Have you ever solved a problem bigger than your wallet with your imagination? Well, here’s a story that I hope you will learn a lot from! The Situation
My client Andrea (I have permission to use her real name) hired a young hotshot assistant for her ad agency. He was short on experience but had tons of potential and initiative. As bonus points, he was an Apple store employee and a tech wiz. What’s the problem you ask? Andrea wanted to make sure that he loved her as much as she loved him. Something else she wanted was to challenge and stretch him to grow.
The Bait
Knowing something that a lot of HR managers for much bigger companies still don’t know, Andrea knew that the run of the mill incentives wouldn’t impress this hotshot. What this rising star wanted was something that he and his techy friends dreamed about since they were in pullups…and that was a ticket to the e3 expo, “the world’s premier trade show for computer and video games and related products” according to their website.
Promises Promises
Andrea was stumped. The whole trip would cost her thousands of dollars. She simply didn’t have this in her budget. Even so, she set her rising star a challenge in exchange for the promise of sending him to the expo. She asked him to double their leads online. The trip was his if he could achieve this by the next 6 months.
Dead End?
Dismayed at such an impossible chore, our rising star got his first true lesson, which in my mind was more valuable than the e3 ticket…Andrea told him that EVERYTHING was possible. So, he believed her and started working hard. He’s almost at his goal, way before his deadline.
Now Andrea was on the hook for this mucho expensive incentive.
Calling In Favours
Andrea racked her brain and contacted family members she hadn’t spoken to in years and somehow, miraculously got a ticket and used her saved points and other favours and cashed it all in for one snazzy trip for her beloved employee.
What’s In This For You?
As a small business owner, you too are probably limited by budgets. You too want to motivate your clients, employees and partners to work harder. Learn from my amazing client Andrea and her nimble mind in how she used her imagination to fill the gap of her wallet.
What problem are you going to solve with your imagination next?
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