Category Blog Posts

The Truth is You’re Just Not That Important

Trust me. You’re not. For some reason, the following exchange from the movie “The Social Network” between Jesse Eisenberg playing Mark Zuckerberg and the lawyer conducting the initial deposition for the lawsuit filed by the Winklevoss twins over who created… Continue Reading →

Is $588 Enough for an Incentive Design Contract?

Below is an updated version of a rant I posted on my original Typepad blog 10 years ago. I loved that blog. Oh, for simpler times. Sorry to be resurrecting these old posts but personal family issues are keeping my… Continue Reading →

Motivation, Incentives, and What Wimpy Knew

[Full disclosure – this is a post form 2008 but evergreen] To paraphrase Wimpy from the Popeye cartoon, “I’ll gladly reward you Tuesday for your behavior today.” Every incentive and reward program is really a trade-off between behavior and a… Continue Reading →

Employee Engagement – Can’t Solve the Problem? Change the Problem

Years ago, we called it “employee satisfaction”. After that it was “engagement”. Josh Bersin even speculated that it should be called “marriage” because that logically followed “engagement.” Talk about weird mental gymnastics designed to gather clicks and attention. Here’s where… Continue Reading →

Skill-Aligned Goal Setting – Or – Why Your 18-Month-Old Can’t Run Fast

It’s Friday. I’m having a week. I’ve spent the last couple of days sitting by my spouse’s bedside in the hospital, trying to get work done and still be attentive. Nothing serious but still a bit of a speed bump… Continue Reading →

Channel Incentives – Not Just for Existing Customers Anymore

About 99.9% of all incentive designers and buyers see channel incentive programs as a way to get more from the same people they are already getting a lot from. For years and years program designers focused on the top performers…. Continue Reading →

Experts know questions, not answers

I know so many clients who wished they could wave a magic wand and have all their goals and objectives met. They want a simple solution that fixes their motivation issues. They always ask… “what structure is the best structure?”… Continue Reading →

Broken Record … brrp… Broken Record … brrp… Broken Record

Incentive design malpractice is rampant. I’ll say it again since it is worth repeating. Incentive design malpractice is rampant. It’s easy to spot. Simply look at the way people earn commissions or award points, etc. If 100% of the criteria… Continue Reading →

The 3 Things I INSIST Be In EVERY Incentive Program

I saw the term “non-negotiables” on my Twitter feed today. The context was the current state of working in America has broken some of the things just a few months ago were “non-negotiable.” Working from home, applying for a job… Continue Reading →

3 NON-Award Ways to Drive Participant Engagement

I have yet to meet a client who doesn’t want more audience engagement with their marketing, training, and incentive programs. Even if the data said they were getting 100% engagement my clients would still ask, “Can’t you get more?” The… Continue Reading →

Does Your Incentive Audience Have Behavioral Memory?

What is Behavioral Memory? Something I just made up. I think. I typically google any subject I am going to post about to one – make sure I didn’t post on this topic before (after 16 years of blogging you… Continue Reading →

2020 Goal Setting – Yeah… Right

I’m sure you laughed when you read that. Heck, I laughed when I wrote it. Think back to the end of 2019. There you are in a conference room or your office (remember those?) reviewing historic sales figures, thinking through… Continue Reading →

Audaces Fortuna Iuvat

I know the pandemic has added a level of caution to any decision on marketing investments. Know that it isn’t “just you” – we are seeing the same reticence with other clients too. Not ideal for anyone but totally understandable…. Continue Reading →

PIVOT!!! PIVOT!!!

Readers of a certain age will immediately recognize that headline. It’s from the long-running sitcom Friends. For those who are scratching their heads, Ross, one of the characters in the group of 6 “friends” buys a couch and decides to… Continue Reading →

You’re More Tired NOT Going to Work – Why?

I’ve been holding off on posting since the world slowed down a few weeks ago even though I’m told content is king and if I stop posting I immediately become irrelevant. At least that’s what the gurus say. But I… Continue Reading →

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