When most people think of what equates to a good display of "recognition" in sales and recruitment, the word that jumps to mind is “money”. Being paid well for good work is certainly motivational, as it enables individuals to better their personal lives. But is it the best way? And why does it matter?
Perfecting the art of recognition is crucial for fuelling motivation, which in turn, is a critical component of both individual and team-wide productivity.
An ingrained culture of recognition is also fundamental to long-term staff retention - for both sales team and recruitment agencies, and ensures that motivation isn't just reliant on external factors, but internal drive too.
So, the question:
Is It All About The Money?
Apparently not! In a survey conducted by Make Their Day, 70% of workers surveyed reported that their most meaningful moment of recognition had no monetary value. This comes as a surprise to many, and for good reason (as mentioned above).
However, non-financial means of recognition have a greater impact on a person’s “emotional motivation”. Such actions include:
- A simple “well done” from a higher up.
- Being taken for lunch/another experience as a sign of a thank you
- An email being sent around a team or the whole company appreciating their achievement etc.
We know that non-monetary recognition is a good thing. But is it better to do it in public, or private?
Private Recognition:
This is the kind of appreciation given 1-to-1 or behind closed doors. It could be a direct email, a sincere “well done” in a 1-to-1, or a bonus to an individual for a job well done.
| Pros of Private recognition | Cons of Private recognition |
| More personal and individualised. | Lack of visibility and peer appreciation. |
| More confidential and sensitive. | Potential for inconsistency and misconceptions of favouritism. |
| Targeted feedback and focused development. | Limited impact on wider team morale and motivation. |
| Builds 1-to-1 trust and rapport. | Missed learning opportunities for the wider team |
Public Recognition:
Any recognition given that is visible to an organisation is classed as public recognition. Team-wide emails are very common in sales environments but other things like deal bells and team lunches fall into this category too.
| Pros of Public recognition | Cons of Public recognition |
| Increased morale and motivation boost for the wider team. | Introverts may prefer private recognition. |
| Positive reinforcement of desired behaviours. | Risk of over-focusing on performance metrics. |
| Improved teamwork and collaboration. | Greater care must be taken to ensure recognition comes across as sincere. |
| Creates healthy competition when done correctly and a healthy work culture is already in place. | Can foster unhealthy competition and resentment if a workplace environment / culture is already unhealthy. |
Which to use?
It depends entirely on your objective. Public recognition is great for culture development and letting public appreciation ripple throughout the business. Private is great for more focused, direct recognition. People respond in different ways to different motivators and there’s no one size fits all – experiment and measure!
Ideas for Sales and Recruitment Teams
As former games developers, we’re huge advocates of real-time recognition. “Do action, get recognition, feel good” is the feedback loop video games live on.
If step 2 – the recognition – is too far detached from the action, the strength of step 3 is massively diminished.
If step 2 – the recognition – is too far detached from the action, the strength of step 3 is massively diminished.
Find a way to get recognition as instant as possible. You could do this by:
- Implementing a real-time email system to send an email around the team when a deal is won on your CRM - or any other form of communication channel.
- Using a solution such as OneUp Sales to push celebrations onto TVs and emails automatically.
- Sharing team members' successes on social media channels.
- Giving handwritten thank-you notes to employees who have gone above and beyond. A small gesture with a personal touch can go a long way.
- Holding daily “happy hours” where the team celebrates their successes as a collective.
- Rewarding team-members with flexibility and time off - it could range from an hour off the clock the following Monday, to an extra day or two of annual leave - be generous!
- Having a range of small "instant rewards" ready to hand out at all times - gift cards, vouchers, tickets to movies or upcoming events, or if you're feeling generous, the keys to a brand new Porsche. (No?)
- Going old-school with trophies and plaques - it may seem a bit cheesy and childish, but everyone wants bragging rights for "best recruiter" or "best salesperson".
- Write personalised recommendations on LinkedIn or endorse skills that they have excelled in at your organisation. The (very) public recognition in this way would certainly be very appreciated, and shows that you value their contributions beyond the confines of your company.
- Spontaneously gathering the team together for impromptu celebrations for certain milestones - who doesn't love a bit of cake at lunch time?
The list can be somewhat endless if you're creative enough - so get thinking! What are your favourite ways to recognise your team members? Be sure to let us know.
OneUp Sales - building high performance sales teams by increasing productivity, retaining talent, and empowering management across your organisation.
Learn more about our platform and explore what it could do for you.
