February 2019

Workplace engagement starts and ends with strong management, as our cover story in this issue makes clear. “I have yet to come across an engaged and productive team that lacked an equally engaged leader,” commented one respondent to our query about what leads to workplace engagement.

Jeffrey Gitomer wants every sales professional to spend three months selling in New York City and tell him how that works out.

Making memories is what on-site gifting experiences are all about, but you want those memories to be good ones. These tips can help make that happen.

Rachel Hershenberg, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, spoke with marketing strategist Leigh Long about “the intersection of emotions and experience” for Marketing Resource Directory. Hershenberg’s thoughts on the two types of shared experiences are pertinent to those who plan incentive travel and off-site meetings.

As I prepare for my twin boys’ 2nd bday party tomorrow (OMG. Where did my little babies go!?), I find myself putting off wrapping their presents until the last minute. I refuse to just throw their gifts into bags and throw some tissue paper on top and call it a day. Where’s the fun for them in opening that? So the wrapping will get done today. Eventually.

Companies turn to gifting experiences to enhance the memorability of offsite meetings and incentive trips

Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden, authors of “Contented Cows Give Better Milk,” proselytize about the importance of managing for a happy workforce. Their concept of “sitting on the footlocker” encourages managers to interact with employees at all levels regularly and get to know them as people. Catlette and Hadden say every manager should know the answers to these 11 questions for everyone they manage.

The consulting team at EcSell Institute identified five concrete and specific interactions that managers should consistently carry out that promote greater sales performance by the members of their sales team. Their findings, presented in a white paper that is available under the resources tab at ecsellinstitute.com, are based on over 80,000 coaching interactions from sales manager to sales person.

Employee engagement — the level of emotional connectedness to one’s job and employer — has been shown to be related to positive business outcomes (increased profitability, reduced staff turnover, improved customer service ratings).

According to Gallup, improving employee engagement strongly impacts the overall well-being of your business. Employee engagement was found to have the following effects: