Prescription for Performance

Prescription for Performance

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ome of the top performance improvement companies in the United States tackle a range of challenges that can keep a company and its employees from reaching their full potential. Business improves when

employees and customers are recognized, rewarded, and engaged through effectively structured programs with defined goals and proven returns. The Incentive

Fall 2010

Marketing Association (IMA) provides education, resources and research to promote the use of incentive programs to the business community.

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Customer Care News

There is no single secret to motivating employees to sell,

and Incentive Solutions.” Carlton Group is a full-service per-

proceed on a broad front, with motivational programs, realistic

recognition, e-learning, promotion and sales force automation

take care of customers, and generally sell. Companies have to goal setting, training, coaching, communication and more.

Managers are rarely skilled in all these approaches, so it may be

a good idea for them to turn to specialists for help. The companies below provide solutions based on a client’s specific “people performance” challenge. Whereas many incentive-fulfillment

companies focus solely on providing merchandise and travel incentives, these performance-improvement companies are committed to addressing a client’s overall performance issues.

They do this by:

• Under sta nd ing you r business before ma k ing

formance improvement company specializing in incentive and programs. They have revolutionized the incentive industry

by introducing the world’s first “On-Demand Recognition & Incentive Solution,” Power2Motivate®. By continuously evolving

the platform, this leading-edge method of delivering software through the Internet allows for low entry costs and rapid deploy-

ment, while providing the versatility to configure solutions to meet specific business requirements. Contact: Robert Purdy,

905-477-3791; rpurdy@carlton.ca; www.carlton.ca Headquarters: Ontario, Canada

Dittman Incentive Marketing is a creative quality leader

recommendations

in the field of incentives, motivation and performance improve-

specific time, using whatever combination of strategies

of the five most innovative incentive companies in the United

• Developing programs to achieve specific results in a makes sense for the situation

• Being able to organize a complete solution, integrating all of the elements in the most effective manner

Beyond that, each is distinguished by its experience with

different types of audiences and programs. Some, for example, place greater stress on consumer loyalty strategies, while others

focus on business-to-business solutions. At least one special-

ment. The company was named by a leading publication as one

States. An award-winning company with a 24-year history,

Dittman has a proven track record as a creator of original, one-

of-a-kind motivation and education programs targeted at endusers, distribution customers, direct salespeople and non-sales

employees, to achieve critical corporate goals. Contact: Jim

Dittman, 732-745-0600; jdittman@dittmanincentives.com; www. dittmanincentives.com Headquarters: New Brunswick, NJ

EGR International is a performance-improvement and

izes in offering fully integrated consumer and employee loyalty

meeting-management company serving Fortune 500 corpora-

The leading full-service incentive and performance-

and meeting-management efforts. For more than 30 years, EGR

services across an entire organization.

improvement companies have organized the Performance

Improvement Council (PIC) as part of IMA. The council’s purpose is to support research on incentive use, develop incentive education and training, and help enlighten corporate

America about the benefits of professionally structured incentive programs. Visit www.thepicnow.org to access a list of these organizations.

tions and their performance-improvement, loyalty-management has been recognized as one of the industry’s most innovative and

creative companies, pioneering the use of leading-edge technol-

ogy that provides tangible, real-time benefits to both its clientele and program participants. Contact: Ryan Bearbower, 212-949-

7330; rbearbower@egrinternational.com; www.egrinternational. com Headquarters: New York, NY

The Incentive Group provides loyalty-marketing programs

Anderson Performance Improvement Company is

that motivate employees, dealers and consumers to win mind

Together with its customers, its people plan and implement

grams provide 24/7 access for enrollment, attainment claiming,

the visionary leader in the performance improvement field.

creative, innovative solutions that accelerate its customers’ progress into the future. Anderson Performance Improvement

designs and implements behavior-based incentive and recognition programs that include analysis, measurement, communications, training, reinforcement and rewards. Contact:

Louise Anderson, CPIM, 651-438-9825; landerson@anderson-

share and market share. Their new web-based loyalty propoint-balance checking, an exciting rewards catalog with sort

features, reward ordering, and detail reports. Significant promotional and administrative cost savings are realized via the web.

Contact: Doug Press, 914-948-0904; dougp@incentivegroup.com; www.incentivegroup.com Headquarters: White Plains, NY

ITAGroup is a performance marketing company dedicated

performance.com; www.andersonperformance.com Headquarters:

to helping clients boost market share, increase sales and profit-

Carlton Group Limited’s corporate mission is to become

satisfaction through the application of custom-designed mar-

the world’s leading provider of “On-Demand Recognition

www.customercarenews.com

ability, improve employee performance, and increase customer

Fall 2010

Hastings, MN

keting programs. Their primary business purpose is to assist

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clients in becoming more successful by motivating people to

Maritz, LLC is the world’s largest source of integrated

action to improve performance and achieve measurable results.

performance-improvement, travel and marketing research

www.itagroup.com Headquarters: Des Moines, IA

performance of people critical to clients’ success. The

Contact: Beth Schelske, 515-326-3400; bschelske@itagroup.com; Madison Performance Group is a full-service perfor-

mance improvement company. Their people, processes, tools

and techniques are focused on the specific niche of web-based incentive companies. Madison is headquartered in New York

City but global in reach. Madison’s programs motivate participants worldwide. Their dedicated team of professionals subscribes to innovation, but focuses on daily execution. Madison

continues to help progressive companies do more with their incentive investment. Madison understands that in today’s

increasingly complex marketplace, one thing is clear: People

services,

specializing

in

helping

to

maximize

the

reward and recognition solutions of Maritz Incentives help

companies achieve their business goals by maximizing the potential of their employees and channel partners.

Assessment,

design,

communications,

administration,

analysis, project management and world-class award cards,

merchandise and travel card fulfillment enable Maritz

to tailor-make effective solutions for its clients. Contact: Jerry

Klein,

636-827-1402;

jerry.klein@maritz.com;

www.maritz.com Headquarters: Fenton, MO

Marketing Innovators International (MI), a full-

Performance always drives business results. Contact: Mike

service performance improvement company, is a leader in

com Headquarters: New York, NY

program development and administration, creative design,

the incentive industry. MI assists clients with customized

Fall 2010

Ryan, 201-934-4269; mryan@madisonpg.com; www.madisonpg.

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Customer Care News

program tracking/evaluation, meeting planning, incentive travel services, and customized information systems

for performance management. Products include gift certificates from 300-plus national merchants, award vouchers, debit cards, and merchandise. Multimodal redemption via phone, fax, mail or online. Contact: Rick Blabolil,

CPIM, 847-696-1111; rblabolil@marketinginnovators.com; www.marketinginnovators.com Headquarters: Rosemont, IL

MotivAction designs and executes strategic business solu-

tions that increase sales productivity and enhance employee

engagement. They are the most recognized and rewarded Performance Improvement Company in the industry based on achieving business results. MotivAction crafts and executes

strategic sales and marketing programs that get more from

your channel performance and customer retention investments.

Their client-tailored programs drive relevant and personalized experiences that motivate desired action in your employees,

partners and customers. Contact: Janet North, 763-412-3000;

jnorth@motivaction.com; www.motivaction.com Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN

Motivation Excellence offers complete incentive design,

travel and merchandise awards, communications, administration (including web-based) and ROI-oriented financial rationale. Their innovative, consultative development

USMotivation is one of the world’s leading people perfor-

and implementation focuses on exceeding client expecta-

mance management companies. Working with organizations

glewis@meiweb.com;

distributors, USMotivation’s programs increase bottom-line

tions. Contact: Gregory A. Lewis, president, 847-839-5555; Schaumburg, IL

www.meiweb.com

Headquarters:

O.C. Tanner’s global strategic recognition and incentive

programs align employees with corporate goals for long-term performance improvement. They are the winners of several

prestigious business awards and have served the world’s most

successful organizations for 80 years in 70 offices internation-

ally. Their company philosophy in short is: “Appreciation is our discipline, our art, our muse, and our practice. We are in the business of inspiring the best in each other. We are specialists

in appreciateology.” Contact: Michelle Smith, CPIM, 626796-5544; michelle.smith@octanner.com; www.octanner.com.

across all industries to motivate employees, customers and

results, recognize and retain talent, improve productivity and quality, advance sales channel performance, build loyalty, promote corporate goals, and more. Our business units cover

each major aspect of performance improvement, incentive applications and fulfillment, including incentive and award

systems, meetings and events, powerful interactive solutions, compelling communications, and promotional products and services.

Contact:

Michael

mruege@usmotivation.com;

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA CCN

Ruege,

770-290-4790;

www.usmotivation.com

Spear One manages customized sales incentive programs,

The Performance Improvement Council (PIC), a professional

— including group travel, channel marketing, recognition/

tively focused on helping companies optimize their investment

full-service meeting planning, and integrated promotions

sales kickoffs, road shows, conference training, registration/ product launches and campaigns. For more than 16 years,

they’ve partnered with Fortune 1000 clients to tailor innovative

Contact: Jeff Booher, 972-661-6070; jbooher@spearone.com; www.spearone.com.

www.customercarenews.com

in human capital through proven and innovative reward and

recognition solutions. The PIC is a strategic industry within the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA). IMA is comprised of

the companies that are leaders in the incentive industry. Contact

Fall 2010

incentive programs, effective meetings and clever promotions.

organization of performance marketing executives, is collec-

IMA at 630-369-7780 or online at www.incentivemarketing. org.

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