Organizations devote considerable time and resources designing sales incentive plans that drive strategic business results. So, it's critical they also take steps to ensure a successful plan rollout. The key to an effective rollout is a change management program with a robust communications component. Our research shows that companies that are highly effective at both communications and change management are more than twice as likely to outperform their peers as companies that are not highly effective in either area.
Engage stakeholders early
Driving desired sales behaviors starts with identifying and engaging stakeholders within the organization who can be champions, influencers and advocates for the sales incentive program. So whether you are introducing a completely new program or a modestly revamped one, take time to plan how you will communicate to plan participants and engage key stakeholders early to ensure they support the program and commit to championing it.
Once these stakeholders understand how the incentive plans will work, they can help identify potential barriers to program success and offer ideas for overcoming those barriers. Stakeholder input can also help shape campaign messaging as you map out communications tactics throughout implementation.
Successful sales incentive plan communications is an ongoing process, not a one-off event. With the support of engaged stakeholders, the three-phased communications approach can help improve your employees' understanding of the plan and motivate them to achieve or surpass their sales targets.
View the full article to learn more about the three-phased communications approach.
This article was originally published by WorldatWork’s Sales Compensation Focus, September 2017.
