Engagement Strategies e-News - May 2010

Travel Incentives Boost Performance, Retention.
Engagement Event Returns $2 for Every Dollar Spent.
EEA Will Announce Engagement Certification Program at Expo.
Public-Private Partnership Aims to Integrate Engagement Efforts.
Forum Research Study Looks at People-First Leadership.
Good Recognition Takes Practice: A Guest Post from Steve Green, President of PollStream.
Collaboration: More than the Sum of its Parts.
At American Airlines, the People are the Process.
Whitepaper Connects Engagement with Economic Recovery.
About Selling Communications Inc.

News Briefs

Travel Incentives Boost Performance, Retention

Results from a recently conducted analysis of one company's long-standing use of travel awards as a motivational tool show that such incentives have a clear, measurable and positive impact on employee performance and retention. The Incentive Research Foundation conducted the study to document the "anatomy" of an incentive travel program (ITP) and provide a better understanding of the broad reach of a successful ITP. One key measurement of program success was its relationship to retention and performance. Examining the tenure and performance ratings of 105 employees who earned the incentive trip at the company, researchers found that the largest group had a performance rating of 1 (1 being the highest level of performance and 4 the lowest level of performance) and tenure of 4 years or more, while the second largest group had a performance rating of 2 and tenure of 4 years or more. Together, these two groups accounted for 55% of incentive travel earners, showing a very real correlation between incentives, longevity and quality – in other words, ITP participants tend to perform better and stay with the company longer than other employees. Overall, 88.5% of incentive travel earners had a performance level of 1 or 2 compared to 31.2% of the population of active critical employees with those same performance ratings. For a copy of the white paper, Anatomy of a Successful Incentive Travel Program, go to: @@http://www.TheIrf.org

[ return to top ]

Engagement Event Returns $2 for Every Dollar Spent

The Enterprise Engagement Alliance (EEA) recently announced that research measuring the return on investment (ROI) of an annual meeting of healthcare insurance brokers that stressed training, relationship-building and networking opportunities found the sponsoring company enjoyed a return of almost $2 for every $1 invested in the program. Initial results reported in March revealed that the program had a profound impact on the way brokers thought and felt about the company, its products and its people. Part 1 of the report, The 'ROI in Channel Partner' Conferences – A Case Study, noted that the annual gathering translated into higher sales, performance and engagement among those who attended. Part 2 of the report examines the actual change in sales of Allsante, Inc.* products among program participants, summarizing the ROI the company achieved from the event. EEA analysis of the methodologies and findings reveals that Allsante earned significant ROI from its annual event. "After all variables were accounted for, a highly credible and conservative estimate of 190% ROI was arrived at," says Allan Schweyer, Chairman of the EEA. "In other words, the company enjoyed a return of almost $2 for every $1 it invested in the first six months following the event, and our researchers say it's likely that the returns, if calculated after another six months have passed, will be even greater." Parts 1 and 2 of the study, The 'ROI in Channel Partner' Conferences – A Case Study, can be downloaded at @@http://www.enterpriseengagement.org/

The company in this report is referred to as "Allsante, Inc." at the firm's request, due to competitive reasons.

[ return to top ]

EEA Will Announce Engagement Certification Program at Expo

A new curriculum and certification program for the emerging field of Enterprise Engagement will be announced June 3-4 at the Enterprise Engagement Alliance Networking Expo & Conference at the Doral Arrowwood, Rye Brook, NY. The curriculum and certification initiative is being developed by the Enterprise Engagement Alliance, a coalition of organizations committed to improving financial results on an ongoing basis by fostering the sustained engagement of customers, channel partners, sales and non-sales employees, and vendors. The effort will be directed by an Advisory Board composed of management in all areas and levels of the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Claire Howells, Vice President of Engagement for Zions Bancorp, and Don Peppers, Partner, Peppers & Rogers Group, will serve as co-chairs of the Executive Advisory Board. The goals of the curriculum and certification are to provide individuals and organizations with the skills and framework essential to profiting from engagement over time. "The return-on-investment of Enterprise Engagement is based on understanding the inter-relationship of engagement across all audiences – internally and externally," says Allan Schweyer, EEA Chairman. The curriculum and certification program is designed to address the need for today's executives and managers to understand engagement both in terms of their personal leadership skills and their ability to integrate the elements critical to engagement: leadership, training, multi-platform communications, technology, rewards & recognition, incentive programs and more. Registration is complimentary for the morning plenary sessions at which this curriculum will be announced and for exhibits; the conference is $329 for two days. Register at @@http://www.eeaexpo.org/.

[ return to top ]

Public-Private Partnership Aims to Integrate Engagement Efforts

A recently announced partnership between TMGov.org, a portal serving the government sector, and the Enterprise Engagement Alliance (EEA) promises to facilitate the flow of research on the emerging field of Enterprise Engagement and increase economic efficiency and operational effectiveness among businesses and government agencies. The partnership will provide research and education both online and in print – via TMGov.org's digital magazine, Leadership Excellence in Government and EEA's quarterly print publication, Engagement Strategies Magazine, as well as through other media and events. The EEA and TMGov.org will also share research, content, education and outreach efforts in order to better integrate engagement into all sectors of the economy, including government agencies, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. TMGov.org and EEA portals and publications currently provide news, case studies, research, and how-to and reference information related to Enterprise Engagement. The two organizations will shortly launch a directory of Engagement vendors and forums through which private- and public-sector executives can share solutions. For more information on the new partnership, go to @@http://www.enterpriseengagement.org/government.

[ return to top ]

Forum Research Study Looks at People-First Leadership

A recent study from the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement takes a close look at issues of leadership from a people perspective. It asserts that the most important part of leadership embodies the primacy of people, particularly employees. In contrast to an industrial-era approach to leadership, a people-first framework best fits into the emerging information and service economy. Titled Leadership and the Importance of People in Organizations: Enriching Employees and Connecting People, the study draws on a constituent-based approach to leadership that balances the needs of multiple constituents – employees, consumers, shareholders, and the community at large – to ensure that the needs of each constituency are met. It also uses the more traditional framing of leadership with respect to organizational vision and the alignment of competing interests. At the heart of the study is a focus on employee enrichment, and advancing the overall quality of employees' lives. It also provides recommendations for implementing people-centered leadership, including the need for employee insight, empowerment, connectivity, people-based organizational structures, and the measurement of employee well-being. For more information on the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, visit its website at @@http://www.performanceforum.org.

[ return to top ]

Insights from ESM e-News

Good Recognition Takes Practice: A Guest Post from Steve Green, President of PollStream

The following is a guest post on the EEA blog from Steven Green, President of PollStream, a Toronto-based company that develops and delivers engagement and community-building solutions to help leaders tap into Social Capital:

"Recognition improves as the people giving recognition improve." I like this kind of wisdom – it forces me to swirl the words around my mouth a few times before the full flavor and meaning become clear. Roy believes that giving good recognition takes practice – it is not simply a matter of saying good job or telling a person they have received a raise. Yes, these are great moments, but there are ways to finesse the moment to make it last longer and burn brighter. One concrete example that Roy provided had to do with communicating a promotion. His idea is to present a letter to the employee detailing why the person has been promoted – outlining the characteristics, behaviours and achievements that resulted in the promotion. If I had received such a letter from my managers at the time of my past promotions, I can assure you that the letter would have been AS impactful as the promotion itself. Getting the job is great for sure, but we all know that someone has to fill it. But… by sharing your thoughts about why you believe I am the person for the job is a deeper and far more special form of recognition.

To read more blog postings on Engagement, go to: @@http://www.enterpriseengagement.org/blog/

[ return to top ]

In The Next Issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine

The June/July issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine will be in your mailbox soon! Here's a preview of what you'll find inside:

Collaboration: More than the Sum of its Parts

A pair of articles examines this critical building block of engagement from two different perspectives. The first, Internal Collaboration: Why Partnering Works, by Rodd Wagner and Gale Muller, Ph.D., notes that great partnerships don't just happen. Whether your joint mission is to build a great company, coach a team, improve the government, do something spectacular for a charity, or any other worthy goal, all successful partnerships share the same crucial ingredients. The second article, External Collaboration: When You Can't Do It All, looks at some of the companies in the engagement marketplace that have successfully used collaboration to expand their reach through alliances and partnerships. To make sure you get your copy of Engagement Strategies Magazine, go to @@http://www.enterpriseengagement.org/account/login/ and update your subscription today!

[ return to top ]

At American Airlines, the People are the Process

Sue Gordon has been with American Airlines for over 20 years. As a result of her vast and varied experience, she not only knows American Airlines and the American Way very well, she also understands very clearly how the company's internal communications and branding efforts work to promote employee engagement and employee retention, while at the same time contributing to a more positive customer experience. In other words, she's seen it all – what works and what doesn't. "From 2001 to today, our industry has essentially been in turmoil," she says. "But we found the most traction by involving employees in the business. This is where we've seen the greatest process improvements and the greatest cost savings. It's where we get our best ideas and the greatest amount of buy-in, by involving our employees from soup to nuts in the process." Read more in the next issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine – coming soon.

[ return to top ]

News From Selling Communications Inc.

Whitepaper Connects Engagement with Economic Recovery

One of the greatest opportunities to increase corporate profits – and subsequently boost the economy – lies in motivating workforces to improve performance, drive greater customer engagement and ultimately increase revenue, according to a new report from the Enterprise Engagement Alliance (EEA) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI). The Enterprise Engagement Alliance is a coalition of companies and associations dedicated to promoting the importance of engagement, founded last year by the Human Capital Institute, Peppers & Rogers Group, 1to1® Media and Selling Communications, Inc. Entitled The Economics of Engagement, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of research in the field of Enterprise Engagement and offers how-to information on benchmarking tools that can quantitatively measure the benefits of employee and customer engagement. These measurement tools are critical to demonstrate the bottom-line impact of enterprise engagement, both to corporations and to the economy as a whole, using financial language that senior executives, investors and economists are accustomed to. "One of the most encouraging findings of this report is the revelation that vast reserves of overall performance potential are essentially hiding in plain sight," says Bruce Bolger of the Enterprise Engagement Alliance. "Engaging the people that companies deal with on a day-to-day basis – both internally and externally – in a comprehensive, compelling and connected way will create a result that is more than just the sum of its parts. Naturally, as with any such investment, the return needs to be demonstrated to decision makers, and there's a growing body of evidence in the engagement arena that does just that." Get your copy of the report >>

[ return to top ]

About Selling Communications Inc.

Selling Communications, Inc. is a fully integrated, target marketing, media and technology agency that improves results for clients by focusing on the people who matter most. We can help your business grow and save you money by targeting key prospects, getting their permission and strategically integrating your marketing and sales communications with the specific audiences most likely to affect your business performance.

Take advantage of these SCI services to improve your business development: