• Personalize the item
When you inscribe their names on the merchandise, recipients feel "this item is meant for me."
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• Avoid one-size-fits-all approaches
Omnibus merchandise can't appeal to everyone. When possible, offer choices and make sure the item isn't something the recipients might routinely by for themselves.
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• Back the program with promotion
Incentive contests, for example, have a beginning, a middle and an ending. Start off with a kick-off meeting to explain the rules, preview the rewards and excite the troops. During the course of the contest, update your employees on how they're doing and show what a litle extra effort might mean. And when the rewards are announced and presented, do so publicly; publicize examples of how the winners are enjoying their rewards. It gets others to think "Next year it'll be me."
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• Keep the momentum rolling
After a few weeks into long-term programs such as incentive contests, interest tends to wane. Think about having periodic "sprints" - contests within a contest - to keep your audience focused and enthusiastic.
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• Consider what the gift or reward says about your company
Poor quality is not a statement you want the merchandise to make. Likewise, an item imported from a third-world country might not sit well with a union workforce.
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• Focus on the objective
Don't be sidetracked by choosing products just because they're "cute," they coincide with a current fad, or because you can get them "on deal."
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• Show appreciation
The gift alone doesn't do it. Include a note, signed by the president: "We had a great year. Without friends like you, it wouldn't have happened - and we know it!"
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