As a world leader in cleaning technology and with almost 90 years of experience, Kärcher produces commercial and domestic cleaning equipment and systems. Kärcher aims to make everyday life simpler, better and more pleasant with powerful, efficient cleaning solutions.

Summary: Kärcher partnered with Incentivesmart to launch an incentive programme for their distribution network. Users could learn more about the products and earn points on qualified purchases. These points were redeemable on a personal reward of their choice in an extensive catalogue with something suitable for everyone.

The objective: Kärcher were looking for a solution that would not only channel all of their current incentives into one central place, but also allow their dealers to learn more about their products.

They had already created education tools to help the sales team develop their product knowledge, including videos, battle cards (highlighting competitor strengths & weaknesses) and product information sheets. These resources captured all the technical details of each product type to aid the salesperson in answering any questions a prospect may pose. However, Kärcher struggled to simultaneously communicate these resources to their dealers. Emailing product information to dealers was time consuming and didn’t necessarily mean they actually downloaded the content. There was no evidence to suggest if the information had actually aided the sales effort.

The solution: Incentivesmart created an incentive programme for Kärcher whereby distributors could develop their brand and product knowledge, as well as earn points on qualifying purchases. Three priorities were set to help achieve a successful engagement programme.

1. Make access to the resources easier and more relevant to the dealer.

The resources were uploaded to the new incentive portal. The dealers were segmented into product groups depending on what they frequently sold, and, as importantly, didn’t sell and sent targeted information. For example, dealers that rarely sold floor scrubbers were shown information about the benefits of floor scrubbers. This provided them with quick-to-access features and benefits about that specific product; giving them the tools to talk to customers more confidently, and in turn helping push product sales.

2. Create a two-way dialogue to capture requirements relevant to making the sales process simpler & easier.

Staff were encouraged to share their stories, ask for additional information and use the channel to provide important feedback, which would help improve the programme going forward.

3. Use incentives to drive desired behaviours.

Dealers were given the opportunity to earn points when they invested their time learning about the Kärcher products, as well as on qualified purchases. This enabled them to sell the products with greater ease, increasing their ability to achieve their sales objectives. When dealers made a claim, they were asked what industry they sold the product to. This provided Kärcher with end user information which they didn't previously have access to.