Reward Consultants for Hitting Targets

As recruitment is a sales industry, recruitment consultants tend to be motivated by targets and money. Of course, there are some exceptions to the rule, but as a recruitment agency owner you need to understand that you have to reward your consultants. Plenty of agencies offer excellent rewards to their consultants, so you need to be competitive. Don’t forget that the more placements your consultants make, the more money you earn, so keep them happy and you will benefit too!

There are a number of different ways to reward your consultants, not all of which are about hard cash. Indeed, it is important to check with your accountant what the official picture is regarding giving rewards, bonuses and benefits in kind to your consultants or you could find yourself falling foul of the law.

Financial Rewards

You can offer your consultants a financial reward on top of their commission when they reach (or beat) a particularly tricky target. This is especially well received around Christmas, or just before summer holidays. Do check with your accountant first.

Gifts and Incentives

Try to tailor your gifts and incentives to each consultant, or think of a general incentive that will serve as a motivation to all your employees – these tend to be weekend breaks, vouchers for stores such as Selfridges or Debenhams or tickets for a Michelin starred restaurant.

You could give all your consultants an additional festive gift, rather than only a target based incentive. Think about a luxury hamper, or a bottle of champagne. Perhaps you could offer a couple of hamper items and then let your consultants add extra items by hitting certain targets.

Promotion

If you feel that a consultant has been performing particularly well, or has passed a certain appraisal, it may be appropriate to promote them. It is important that promotions are not just a ‘name only’ reward, or your consultants will soon see through the ruse. Give them an increase in basic salary, additional responsibility or both.

Company News Bulletin

If your business is starting to grow, you can reward your staff by shouting about their achievements. This can be in the form of a company news bulletin in the local press, an industry magazine or your own newsletter if you are part of a franchise or a larger group.

These rewards are especially effective if they are a surprise – let your recently promoted consultant get congratulated on the street when people read about them in the local paper, or have flowers delivered to work the day they are promoted (make sure they don’t arrive before the promotion though!)

Quirky Rewards

In some trendy companies it is popular to give their staff quirky workplace benefits, such as a free daily fruit bowl, a weekly massage or a day off on their birthday. These types of treats do not have to cost very much at all, certainly less than the majority of fancy incentives, yet they can really make your staff feel appreciated. You can get some really great deals, too – see if your local nail bar will send a manicurist to your office for an hour for mini-manicures all round, or get lovely cupcakes delivered on a Friday afternoon.