SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006

FEATURESTORY

The Money Trap

Research released within the past year continues to support the widely held belief that people who earn enough income to cover basic needs are happier than those who don't. Beyond that minimum level, however, those who are much richer aren't necessarily much happier.

Among other things, the report studied government data detailing how folks divvy up their waking hours. They found that people with higher incomes tend to spend more time working, commuting and engaging in obligatory non-work activities such as home maintenance. All of these are associated with lower happiness...

You Can’t Trust People To Treat Themselves

Good managers are great listeners, but when it comes to creating incentive programs, it may pay to tune out your sales team. That's because many salespeople promise to bust their humps for cash bonuses, only to leave managers wondering what went wrong when more than half repeatedly fall short...
 

PUBLISHER'SNOTE

Cash Kills  **

Wisdom and insight from our Publisher, Mike Murrell...

SCRATCHPAD

Stemming the Brain Drain  **

Knowledge loss resulting from employee turnover has become a critical issue in the business world. Managers at forward-thinking companies recognize that critical knowledge loss is not simply what the departing employees know about their job tasks, but also who they know and who they collaborate with...

What To Leave In and What To Leave Out  **

Managing sales knowledge in an organization requires three distinct but overlapping functions plus processes and tools for maintaining and refreshing the knowledge base over time...

Integrity as a Sales Strategy  **

Are your salespeople trustworthy? Do they sell integrity as added value? Customers often are willing to pay more for something if they can buy it with less risk...

Sales Management: It’s Not for Milquetoasts  **

Sales managers at mid-sized companies often are reluctant to recruit new reps from larger competitors because they either don’t like their chances or they fear retribution from the bigger company. If you’re in that camp, it’s time for you to drop your recruiting pacifism...

Power Picnics  **

As corporate excesses continue to come under the microscope, one of the business world’s most enduring traditions – the company picnic – is increasingly doing double duty as corporate brainstorming sessions or strategy planning meetings...
 

SALESU

Fear Factor! - Coach Your Salespeople Out of Their Comfort Zone

Does it feel like sales were soaring just yesterday, but now it’s a struggle to even make the numbers? Are your client lists stagnant, with just enough additions to keep pace with the defections? Are your dedicated customers buying less – and less often – than they used to? Placing blame for this all-too common situation is easy...
 

INCENTIVEPRODUCTS

Incentive Product Focus: Holiday Business Gifts

Holiday Business Gifts continue to be a great way to build your business relationships, but you have to be creative to get noticed. This selection of new products will get you started.  (PDF document.  Requires free Adobe Reader)

Incentive Alley  **

A fresh collection of new ideas for motivating your sales team. Check out these incentives...
 

SPECIALFOCUS

The Incentive Gift Card Directory  (PDF document.  Requires free Adobe Reader)

The Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC) is a strategic industry group within Incentive Marketing Association, created to provide an awareness of gift cards as a viable option for use in premium and incentive programs. Member companies are the elite among retail, catalog and performance improvement agencies, offering cards/certificates that can be redeemed for merchandise, travel, food, accommodations and services. This directory is a service to SalesForceXP readers who use - or are interested in using -  gift cards as employee or customer incentives...
 

COACHES'CORNER

Pitching Woo  **

Every sale is a kind of seduction. As marketers, we make introductions, pursue courtships, and hope for consummation – the sale. And as in any love affair, we know that reason plays a subordinate role to emotion. Logical arguments are insufficient; to win a portion of our prospects’ bank accounts, we must win their hearts first...
 

SFXPADVERTISERS

Visit http://www.SalesForceXP.com/AdIndex for more information from this issue's advertisers!
 

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