In order for business incentives to be effective they need to meet certain criteria and avoid certain pitfalls. Here are the dos and don’ts of planning successful business incentives:

• Do offer the incentives as a competition or drawing in order to get as much benefit from as many people as possible with as little money as possible.
• Don’t consider giving substantial incentives away without a reason.
• Do consider giving smaller incentives away periodically as well as in lieu of winning larger incentives. Coffee mugs with corporate logos are a great incentive for just about everyone!
• Don’t consider giving minor gifts as rewards for great actions. If Bob from the help desk saved the company $8,000 a month by helping set up a new VoIP calling system then giving him a mug as a reward is insulting.
• Do consider offering incentives to employees that find new ways to save money. Some companies do with the best incentive of all: a percentage of the savings for a set period of time.
• Don’t consider altering deals later just because of the bottom line. Trust is an important factor in any business relationship and it is nearly impossible to rebuild once seriously abused.
• Do consider different types of rewards for different types of employees, partners, suppliers, and so on. Incentives that work for employees probably won’t work well for suppliers.

As an event or meeting planner that works with a variety of clients, you are bound to come across some who are more difficult to please or with whom you simply have a personality conflict. This can be a frustrating experience for both you and the client, but handling these situations with style, class and grace will assist you in getting through the planning process and will help you keep your good name and reputation, regardless of your client’s behavior or demands.

The most important thing to remember is that communication is the key component in any business relationship and that conflicts often occur due to miscommunication or a breakdown in communication. Knowing this, you can often avoid problems by implementing appropriate, thorough communication right from the start. Of course, this will not always resolve issues immediately, but it can diffuse many sticky situations and, if nothing else, will ensure that you did your part in maintaining your professionalism and attempting to meet your client’s needs.

It is also important to remember that, as long as you are completing your responsibilities properly and in a timely fashion, you are holding up your end of the bargain and are maintaining your professional integrity. In order to help you get through the planning process without going crazy, it is also helpful to keep in mind that this is your business and you choose who you do business with. Once you get through this particular job, you can always choose to not work with this particular client in the future.

You worked hard for a client, and she seemed pleased. You have done several meetings for her, and all were a whopping success. You bent over backward, and didn’t make as much as you would have liked because you want loyalty. You have heard this client has a large international meeting to plan soon, and you start gearing up for the event of your life–but all of a sudden it doesn’t sound so good if you stick to the price structure you started out with. And guess what? If you don’t stick to it, you will lose the client.

In some ways there is no such thing as customer loyalty. Loyalty implies a steadfast business relationship that is built on trust. It suggests a duty that the client owes you in exchange for you doing what was expected of you, and maybe a little more. Is doing your job for a fair price enough of a reason for your client to “owe” you the next job? No. Your reputation is not enough–you have to offer a fair price on the next job and be ready to continue good service. This suggests commerce, not loyalty.

You may have some clients who are getting rock bottom prices. If you want to get to–and stay at–rock bottom profitability, you should probably keep them. However, if you want to do better you need clients who can afford to have you do a good job so that you can build a reputation for more than begin the local bargain basement meeting planner. So don’t expect loyalty in exchange for unreasonably low prices. Instead expect good wages for a job well done.