What is an Incentive?

Written By Katey Dupavillon

At EVT, our purpose is to help businesses grow by motivating exceptional people with exceptional rewards and experiences. 

We do this through Incentives. 

That one word can mean SO Many things. I was listening to a podcast recently that was discussing the call out for a Baby Bonus to be re-introduced in Australia to drive population growth, and they used the word Incentive/ Incentivise about 10 times in the conversation. 

And it just reminded me how Incentives can mean so many different things to different people. 

Here’s just a short list of what they can mean: 

  • Sales incentives – motivating reps, dealers, or distributors to hit targets 

  • Employee incentives – rewards & recognition for internal staff to boost performance or retention 

  • Loyalty programs – often lumped in with incentives, especially in retail or hospitality 

  • Rebates – a financial incentive based on purchase volume or behaviour 

  • Bonuses or commissions – as part of your annual salary  

  • Prize promotions / competitions – chance to wins!  

  • Government or corporate incentives – funding or tax breaks – see baby bonus! 

At EVT Incentive Marketing, we live and breathe incentive marketing — but with a very specific purpose. 

👉 Our programs are built for B2B 
👉 They're strategic 
👉 They're motivating 
👉 They're game changers 
👉 They're strategic marketing tools designed to drive performance 

They are not: 

  • A quick cash bonus that’s forgotten by Monday 

  • A gift card that disappears into the weekly grocery bill 

  • A short-term fix for a long-term performance issue 

  • A generic "do this, get that" reward with no emotional connection 

  • A transaction, when what you really need is motivation and loyalty 

We believe incentives should be purpose-built — with clear objectives, real results and a lasting impact on your channel, your sales team, or your brand loyalty. 

I sat down to share a video of what we mean when we talk about incentive programs—and why they matter.  You can watch it here.

We also run workshops to help businesses understand what’s possible—because this isn’t just about rewards. It’s about driving real results through powerful, purpose-built, strategic programs. If this is of interest, you can sign up for a workshop on our website here.

Katey Dupavillon
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The Right Reward Matters