Awards and Rewards Can Make All the Difference

Anyone who shops online can tell you that they didn’t base their purchase entirely on a product’s description, photo or even brand name. Lots of Internet-based businesses have discovered that customers appreciate hearing what other customers think of products before they hit the electronic checkout. Which really makes you wonder - why can’t we do the same in person?

It’s no stretch of the imagination that a customer will look at your inventory in terms of saving money, renting the cheapest product they can get their project done with. And customers certainly can interpret the recommendations from you and your staff as sales pitches intended to get them to spend more. A testimonial from another customer, however, is a hard thing to ignore.

Even an informal, “What did you think of the product?” will give you something useful to tell future customers - and to know for yourself. “I wish I’d gotten the more powerful unit.” “This model worked fast!” “It wasn’t the right tool for my project.”

All reviews – good and bad – can be helpful. Don’t be afraid of telling a customer what others think of the product they’re looking to rent. Happy customers come back, so it’s better for them to know the limitations or outstanding features of a product before renting than for them to learn on their own.

There’s also no reason you can’t do your own “customers’ choice awards” with this information, too. If you have a product which routinely comes back with rave reviews, put it on a pedestal with a big “customers’ choice” sticker and to recommend it to customers on the phone.

In addition to what customers think of your inventory, make sure to find out what they think of your company. Whether good or bad, knowing what people think of your business and your employees can be extremely valuable. That knowledge, paired with individual performance records, is a great place to work with your employees.

Be sure to give enough verbal positive reinforcement. Even if you have a program to reward employees in place, the occasional, “nice job” goes a long way. Use far more positive reinforcement than corrections.

Remember that recognizing an employee for going above and beyond the call of duty is much more than the issue of increasing compensation – it could be a question of the employee desperately wanting a new set of duties and responsibilities.

Also, don’t discount the importance of an enhanced job title to those deserving one. We all have egos – and even humble and deserving people often have this need go unfulfilled.

We all need recognition and rewards. We are all striving to do the best we can in our fields. Few of those who read this publication are doing so because they are satisfied with the status quo. I’d bet that many of you are reading this after hours. You aren’t a clock puncher. You are looking for ways to grow and become great through reading about products, services and ideas.

Remember the “major award” (a unique lamp) earned by Ralphie’s father in the movie “The Christmas Story”? Sometimes it doesn’t matter what form the award takes – it is a work of art, beautiful and tremendously meaningful to the recipient.

In addition to presenting awards for products and rewarding your staff, it is so important to reward deserving suppliers with the lion’s share of your purchases. Some suppliers are indeed partners in your mutual success.

Finally, many of you are truly deserving of grand awards for bravery and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds during the past few years. It seems like I know all of you and it also seems all of you deserve an award for your great humor in what can be a pretty stressful business at times.