Philips' Eastern Europe region consists of 12 markets (including Russia) and is managed out of Vienna. Some products, like the Hair Clipper, (a hair cutter for domestic use) do not sell as well as they do in western countries. A programme to stimulate product knowledge, combined with a sales competition, aimed to raise sales significantly (+20%). Individual targets were set for each market. The only competitor to the Hair Clipper is a Braun product.Target group: 140 sales reps and their back-office colleagues. Quantitative and qualitative aspects are combined in order to reach targets.Quantitive: the best team, as well as the best individual, reaching/surpassing their target wins a trip to London.Qualitative: sales reps organise special sales events and report strategy and success; test results of product knowledge increase their individual results.

A virtual person communicates the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the Hair Clipper sales competition. Harry Clipper, a London based private detective, on behalf of Philips, is looking for support to solve a tricky case: all household appliance dealers have been burgled and every Hair Clipper has been stolen.On the trail of the suspect Harry, and sexy assistant Jacky, mail tricky tasks to the sales reps calling for help to recover the stolen products with their indices (proof of product knowledge), that finally lead to the suspect – Mr. Braun.Harry mails crumpled, stained documents from his untidy office, including important indices. The wording is similar to those well- known relaxed, bankrupt private detectives.Mailings communicate both sales quality and targets to increase competence, teamwork, product knowledge and sales strategies.

The individual targets have been surpassed in all 12 countries. In total sales increased by 143%Response rates to the mailing of steps between 63% and 76% indicated high involvement and motivation. Countries with high response rates also performed over-average.Total costs of €41,040,or €293 per employee. Break-even would have been passed by only reaching the targets. The enormous success led to enlarging the competition to two more products for 2003.

The difficult challenge: develop a programme that involves people and motivates them to try harder, without knowing the characteristics of each of the 12 eastern countries.