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SITUATION

When salespeople have a tough week or month, they need motivation to keep them moving forward. The Dave Ritchie Excellence Award was created to rally their people around their strong company values and respected founder, and serve as an incentive to keep their salespeople going.

SOLUTION

Ritchie Bros. needed to provide a VIP experience for winners while connecting back to the true meaning of the Dave Ritchie Excellence Award.

With the help of O.C. Tanner, Ritchie Bros. redefined what it means to win this prestigious honor. They overhauled the entire experience from start to finish and created a VIP feel that builds on an employees’ innate desire to be appreciated.

Winners are announced internally and are welcomed into the new, luxurious DRX Club. They also receive a personalized winner’s package celebrating their accomplishment. This package includes:

• A Yearbook™ brochure with custom folder to display their accomplishment. The brochure outlines clearly what criteria they met to win the award and a note of congratulations from the company.

• A choice of a prestigious, high-value award that is ordered through an easy-to-use online platform.

• A stunning personalized trophy.

• A partner award to thank their partner for all their support throughout the year. Ritchie Bros. is an organization that appreciates all the hard work of their salespeople as well as their devoted family members.

• Branded clothing and updated business cards listing their new accomplishment. Winners also update their email signatures and their voicemails with this honor.

O.C. Tanner’s highly trained recipient experience team supports winners and their partners worldwide if they have any questions when ordering to ensure the experience is seamless for all the winners.

Historically, winners of the "Outstanding Sales Achievement" category were invited on a fishing trip to Dave Ritchie's resort in British Columbia, Canada. In 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, winners were unable to travel. Ritchie Bros. looked to O.C. Tanner for a substitute award.

Because the purpose of the DRX award was to be an experience, not a transaction, the trip was replaced with travel gift cards (to be used when it was safe to travel again). For 2021, O.C. Tanner worked with Rolex to add special men’s and women’s watches as the key award for the Outstanding Sales Achievement category.

RESULTS  

Previously, 30% of annual winners were not selecting their personal awards because the experience was deterring them from finishing the process. Following the launch of the new VIP experience, 98% of winners selected an award.

Winners personally called O.C. Tanner to express how easy it was to order their award, how appreciated they felt by Ritchie Bros. and how this was an accomplishment worth celebrating.

CONCLUSION

From the moment a winner of the Dave Ritchie Excellence Award’s name is announced, O.C. Tanner creates a unique VIP experience that tells the story of what it really means to win a Ritchie Bros. founders award. The new luxury DRX club, customized winner’s package, and easy-to-use award experience, helps winners feel valued, appreciated, and inspired to win again. It’s a tangible reminder to strive for excellence, every day.

Outcomes are everything
We’d love to share what we’ve helped Ritchie Bros and thousands of other clients achieve.

More Employee Recognition Resources

There are so many different ways to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate your employees. Here are more resources for guidance:

• Guide to Employee Recognition Programs
• 11 Employee Recognition Ideas
• 22 Awesome Employee Recognition Gift Ideas
• 9 Tips for How to Choose Employee Recognition Software
• Heartfelt Employee Appreciation Quotes to Say "Thank You"
• Benefits of Peer to Peer Recognition
• Best Practices for Virtual Employee Recognition
• Guide to Years of Service Awards
• Tips to Celebrate Work Anniversaries
• Employee Recognition in the Modern Workplace
• Victories: Modern Recognition Software