or her peers.
Ask frequent questions.

When you ask junior colleagues a question like, Whats the
dumbest thing were working on? it shows that you invite
and insist on truth telling and hearing bad news. It stimulates
younger employees to think for themselves and afrms their
contribution of ideas.
Emphasize long-term rewards and set an example.

Despite their oft-reported reputation of being entitled ingrates,
the best employees in their twenties admire people who focus
on longer-term rewards. Letting them see that you are resisting
some forms of short-term pay or comfort will re them up to do
the same.
40
Set short-term projects.
Dont make the rookie mistake of

creating false reasons for praise.
There is truth to the notion that young employees have

short attention spans. You need to adapt as a manager.
Set daily and weekly goals. Setting quick and predictable
Younger people have contempt for what they perceive as

political baloney. Fake it, and theyll know, and they wont
trust praise when you really mean it.
NOV/DEC 2015
SAY
THANK YOU
WITH STYLE
Thank your employees for a job well
done with a Kohls Gift Card. Theyll be
rewarded with incredible value on the
brands they love, like Simply Vera
Vera Wang, Jennifer Lopez, Keurig
and Food Network.
Plus, you can take advantage

of these other great benets:
Our Gift Cards never expire or
incur service fees
Theyre redeemable at more than 1,100
stores nationwide and on Kohls.com
We offer competitive volume discounts
Order your Gift Cards today!

Call 1-800-653-1774
Visit Kohls.com/CorpGiftCard
Email us at Corp.GiftCards@Kohls.com
Corporate discounts are only available through Kohls Card Services Department and exclude in-store and online Gift Card purchases. Kohls Gift Cards can be used in store and online.
Gift Cards have no service fees and no expiration dates. Terms and Conditions apply.
cover story
Is there a place for the gold watch

after 40 years?
Research shows employees prefer being
recognized for more than just tenure
BY JAY SEILER
Are your employees like a pit crew or an
Olympic sailing team? The pit crew helps for
a time, while you alone continue to the nish
line. The Olympic ofce teammate approaches
the nish line with you.
Most of the employers who come to my
jewelry store like the Olympic model. They
prefer keeping good employees to looking for
new ones. Many bosses are shocked by seeing so
many turnovers (unless they are bakers). So, how do
you get employees to le away their resumes and stay
for a while?
First, there are the basics: paying them well keeps
them away from the want ads and
discourages side jobs.
Do you want your
employee falling
asleep in front of
your biggest client
after two people called
in sick to his night job?
Dont make a tough job harder. A good work
environment keeps an employee happy and present.
Most accountants dont enjoy balancing the books
in the middle of a machine shop.
Avoid workplace drama. To get long-lasting
employees, hire people who play well with others.
Make goals clear and attainable. Constantly
keeping employees on their toes may cause them to
walk off. Like Sisyphus, no one wants a task thats
impossible to complete.
But there is another important factor in employee
retention whether or not they feel appreciated. Of course,
appreciation comes in many forms, including good job, a
pat on the back and gifts. I can already hear some of you
objecting: Arent physical gifts a throwback to an earlier
era, and wouldnt employees prefer receiving cash instead?
Theres a difference between throwback and classic.
Smoking in the ofce is a throwback, but physical gifts are a
42
NOV/DEC 2015
classic. Humans have been collecting

and acquiring things ever since the
beginning. Even small children are
incredibly proud to own some small
trinket, and this behavior doesnt
change in adulthood (just ask your
neighbor about his new sports car).
Physical gifts are a tangible reminder
of an accomplishment. Employees can
look at them with pride and think
fondly of the company.
For items that are worn
(like a watch) or placed
in an ofce (like a
sales trophy), other
employees will see it
and be motivated
as well.
Some employees
may express a
preference for
money, but be
mindful that noncash rewards punch
above their weight in
terms of perceived value. If youve got $75 to spend on an
employee, he will compare a $75 check with the size of his
paycheck not an impressive matchup. On the other hand,
hell remember a beautiful crystal bowl or a lobster dinner for
years to come.
A recent study by Bersin & Associates, a human resources
consultant, found that companies that recognize employees
regularly have a better track record of retaining them. The
same study found that recognition based on accomplishments
is more effective than awards for length of service. According
to Bersin & Associates founder Josh Bersin, tenure-based
rewards systems have virtually no impact on organizational
performance.
Different awards are appropriate for different lines of work.
At any company it is a good thing to let your valued employees
know you want them to stay.
Jay Seiler, co-owner of Security Jewelers in Duluth,
Minnesota, provides employee incentives for several major
companies and has been in the jewelry business for over
30 years. You can reach him at info@securityjewelers.com.
Join Sales & Marketing Management magazines online community
FREE MEMBERSHIP
Keep in touch with industry colleagues;

learn from experts, analysts and editors;
and take advantage of EXCLUSIVE
online resources to help do your job
more efciently and effectively.
Take advantage of your complimentary
membership at SMMConnect.
Complimentary
live and archived
Webinars.
Download free
White Papers!
STRATEGIC BUSINESS DECISIONS
Why Cash is a Less Effective Incentive

Tim Houlihan | The Reward Systems Group
Log in to start your

Free Membership today at:
www.SMMConnect.com
top performers
An assortment off new

w incentive ideas
and marketing tools from ourr advertisers
Incentive program
solutions start here
If youve read the cover story in this issue, you know that a
holistic approach to workplace recognition is important to
maximize a programs impact. Its not just what rewards you
present, but how you present them. A survey of more than 400
incentive program participants found that between 40 and
70 percent of a participants preferred award experience was
determined by non-award presentation factors such as who
gives the award, how its communicated and what professional
impact it carries.
At the same time, the whole point of using non-cash
incentives and recognition items is to provide your recipients
with rewards that will have lasting value to them and enhance
the relationship between employer and employee. To achieve
that, you must reward with merchandise and experiences

that appeal to your diverse work force.
A key lesson for businesses from this study is that every
type of reward merchandise, gift cards and travelall
outperform cash, says Incentive Marketing Association
Executive Director Donna Chrobak. Assuring a positive and
personal total reward experience has a major impact on
participant motivation and behavior, which ultimately affects
employee performance and talent retention.
This collection of products and gift cards from our
advertisers is a good start toward assembling an enticing
array of incentive options.
Maze Dinnerware Collection

World-renowned chef Gordon
Ramsay exemplies performance and
presentation epitomized by his Maze
Dinnerware Collection. This stylish
tableware is contemporary and stylish,
yet durable enough for everyday
use. Available in white for continuity
programs (shown) and many other
colors to choose from where a color
is wanted. Also, bakeware as well in
the collection. For more information
on continuity pricing and all, contact
WWRD U.S. Special Markets
Department at 800-933-3370.
Mirrorless EOS M3
Designed to inspire, the EOS M3 digital
camera brings true EOS performance and
image quality to a compact, stylish and elegant
package. With its large 24.2 Megapixel CMOS
sensor and DIGIC 6 image processor, the
camera captures high-resolution images and full
HD movies suitable for almost any application.
For more information, contact Canon Special
Accounts at 866-50-CANON or visit usa.canon.
com/corporategifts.
44
NOV/DEC 2015
top performers
Give more this holiday

Give more this holiday with a SuperCerticate from GC
Incentives. The SuperCerticate gives you a way to
personally connect with the people who grow your business
that is meaningful, memorable and enjoyable. Its a great
experience for you to give and allows your recipients to
choose their own gift cards from hundreds of popular
brands. Call 877-737-0200 or visit gcincentives.com to give
more with your corporate holiday gifting program.
Turn the ordinary into extraordinary

When you want to take the ordinary to extraordinary, look
to Pelucida Glass. Custom awards and unique pieces
for your sales, marketing and gift needs. To discuss your
next project, contact Jeffrey Brenner at Pelucida Glass at
802-548-4572 or email jbrenner@pelucidaglass.com, or
visit pelucidaglass.com.
Keys for giving positive

feedback to employees:
Bob Nelson, author of 1501 Ways to Reward
Employees, offers the following guidelines
for effective recognition:
ASAP Cubed Guidelines

Vapor Lite collection
Introducing our lightest hardside travel collection. Designed
for travelers who value TUMI for its time-tested endurance,
TUMI Vapor Lite is constructed from a special, multi-layer
polycarbonate alloy formulation, created to increase the strength
and durability of the case versus standard polycarbonate cases
prone to cracking and denting with frequent use. For more
information, contact Tumi Special Markets at 800-669-3181 or
visit TumiSpecialMarkets.com.
As Soon
Timing is important;
dont delay praise
As Sincere
Do it because youre truly

appreciative
As Specic
Give details of the achievement
As Personal
Do it in person (or with a

handwritten note)
As Positive
Dont mix in criticism
As Proactive
Dont wait for perfect performance
NOV/DEC 2015
45
top performers
La Cuisine Set
Coutura Solar Perpetual chronograph
La Cuisines six-piece round cast iron casserole set can be used to

create mouth-watering dishes cooked on all cooktops and ovens,
including induction. The non-toxic, matte black enamel interior surface
is scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, heats food through evenly and
remains hot until served and improves through continued use. A great
recognition idea for the foodies on your team. For more information,
The stunning look of this Seiko watch is matched

only by its precision performance. Designed with a
stainless steel case and bracelet with gold accents.
Powered by light energy using solar cells with
high-performance electricity generation. No battery
change required. Energy-efcient solar movement
with six-month power reserve once fully charged.
The gray dial, protected with a sapphire crystal,
features three subdials,
luminous hands and
markers, leap year,
month, day and date
indicator, and power
reserve indicator.
contact Eric Anderson of PMC/Almo at 262-203-5440 or email

eanderson@almo.com, or visit pmc.almo.com/index.asp.
For more
information,
contact Seiko
Special Markets
at 800-545-2783
or visit
SeikoUSA.com.
Foot Locker and Champs

Foot Locker and Champs Sports gift cards are your one-sizets-all incentive, recognition, engagement and promotional
reward solution. Gift cards are redeemable at Foot Locker,
Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports.
Available in traditional plastic format as well as a virtual
eCard format, in either U.S. or Canadian dollars. All of our
cards are redeemable in-store and online, never expire and
never have fees applied for non-use. For more details, call
800-690-5996 or email GiftCards@footlockergiftcard.com, or
visit FootLockerGiftCard.com.
Mini instant camera

Step up to Fujilms top of the line Instax Mini 50S instant
camera. Sleek compact design in a high-gloss piano black
nish. Instant prints on the spot for any business function.
Bundle includes 20 exposures of lm and batteries.
Contact Joyce Harrison at 800-869-8600, Ext. 535809 or
visit fujilmincentives.com.
46
NOV/DEC 2015
If youre only motivating

the top 20%
you could be
sinking your ship.
Introducing SMM GoalQuest
Most incentive programs motivate only the top 20%
of salespeople, but the reality is your biggest lift
and highest potential comes from your other 80%.
When you need to increase sales quickly, focus on
driving participation and sales from 100% of your
sales team with our SMM GoalQuest solution.
SMM GoalQuest:
Is a true only pay for performance
sales plan
Has demonstrated results for
more than 700 programs and
1,000,000 salespeople since 2001.
Comes with a set-up team that will have your

program up and running in two weeks with
zero up-front investment.
The industrys only patented incentive solution
and platform.
If you have 100 or more sales reps, dealers or agents,
GoalQuest is ideal for you. Find out more at
www.SalesAndMarketing.com/GoalQuest
Download a free eBook,
Driving Performance with Self-Selected Goals.
Provides a sales pro forma

that estimates your sales team
performance and ROI before
you commit.
GoalQuest is a registered trade mark of BI WORLDWIDE
top performers
Memorable gifts
Give rewards theyll remember
Omaha Steaks has a wide variety of gourmet selections that make an

excellent choice for employee and client holiday gifts. Customization and
certicate options also available. For gift ideas call 800-228-2480 or email
Best Buy gift cards turn rewards into technology

your team will remember long after their gift card
is spent. Plus, youll love the volume discounts,
no program fees, and customizable fulllment
options. For more information, call 877-370-1234,
B2B@OmahaSteaks.com, or visit OmahaSteaksB2B.com/SMMHoliday.
e-mail CorporateGiftCards@BestBuy.com, or visit

CorporateGiftCards.BestBuy.com.
The simple act of

paying positive
attention to people
has a great deal to do
with productivity.
Tom Peters
Create the sales lift you need

Share your love
...for amazing style, incredible savings and easy shopping all

wrapped up into one gift card. With a Kohls Gift Card, you get
more for every dollar while saving on great brands. Plus, gift
cards are accepted in store and online, and they never expire.
For more details, contact Jennifer Fraedrich at 262-703-6896
or email jennifer.fraedrich@kohls.com, or visit kohls.com/
corporategiftcard.
48
NOV/DEC 2015
Most incentive programs motivate only the top 20 percent

of salespeople, but the reality is your biggest lift and highest
potential comes from your other 80 percent. When you need to
increase sales quickly, focus on driving participation and sales
from 100 percent of your sales team with GoalQuest. Learn
more and download a free eBook, Driving Performance with
Self-Selected Goals, at SalesandMarketing.com/GoalQuest.
top performers
Flexible travel certicates
Royal Princess earrings
Travelink, American Express Travels custom Gift of Travel Certicates

are a fully-managed travel incentive program offering no blackout dates,
exible to use for travel anywhere in the world, and for any travel type
such as cruise, ights and ground transportation. For more information,
Antwerp Diamonds and Antwerp Silver

continue to deliver simple and elegant style
stud earrings with square shape diamonds
or cubic zirconia on the EPR24 series.
Increase your rewards, loyalty and incentive
markets with complete fulllment from our
Dallas warehouse. For more information,
visit Travelink.com/GOT or call 888-261-5521.
visit antwerpdiamondsincentives.com.
This Gift of Travel Certicate is Presented To:
GIFT OF
TRAVEL
Top Sales Winner

From: Your Corporation
In the Amount of: $x,xxx
Flexible Gift of Travel

Incentive Certificates to Use
Anywhere in the World
This Gift of Travel Certicate may be applied toward

a cruise or vacation package to destinations worldwide.
Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx
Gift Certicate #: xxxx
To start planning your next dream vacation, please call your

Travelink, American Express Travel personal Travel Advisor on our
Gift of Travel Redemption Line:
844-324-3719
Ship Overnight to:

Travelink,
American Express Travel
%1$'ULYH6XLWH
650 Nashville, Tennessee 37217
844-324-3719
7KLV&HUWLFDWHPD\EHUHGHHPHGIRUFUXLVHDQGYDFDWLRQSDFNDJHVXVLQJWKHH[WHQVLYHQHWZRUNRI$PHULFDQ([SUHVVHQGRUVHGVXSSOLHUV,WPD\QRWEHXVHGIRUFDURQO\
RQO\
\
UHVHUYDWLRQVKRWHORQO\UHVHUYDWLRQVZLOOEHDFFRPPRGDWHGLISUHSD\PHQWLVDOORZHGE\YHQGRU&HUWLFDWHFDQQRWEHH[FKDQJHGIRUFDVKJLIWFDUGVRU7UDYHOHUV&KHTXHV
HTXHHV
6HUYLFHIHHVZLOODSSO\IRUERRNLQJVPDGH&HUWLFDWHLVUHGHHPDEOHRQO\IRUERRNLQJVPDGHWKURXJKD7UDYHOLQN7UDYHO$GYLVRUDQGQRWRQOLQH5HFLSLHQWPD\DSSO\WKH
\WKHH
*LIWRI7UDYHOWRZDUGWKHSXUFKDVHRIHOLJLEOHWUDYHODQGSD\WKHGLIIHUHQFHZKHQWKHWRWDOH[FHHGVWKHYDOXHRIWKHFHUWLFDWH7KHUHFLSLHQWPXVWSUHVHQWRULJLQDOFHUWLFDWH
LFDDWH
WR7UDYHOLQNSULRUWRUHGHPSWLRQ7UDYHOLQNLVQRWUHVSRQVLEOHIRUORVWRUVWROHQFHUWLFDWHV&HUWLFDWHVDUHQRQUHIXQGDEOHDQGQRQWUDQVIHUDEOH
Forr more information on

these featured products, visit
www.SalesAndMarketing
.com/Top-Performers.
You can also win a pair
off Maui Jim sunglasses!
ad index
Antwerp Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .972-490-6295 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 21
Pelucidaa Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .802-548-4572 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 37
Best Buy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-370-1234 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 2
PMC/ALMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262-203-5440. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 13
Canon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-50-CANON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 51
PPAI Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-426-7724 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 29
Fujilm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-869-8600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 15
Seiko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-545-2783 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 5
GC Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-737-0200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 17
SMM/GoalQuest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 47
Hamilton Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .610-485-9130. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 10
Success Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-379-4715 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 35
ITEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-277-9722 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 39
Travelink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-261-5521. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 19
Kohls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-653-1774 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 41
Tumi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-669-3181. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 9
Omaha
a Steaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-228-2480. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 11
Waterford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-933-3370 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 52
Patriot Marketing Group . . . . . . . . . . .800-690-5996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 27
NOV/DEC 2015
49
closers
Brought to you by
Robots cant close

To date, technological advancements have always created better jobs and improved
the well-being of humanity. But we face the real possibility that technology will, for
the rst time, displace more jobs than it creates. In his new book, Humans are
Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will,
Geoff Colvin, a senior editor at Fortune magazine, says those people who master
the human abilities that are fading all around us will be the most valuable
workers in the world.
SMM:You state matter-of-factly that
transactional jobs are declining and
relational jobs are expanding. B2B sales
is the classic combination of both, so
where does that leave the B2B sales role?
COLVIN:Where the relational element
is predominantwhere its a really
complex sale, and it may take years to
sell a product or service that may last for
yearsthe people who can do that kind
of selling are only going to get more
valuable. Its all about human-to-human
interaction.
SMM:You stress the skills that will
be most important going forward are
those that are most humanempathy,
creativity and social sensitivity among
them. Are managers emphasizing this
component of sales?
COLVIN:Some do and some dont. The
good ones realize that it is a trait that can
be trained. There are plenty of companies
where the attitude of managers is just
hire a bunch of people, see which ones
seem to be good at it already, and then
re the ones who are not. Theyre
looking for it, but they dont train it.
Whats important for managers to realize
is that it can be trained. Even people who
are good at it can get better.
SMM:You believe strongly in the
power of face-to-face discussions, which
is heartening for sales representatives.
COLVIN:When we are able to get
together face-to-face, the value is greater
than most of us realize. When we talk to
somebody face-to-face, all kinds of things
are happening between us that we are
50
NOV/DEC 2015
not even consciously aware of. We are

bonding in a way that doesnt happen in
any other way. Weve persuaded
ourselves that doing things by email or
text is just as good and is more efficient.
Well, it is more efficient, but you lose
a lot.
SMM:The problem for many
salespeople is getting that face time
with prospects.
COLVIN:People are going to want to
get information on their own. In fact,
they wont feel condent until theyve
done that. But ultimately it is about the
relationship. They dont get built quickly.
Its a greater struggle than it used to be,
for sure, which is one of the reasons I say
these abilities are more important than
they used to be.
SMM:Youve got a whole chapter on the
power of story. Here again, its a good
sign for sales because story is the essence
of sales.
COLVIN:At a lot of companies,
storytelling has not been valuedcharts
and graphs have been valued. Data
collection is precisely what technology is
doing better and better. But if you want
to change somebodys mindif you want
to inspire them to acttell them a story.
Our brains are hardwired for stories and
thats what inuences us. And the story
told in person is far more powerful
because the listener can sense the
passionthe authenticity of the person
telling the story. It also forms that
person-to-person bond that doesnt
happen any other way. We all know what
a good story is. What Ive found is just

tell it. Leave out the charts and graphs.
Its remarkable how well it works.
SMM:You also feel that women have
innate advantages in terms of the skills
that will matter in the workplace of the
future.
COLVIN:When it comes to these
abilities regarding deep personal
interaction, the research is very clear
that, on average, women are just better
than men. We have a ton of research on
it, but do we really need it? Dont we
know it already? Women may have
insights they wont articulate because
they dont think they are valued and they
havent been valued. In a sales situation
in particular, that insight into the human
nature of what is going on is extremely
valuable.
If you cant read Colvins
book, at least check out
the extended version of
this interview at
SalesandMarketing.com/
Closers, where youll also
nd interviews with past
Closers subjects.
PHOTO: SPENCER HEYFRON
F i n d o u t h o w C a n o n c a n m a ke y o u r c o r p o r a t e g i f t s
and incentives program work for you.
Make the
Moment
Picture
Perfect
8 6 6.5 0.C A N ON

2 0 1 5 C a n o n U . S . A . , I n c . C a n o n , E L P H , E O S , E O S R e b e l , S E L P H Y, V I X I A a n d P o w e r S h o t a r e r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k s o f C a n o n I n c . i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s .
i m a g e A N Y WA R E i s a t r a d e m a r k o f C a n o n . A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . A l l i m a g e s a r e s i m u l a t e d .
ITS ABOUT DEFYING THE ODDS,

C R E AT I N G S O M E T H I N G T H AT
NO ONE EXPECTED &
EVERYONE
WANTS.
BAR
JEWELRY
GIFTS
For more information on

Corporate Sales, Awards
and Recognition Products
Call 1.800.933.3370

Sales and Marketing Nov'15 Issue

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sales and Marketing Nov'15 Issue

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE RISK OF

SALES SUPERSTARS ...... 6

NOV/DEC 2015 $10

SHOP HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS AT

Customizable fulllment options

COVER ILLUSTRATION: ILLUSTRATIONSOURCE.COM / WAYNE LOCKWOOD

The riskk of having sales

5 ways to turn content into

the sales conversation

Incentive product review

PUBLISHER Mike Murrell, mike@salesandmarketing.com, 952-401-1283

Iff you didnt see the two-part, four-hour documentary

Paul Nolan, Editor

Is your customer contact

Problems beyond loss of loyalty

Even the best sales reps will selectively sell, naturally

Reverse the risk of lost loyalty

What youll be talking about.

B2B organizations, which instead focus primarily on hiring

The Loyalty Takeback: 5 things to keep customers from walking

Loss of loyalty happens over time, and

prescribe the amount of contact each

initiatives all the things that create

Ensure executive involvement.

Create an account plan. The ultimate

Establish an intentional, consistent,

Bob Domenz is the founder and CEO of

Building and keeping

Content vs. SEO? The truth is you need them both

2015 TUMI, INC.

2014 TUMI, INC.

Meetings make business happen

captured in email discussions, chat rooms and even

A study of organizational behavior

Perhaps the best reason salespeople should

4 quotes that will make you a better marketer

Keep the customer and his

By building up your content

Your brand is a story

Sometimes our products or

Marketers today have more channels to

Make lasting impressions with ease.

3 EASY WAYS to order your business gifts.

Top-performing teams dont happen by chance

proles associated with those

we have specialists that a

mentoring and learning

The workplace as ant colony and how to x it

More than 7 in 10 (72 percent) were

engagement. Employee satisfaction

Have you lost that lovin

Bulk or Drop Ship Fulfillment .

24-hour order turnaround

Not available on oversized merchandise.

CHILL Personal Home Vending Machine

OVER 100 BRANDS INCLUDING...

Whos minding your content?

retires any content that has

SIMULATED IMAGES. DEVELOPMENT TIME ROUGHLY 90 SECONDS.

the sales conversation

Which condition fared the best?

Give convenience. Give custom. Give choice.

B2C hasnt monopolized