VIKTOR

What VIKTOR does

Motivation Excellence, Inc. (operating under the VIKTOR brand per the website viktorwithak.com) is a privately held B2B performance improvement and incentive marketing firm headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. The company designs and manages custom incentive programs for enterprise clients, including sales incentive programs, channel partner loyalty programs, B2B customer loyalty programs, reward point programs, personalized rewards, and global group incentive travel experiences. It serves manufacturers with indirect sales channels, distributors, B2B organizations with direct sales teams, insurance carriers, trade contractors, and healthcare companies. Notable long-tenured clients include a National Electrical Distributor with a 100,000-audience program sustained for 20+ years, a Healthcare Diagnostics company generating $70M+ in incremental revenue over 9 years, and Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan with a 10-year life insurance sales program.

The firm's core technology is the proprietary Inspire platform, which provides participants with personalized mobile itineraries, real-time updates, registration management, and participant activity tracking for group travel programs. Methodological IP includes the trademarked "Performance by Design" data-driven program design framework and the "DRIVE" strategic framework for incentive program construction. Product lines span Participant Activity Tracking, Channel & Sales Incentives, Group Travel, Personalized Rewards, B2B Customer Loyalty, Reward Point Programs, Marketing Enhancements, Meetings & Events, and B2B Buying Shows. Packaged offerings include MAXRewardsYourWay (lifestyle upgrade packages starting at $2,000) and MAXRewardsNOW (gift card solution) for lower-friction deployments. Sub-brands include Inspire, Performance by Design, DRIVE, MAXRewardsYourWay, and MAXRewardsNOW.

The business model is professional services and managed services: custom-designed programs quoted per engagement, typically structured as multi-year contracts, with revenue derived from program design fees, travel planning and fulfillment, reward point program management, and reward catalog fulfillment. Go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales — Strategic Account Directors and VP-level sales engage directly with C-suite and financial leadership, beginning with discovery sessions and collaborative solution design. Distribution is direct to enterprise clients (no resellers); client relationships average multi-year tenures and frequently span decades. The firm also leverages industry events (SITE conferences) and earned media (SITE Crystal Awards, Best & Brightest Companies to Work For) for brand visibility. Leadership includes Bob Graham as President & CEO (as of 2024–2025), following the July 2024 passing of David Jobes, with Cherrie Tebeau joining as VP, Sourcing & Industry Relations in June 2025.

Name

VIKTOR

Legal name

Motivation Excellence, Inc.

Website

https://viktorwithak.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Motivation Excellence is a B2B incentive marketing firm that designs and manages custom sales incentives, channel partner loyalty programs, reward point programs, and global group incentive travel for enterprise manufacturers, distributors, insurance carriers, and healthcare companies, using its proprietary Inspire platform and trademarked Performance by Design and DRIVE methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Incentive Marketing Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Incentive Travel Design & Rewards Programs (THAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program Design & Strategy (Incentive Concepting, Qualification Criteria, Budgeting) (THAHANAA), Rewards, Recognition & Merchandise Sourcing (Points, Catalogs, Gift Cards) (THAHANAC), Participant Qualification, Enrollment & Sales Performance Tracking (THAHANAB), Incentive Travel Procurement & Contracting (Air/Hotel/Transport Sourcing) (THAHANAD), Measurement & ROI/Impact Analytics (Program Reporting, NPS, Sales Lift) (THAHANAL), Loyalty, Rewards & Incentive Programs (BPAFAMAE)

Keywords

• Incentive marketing services
• Channel partner incentives
• Sales incentive programs
• Group incentive travel
• B2B loyalty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Incentive Program Design & Management Services: Full-service design and management of custom incentive programs including strategy development, rule structure creation, participant tracking, marketing support, and program analysis. Programs are typically funded by incremental sales gains generated.
2. Group Travel Planning & Fulfillment: End-to-end travel coordination including destination sourcing, hotel negotiation, event planning, on-site management, and travel logistics for incentive travel programs on a global scale.
3. Reward Fulfillment Services: Redemption fulfillment for reward points programs including name-brand merchandise, gift cards, personalized rewards, and experiential awards from their online catalog.
4. Marketing & Communications Services: Custom engagement campaigns including email marketing, print materials, video content, and performance tracking website creation to maintain participant engagement throughout programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

VIKTOR designs, manages, and delivers custom B2B incentive programs, group incentive travel experiences, meetings and events, and reward fulfillment solutions for manufacturers, distributors, insurance carriers, and organizations with channel partner or sales team networks. Programs are custom-designed using data-driven methodologies (Performance by Design and DRIVE) and supported by the proprietary Inspire technology platform for participant tracking and travel management. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for program design, management, and travel fulfillment, typically structured as multi-year engagements funded through incremental client sales gains.

Product overview

Motivation Excellence is a performance improvement consulting agency offering a comprehensive suite of incentive and engagement solutions organized around two core service arms: Engagement (encompassing reward point programs, sales incentives, channel partner programs, marketing support, and participant activity tracking) and Travel (encompassing incentive group travel, meetings and events, and hotel sourcing). Their proprietary Inspire platform serves as the technology backbone for incentive travel programs, providing participants with personalized mobile itineraries. The company utilizes strategic frameworks including DRIVE and Performance by Design methodologies to create data-driven programs that deliver measurable ROI. Additional offerings include MAXRewardsYourWay and MAXRewardsNOW for immediate reward needs, along with B2B buying shows and personalized rewards catalog access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inspire: Proprietary incentive travel platform for participant tracking and travel management
• Performance by Design
• DRIVE
• MAXRewardsYourWay
• MAXRewardsNOW

Products and services

• Sales Incentives Customized incentive programs designed to motivate sales teams and drive measurable revenue growth through goal-based reward structures. Targeted at B2B organizations with direct sales teams needing to reduce turnover and improve quota achievement.
• Channel Partner Incentives Incentive programs targeting distribution channel partners including distributors, dealers, and independent sales reps to build loyalty and increase sales. Designed for manufacturers with indirect sales channels.
• B2B Customer Loyalty Loyalty programs designed for B2B customers to transform transactional relationships into committed partnerships. Targeted at manufacturers, distributors, and B2B organizations seeking to retain commercial accounts.
• Reward Point Programs Points-based incentive programs that track participant progress, allow real-time balance viewing, and enable redemption for brand-name merchandise, travel, or experiences. Used for sales and channel motivation across industries.
• Personalized Rewards Customized reward options including name-brand merchandise, travel experiences, gift cards, and lifestyle packages tailored to individual participant preferences. Available to corporate buyers designing incentive programs.
• Participant Activity Tracking Performance tracking platforms and reporting systems that monitor participant progress, generate real-time business intelligence, and provide data-backed recommendations for incentive program management.
• Incentive Travel Group travel experiences including aspirational destinations, exclusive activities, and memorable reward experiences for top performers in sales and channel incentive programs. Delivered globally with full logistics management.
• Inspire Incentive Travel Platform Proprietary incentive travel platform providing participants with personalized itineraries, real-time updates, and mobile accessibility for group travel programs. Includes participant tracking, registration management, and interactive mobile site capabilities. Sold as part of the incentive travel service engagement.
• Meetings & Events Planning and execution of corporate meetings, conferences, and events including registration sites, mobile event platforms, and onsite staffing. Targeted at B2B organizations running sales meetings, conferences, and recognition events.
• B2B Buying Shows Interactive buying show events combining networking, product showcases, educational sessions, and entertainment to strengthen distributor-contractor relationships. Targeted at manufacturers and distributors in trade industries.
• Hotel Sourcing Travel strategy solutions including hotel sourcing, destination selection, and venue negotiation for incentive travel programs and corporate events on a global scale.
• Marketing Enhancements & Support Creative marketing services including campaign design, email communications, print materials, and engagement strategies to maintain participant motivation throughout incentive programs.
• MAXRewardsYourWay Lifestyle upgrade package reward solution starting at $2,000 inclusive of all fees, offering personalized gift selections including kitchen gadgets, fitness gear, individual travel, and special event tickets. Targeted at employers needing turnkey individual reward fulfillment.
• MAXRewardsNOW Gift card solution with low administrative costs and high personal engagement potential for instant employee or partner rewards. Targeted at organizations needing immediate, low-friction reward fulfillment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 430% ROI in first year for Office Products Manufacturer program
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Vendor Partners (Various)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Multiple vendor partners contribute funding and co-investment to client incentive programs. Partners include product manufacturers who co-fund channel incentives in exchange for increased sales and market share through the client's distribution network. Creates multi-party incentive structures where vendors share program costs.
• SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Industry association partnership. VP of Sales Rhonda Brewer serves on the SITE Women in Leadership committee and helped establish the Advisors in Action mentoring program connecting industry veterans with young professionals.
• Farm Bureau Insurance of MichiganflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Long-term client partnership for incentive travel program management. Farm Bureau's life insurance sales incentive program achieved 36% increase in median New Life Commissions over 10 years. The partnership produced a SITE Crystal Award-winning travel experience to Ireland and London with 98.6% agent satisfaction.
• Wallace TravelcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022DMC partner for the award-winning Farm Bureau Insurance incentive travel program, contributing to the Ireland and London destination experience.
• SpectracoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Destination management partner for the award-winning incentive travel program to Ireland, providing on-ground logistics and experience coordination.
• Hotel Europe (Dublin)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Accommodation partner for the Ireland portion of the award-winning Farm Bureau Insurance incentive program.
• The Shelbourne (Dublin)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Luxury hotel partner for the Ireland incentive travel experience, part of the award-winning program.
• The Langham (London)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Premium accommodation partner for the London extension of the award-winning incentive travel program.
• Above and Beyond FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Industry foundation recognizing hospitality heroes. Motivation Excellence employees have received Heroes of Hospitality awards through this foundation, establishing the company's first agency-level recognition.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Tango (Tango Card): Tango provides a digital rewards and incentives delivery platform, comparable to Motivation Excellence's online reward catalog and instant reward fulfillment capabilities.
• Blackhawk Network: Blackhawk Network operates a global branded payments network for gift cards and reward fulfillment, overlapping with MAXRewardsNOW and Motivation Excellence's merchandise/gift card reward catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Aimia: Aimia is a data-driven loyalty and engagement analytics company serving enterprise programs, adjacent to Motivation Excellence's ROI-focused analytics and loyalty design capabilities.

Direct peers

• EGR International: EGR International is an engagement and incentive agency delivering B2B sales incentive programs, channel loyalty, and group travel experiences, directly comparable to Motivation Excellence's full-service model.
• BI WORLDWIDE: BI WORLDWIDE is a major global incentive and loyalty solutions provider offering sales incentives, channel programs, and reward fulfillment directly comparable to Motivation Excellence's service portfolio.
• Hinda Incentives: Hinda Incentives is a U.S. incentive program provider offering reward fulfillment, recognition, and engagement solutions for sales teams and channel partners, making it a direct mid-market competitor.
• ITA Group: ITA Group is a long-established B2B engagement and incentive company specializing in channel partner incentives, sales performance programs, and loyalty solutions, directly overlapping with Motivation Excellence's core offerings.
• Maritz (Maritz Motivation): Maritz is one of the largest global incentive, travel, and engagement companies, directly competing with Motivation Excellence in B2B sales/channel incentive programs and group travel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXhoay5-rt0s4BRiKpTvPqg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MotivationExcellenceInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/motivationexcellence
• Instagraminstagram.com/motivation.excellence
• Xx.com/VIKTORIncentive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VIKTOR