Ageism is alive and well

Peter Gray, an independent Motivation Consultant, presents a regular Business Events News feature on current issues in the Conference and Incentive industries.

I RECENTLY came across an article on LinkedIn entitled “I’m not 54. I’m 22 with 32 years’ experience.” It was posted by Louis Loizou, a freelance creative director for whom I thank for the inspiration for this month’s column.

Louis works in design and advertising but the parallel with the conference and incentives industries is very real. He goes on... “Let’s put things into perspective here. With the recent and very welcome push for sexual equality, the time is also right to address the inequality of blatant ageism. If you’re 18 to 30 years old, you may want to look away now. Ideas and creativity are not exclusive for the twenty somethings. You forget, we’ve been there and done that. In fact, don’t look at the wisps of grey hair and think we’re not still doing it. We are.”

In spite of rumours to the contrary I was ‘young’ once. In ‘my day’ we did things that many older members of our industry thought were different, even outrageous, but providing we could justify the reasons (and the probable outcomes) of what we wanted to do they were generally prepared to listen, even acquiesce.

A lot of ‘senior’ members of the incentive industry who I first met at the 1991 AIA Conference in Melbourne are still, like me, in business and as up-to-date with, even ahead of current thinking as any twenty-something. Not that there is anything wrong with twenty-somethings entering the industry, but there is definitely a right balance between hiring young and senior talent. That’s where senior talent is essential - guiding, mentoring, coaching and inspiring.

There’s not much I look up to in the USA particularly when it comes to incentives, but the average age of marketing managers is considerably older than in Australia. And what do they bring to their roles? The experience of many years of relevant creativity, intimate knowledge of their brands and behaviour of distribution channels. They bring passion, pragmatism and discipline to any project. These are essential to any effective business-to-business incentive program.

Stories abound about clients who substitute seasoned and experienced incentive operators with ‘young and dynamic’ alternatives only to find that quality, personal service is quickly replaced with very ordinary levels of interaction and creativity. Clients lose their identity and become mere numbers. Business changes hands for many reasons, price is often the raison d’être and the larger the incentive operator the more likely that they work on an SPQR (smaller profits quicker returns) basis, acquiring new business with low profit margins.

Those operators working with low profit margins are more inclined to accept (or demand) commissions or the less desirable ‘kick-backs’, often not revealing these to their clients (which is illegal in Australia). There is a tendency to force down prices from suppliers in order to make greater margins but then have to pay for favours - staff rooms and other extras - which might otherwise have been given on an FOC basis.

It could be argued that an agency/incentive operator works on behalf of is clients and so forcing down prices should be a good thing. But not if this is at the risk of creating a difficult or resentful working environment. I would suggest that a good principle on which to work is “always leave something for someone else”.

There is, of course, software that can make running an incentive program or an inhouse recognition program reasonably simple. But to create a unique program that reflects a client’s brand and achieves just what is required, there is no substitute for experience.

For many years now the incentive industry has been trying to get its clients to pay for proposals (as they do in other professions) and particularly to respect an operator’s intellectual property. It’s been an uphill struggle and the larger operators are the fly in the ointment. They acquire business through their low margins so they’re not going to add what they regard as unnecessary costs to the equation. Smaller operators therefore have to convince their clients that their services are of better quality and value and that, overall, their level of personal service and attention to detail is worth the greater investment.

This strategy is made easier if it can be demonstrated that the people working on a project are fully experienced in all aspects of incentive and reward practice (often lacking in the larger operators who tend to employ less experienced staff).

Ageism is illegal in all States and Territories in Australia. Remember that it takes 20 years to acquire 20 years’ experience but that experience can be shared and is particularly valuable when it’s used to mentor new entrants to our industry. Peter Gray is an independent, Accredited Incentive Practitioner and motivation consultant. He can be contacted at peter.gray@motivatingpeople.net