Customer Relations

Generating Sales Through a SPIFF Program

July 19, 2013 By Jan Triplett 3 Comments

Are SPIFF Incentives a sign for hard times or for all times? Photo by Simon Blackley.

Can SPIFFS generate sales? Yes, but. They may be somewhat questionable ethically since it can appear to a potential customer that a salesperson is unbiased in their recommendation when they really are not.

SPIFF or SPIF or SPIV refers to the practice of paying a small, immediate bonus for a sale to a salesperson. It’s a way to encourage a salesperson to push one product more often than a non-SPIFF paid product. It’s usually paid to the employee by the manufacturer whose products are recommended or by their employer. [Read more…]

7 Ways Conflict is Good for Business

March 29, 2013 By Jan Triplett Leave a Comment

Positive Conflict™ requires thinking outside the box. Illustration by Mamadob.

Conflict is valuable in the workplace. In fact, it’s actually good for business.

You might not have thought of it as being positive but it can be when people use care with each other and stakeholders. They also have to put something like the BSC’s Fight Fair™ strategy in place.

I just had the opportunity to spend two days working with the staff of an Inc 5000 company on improving their communication. This is a high quality small business but staff members and the owner wanted to make sure they were dealing effectively with the internal and external conflicts that come up in every business. [Read more…]

6 Ways to Improve Everyone’s Online Coupon Experience

January 2, 2013 By Jan Triplett Leave a Comment

Online Coupons: Making them work for everyone.

Can you and the merchant have a better online coupon experience? Yes, if everyone does their part. You have as important a role to play as they do in making this a win-win situation.

This is the second post. The first post, Forever Coupons, was written to make sure everyone knew that online coupons were really gift certificates. They have a lifetime (or more than a lifetime) expiration date.

There are at least six things as a consumer you can you do to make the most of your online coupon experience and purchase. [Read more…]

Online Coupons Are “Good Forever” Daily Deals

December 3, 2011 By Jan Triplett Leave a Comment

Online coupons really are forever — or at least five years.

Have you been tempted to buy online coupons, called “daily deals”? They are offered for spa treatments, restaurants, “boot camps”, hair salons or any one of a huge variety of other tantalizing things for half price or more. Maybe you bought one but didn’t use it. Maybe you threw it away because you thought it expired.

Good news. [Read more…]