SPECIAL REPORT - PROMOTIONS & INCENTIVES: Paying dividends

When it comes to putting together an effective incentive programme, Marriott Incentive Awards director of sales and marketing Caroline Pearson believes that the first step is to determine what needs to get done that is not being done. She says that the more specific the objective, the more chance of achieving it. Yet Pearson tempers this by saying it is also important to be realistic. Ensure the programme is appropriate employees' skills. Set goals that fall within the remit of existing job descriptions and don't ask people to achieve something out of their range. It's all about considering objectives and making sure the budget is created from incremental profit, says Capital Incentives & Motivation managing director Graham Povey. Incentive programmes should aim to be self-funding, especially in sales. He also believes that top achievers are often extremely self motivated already, and the bottom ten per cent will be virtually impossible to motivate regardless of any incentive.