Incenting Sales to Share References
It's time to get your reference and success story pipeline and processes in place to support all your efforts this year. As you plan your activities, it's important to establish effective strategies for capturing leads from sales.
Sales reps work hard to secure business, and can be protective of those relationships. So, at every opportunity, ensure reps that you will handle their customers with kid gloves.
What motivates sales? Cash, of course. But there are effective ways to reward reps without burdening your budget. Here are some ideas in use at leading, global companies:
- Reward the top provider(s) of reference customers with a gift card, sports tickets or something coveted like an iPod Nano.
- Hold a contest where reps receive one "ticket" for every name that becomes a reference or success story. At the end of a specified period, draw from among those tickets and award the lucky rep.
- Recognize your heroes formally. For example, honor the top three most active reference providers in some way at your annual sales conference.
Just make sure that you reward sales for quality leads—customers that actually participate—rather than just for names that may or may not pan out.