Your incentive programs suck. 

Amazon Gift cards, AirPods, or Yeti Coolers mean nothing. 

They aren't inspiring the behaviors you're envisioning: 

- Consistently exceeding outbound KPIs 

- Consistently hitting stretch goals for C/W revenue

Cheap gifts for business critical outcomes always fall flat. 

Whether they're handed out at President's Club or a weekly all hands. 

I've learned this the hard way over-and-over. 

After 20 years in tech sales as an IC, manager, director, and now VP. 

I've seen that you can't expect your reps to climb a mountain. 

Then reward their blood, sweat, and tears with the bare minimum.

There's a better way. 

The highest performing revenue orgs know this. 

So they honor exceptional effort + achievement differently. 

Here’s what I mean. 

In 2010, I was the #1 global sales rep for Forrester Research (NYSE: FORR). 

At President's Club in Aruba. 

Guess what my Global Sales VP recognized my performance with...

A coconut monkey holding a phone. 

That he probably bought at the airport for $5. 

My other corporate trophies for outstanding contributions to "the business"? 

Long gone. 

I've kept the coconut monkey though. 

Because it’s a hilarious reminder. 

Of how most leaders think about their sales incentive programs. 

The saddest part is. 

I know I'm not alone. 

There are thousands of top performing sales reps who say the same thing. 

They've secured millions of dollars of new revenue for their orgs. 

And have laughable trinkets for their herculean efforts. 

Why am I not hearing different stories? 

Why aren't top global reps showing me prized possessions?

Like a custom engraved Omega or Cartier watch. 

My points is. 

It’s time for sales leaders and their execs assigning them the budget to step up. 

Reward high achievers with more thought and creativity. 

You’ll be shocked how much this impacts individual behavior. 

And sends the right kind of message across your entire sales function. 

Drop a comment on the BEST piece of recognition you’ve earned.