What follows, after the first comment on recognition, are additional ideas plus some ways to build on the “recognition factor”:

Recognition of any form is great and works wonders. You can give recognition in a one-on-one meeting, in a group/dept. meeting or at an all-staff meeting. Certificates and plaques for outstanding work distributed in front of peers at a meeting can be very powerful.

Since everyone is different it’s really best to ask people how they like to be motivated or rewarded. Some people thrive on recognition. Others would prefer time off to monetary bonuses. Find out what works for that individual and do it.

Show the people you work with that you’re paying attention and that you care. Listen to them, celebrate and recognize their victories, train them and give guidance to help them become the best they can be. When the boss demonstrates that she’s committed to working with you toward achieving your goals, it’s a strong motivator.

Give them an unexpected day off in return for a job well done.

Allow them to work from home for a day or two. Some people love this.

Tell their parents (if you know the person receiving recognition likes that kind of thing) what a great job they’re doing (letter to them if they’ve done something extraordinary - won salesperson of the month/year, broken all time record for ...etc.).
E-mail the CEO and Division President and CC the person on it.

When they’re on vacation at a hotel, send a basket of something great to their room. Although that requires some cash, it’s much less than a cash bonus award.

Set up a lunch with your employee and the president of the division or at least a meeting that the president wouldn’t otherwise attend; their dept mtg, etc.

Involve them in some way with another part of the radio station.

Have them handle something for you that you would normally handle, but gives them the experience.

Remember what they’re working toward in their personal lives and get updates on it; congratulate them on their personal goals met, etc.

Nearly everyone wants privilege. Whether it’s front row tickets and post-concert party passes to a big event or a small group lunch/dinner with a high level celebrity, anything that money really can’t buy has appeal to sellers. It could easily include having the winners be mentored by a high level person in the company.

Put them in charge of a committee.
Opportunity is a good motivator. As employees grow, it’s great to reward them with a chance to show what they can do. Many will relish the challenge.

If you have access to prizes, plaques, trips to local resorts through trade, then use those as well. Concert tickets and sports tickets are always good as long as it is a high demand ticket.

Different sellers are motivated by different stimuli. Some only react to money. Give them bonus programs. Some react primarily to recognition and personal appreciation. Give them plaques, publicity and applause in front of company higher-ups. Others are just competitors—they love the thrill of winning and everything else is secondary. Give them contests and publish the results. Know which ones are which and tailor their packages accordingly.

Find out the favorite music artists or film actors or television programs that members of your staff like. Then, when tickets to a concert or a TV taping or a movie screening are available, get those perks into the hands of those who would really appreciate them (and who you want to thank for a job well done). People will want to work harder because they knew they are appreciated.

Offer a “time off” surprise such as: take the rest of the day off and start your weekend early because I appreciate the extra hours you have been putting in, or why don’t you come in about 10 am tomorrow instead of 8 am…sleep in, you deserve it.

Devise an incentive program called “Time and Money” where the account executives could redeem ‘points’ accrued for various activities and sales levels achieved for either cash OR additional time off in half-day increments. The option of more time off may appeal to the senior staff.

Close up the office early on a Friday afternoon, take the staff out for a beer or two and send them home early for the weekend.

Real motivation has to come from an on-going habit of including people in the decision- making process. From “fun” decisions (changing the office “look”) to large purchases and policy changes, getting employee input also gets early buy-in and a desire on their part to make sure everything works out the right way.

After you’ve gone through the wars together—a particularly tough stretch of time—get your employees $100 gift cards to Banana Republic, the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, etc. Sometimes an American Express certificate so they can spend it however they’d like. Again, although cash is required, the amount is much less than cash bonus awards.

Pay for special training or college courses.

Trade for daycare, maid service, furniture or carpeting. Other obvious stuff like dinner and limo or VIP seating at concerts. The best non-cash incentives are chosen by the individual from a “shopping list” of ideas. This makes the incentive tailor made to the individual’s needs. Works great.

We close this month’s Success Tips with comments from an insightful book titled, “From Good to Great” by Jim Collins. The book tracks twelve successful companies who were able to turn themselves around (from under-performers) and sustain superior performance for FIFTEEN years.
They found that “motivation” was not directly tied to incentives/compensation. They found that HIRING THE BEST PEOPLE was most important, because the right people didn’t need “motivational” devices. The same way a champion athlete is often the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, the best employees had internal drives that kept them motivated, regardless of external devices (recognition, days off). The book says:
“...compensation and incentives are important but for very different reasons...the purpose of a compensation system should not be to get the right behavior from the wrong people, but to get the right people on the bus in the first place, and to keep them there.”
“In a good-to-great transformation, people are not your most important asset, the RIGHT people are.”
“(You can’t) turn lazy people into hard workers, but you can create an environment where hard-working people would thrive and lazy ones would either jump or get thrown right off the bus.”
Perhaps the Big Picture lesson here is: if you find yourself constantly needing short-term motivational tools, the problem is with your work environment or your personnel. The solution is not more/different rewards but a change in people or the way they work.