Business perk

Business perk

The 'motivation' perks.

"Cash" redirects here. For the article about fictional currency in The Sims universe, see Simoleon.

Business perks came with the Open for Business expansion pack. They are rewards for receiving customer loyalty points in a business. A business owner can get only a total of 10 business perk points per business, one per level of the business. There are five sections of business perks: Connections, Perception, Cash, Wholesale and Motivation. Each section has five tiers. They are used to help the Sim's business do well, however some, such as Rally Forth, can drain the user's energy.

The 'Pass On' interaction allows a Sim who has a perk to pass it on to another family member or friend, or to a manager. In this case 'family' is equivalent to 'household'. Sims cannot invite relatives who are not part of the household to come over, and then pass on perks to them. (Contrary to what is in the Prima guide for OFB, perks can be passed on to teens.) The higher the level of the perk, the longer it takes to pass on. Obviously, Cash perks cannot be passed on, but all others can be. If you intend for a Sim to inherit a business, it is recommended to pass on at least a few perks to that Sim, as that will help them to continue expanding the business after the teacher is long gone.

Cash

These awards are useful for venues, and can give a boost to struggling new businesses. At the higher levels, they're useful to owners of home businesses, especially if they plan to retire at some point.

Image	Business Perk	Description	Function
	LeTourneau Prize	Nice Job! On the recommendation of some of your customers, you've won the LeTourneau Prize for new business owners!	One time reward of §1000
	Valued Client Rebate	Well Done! The rising fame of your establishment has earned you this rebate from your suppliers!	One time reward of §2500
	Chamber of Commerce Prize	Superb! Your business acumen has earned this cash award from the local Chamber of Commerce!	One time reward of §10,000
	Owners Association Award	Congratulations! Your reputation as a mogul is spreading, and has earned you this cash prize from the Sim Business Owners Association!	One time reward of §20,000
	Will Wright Grant	Outstanding! Your business is becoming a household name, and has won you this grant from the Will Wright Foundation for Economic Advancement.	One time reward of §50,000

Wholesale

These perks are useful for businesses that sell catalog items, as they increase the discount an owner gets when buying at wholesale. (An owner with no Wholesale perks gets a 10% discount when buying at wholesale.) They also appear to reduce the cost of restocking point-of-sale objects such as clothing racks. This can allow a business owner to increase profit margins, or to reduce prices while continuing to make a good profit. Since lower prices make items easier to sell, this can be a useful tool for new businesses struggling to gain customer loyalty.

Image	Business Perk	Description	Function
	Wholesale Discount	Ka-ching! Your growing fame as a business owner has motivated your suppliers to offer you a discount on future purchases!	12% discount on catalog items
	Supplier Partnership	Your suppliers love to brag about having you as a customer! Enjoy this additional discount on your wholesale costs.	15% discount on catalog items
	Bargain Hunter	Your business' rising popularity has really given you an edge with your wholesalers! You can buy at much lower prices now!	19% discount on catalog items
	Serious Negotiator	Profit is great! Your business skills have given you the ability to negotiate even lower wholesale costs!	24% discount on catalog items
	Shark of Sharks	You're becoming the Shark of Sharks. Your ability to get the best wholesale deals is legendary!	30% discount on catalog items

Perception

These perks can help a business gain customer loyalty and additional simoleons as a result. This tool is highly useful for business owners wishing to gain more Business Perks at a faster rate for any of their businesses.

Image	Business Perk	Description	Function
	Assess Mood	You've gotten a pretty good idea of what a happy customer looks like. Now, you can use "Assess...Mood" to evaluate how perky or peeved another Sim is, and that makes you a happy Sim, yourself!	A Sim can look at another Sim and determine if that Sim is in a 'Bad', 'Average', or 'Pretty Good' mood.
	Assess Desire	You've learned that some Sims yearn secretly to possess something new- A leather armchair? A Remote Controlled Car? Your Sim has learned how to tap into the hidden signals their customers give off and can use "Assess...Desire" to find out just what they want!	A Sim can look at customer and determine the item in the store that he or she really wants.
	Look for Mark	You've learned that it can be hard to sell something to a grump who hates your store. Now, activating "Look for Mark" on yourself will let you detect the perfect sales target!	A Sim will look for the customer who is the most susceptible to sales interactions.
	Convincing Personality	You've seen lots of sales by now, and you know the secrets of getting people to cough up their cash. You will now enjoy a boost to the effectiveness of all your Sales interactions with customers!	Increases the effectiveness of all the Sim's sales interactions.
	Manipulation	Huzzah! You have attained a nigh-magical level of sales prowess! You can now use "Sales...Manipulate" to get your customers to buy like they've never bought before.	A Sim is able to control a customer into buying items against their will. This action will reduce customer loyalty, so use it on a loyal customer if you want them to return to your store.

Motivation

These perks are best used to prevent your workers from quitting inexplicably. You can make sure your employees are in a better mood than is indicated by their sphere PlumbBob.

Image	Business Perk	Description	Function
	Simply Influential	While most people need a boatload of friends to be really influential, you just need to be yourself! With this perk, your capacity for influence will take a nice swing upward.	Increases a Sim's capacity for influence as if he or she had three more friends.
	Perk Up	You've learned that goods and services won't sell without a smile. Bad mood? No problem! You've learned to put a smile on anybody's face by using “Talk...Perk Up.”	Improve someone's mood. In an unpatched game, this is a Romantic interaction.
	Motivational Speech	You've learned to bring out the best in people with nothing more than a rousing speech! Using "Talk...Motivational Speech" will give other Sims the power to have increased Talent for a period of time. "Let's do this, people!"	A Sim can motivate a target to excel. The target's talent badges will temporarily be increased by 1 level. While this boost in in effect, it may affect the target's perception of how well he or she is being paid.
	Boundless Influence	Your ability to amass influence is uncanny! You're a born leader, and now when you gain influence by fulfilling wants, you'll get more than ever. Start giving orders, Chief!	A Sim will receive double points when fulfilling wants that increase influence.
	Rally Forth	You are the master of getting people psyched up! Now, activating "Rally Forth!" on yourself will cause you to give all onlookers a call to arms, sacrificing your own needs to boost theirs! Be careful with this powerful ability.	A Sim can Rally Forth and boost the motives of everyone present.

Connections

Since sales interactions are more likely to be well received when the seller and customer have a positive relationship, these perks will help in making sales. Of course, they're also useful beyond the shop walls. Even at low levels, they can help in making friends for careers or influence.

Image	Business Perk	Description	Function
	Notable Reputation	People are getting to know who you are...and they like what they hear! You'll now enjoy a starting boost to all of your new relationships.	A Sim will start new relationships at +5 daily and +5 lifetime.
	Sterling Reputation	The word is spreading about your growing business abilities! You'll now get a bigger jumpstart to all new relationships!	A Sim will start new relationships at +10 daily and +10 lifetime.
	Network	You've learned the importance of knowing the people that other people know! You can now use "Talk...Network" to instantaniously meet all acquaintances of another Sim... and you get a starting bonus to those relationships too!	A Sim can Network and get to know all Sims the target has met, with a Notable Reputation starting boost.
	Head for Numbers	Spending so much time pleasing customers has given you an incredible memory. You can call anyone in town on the phone now, whether you know them or not!	A Sim will have a "head for numbers", and be able to call any Sim in the phonebook (other than NPCs), whether or not he or she has ever met them.
	Power Network	Your network skills have become stupendous! You can now use "Talk...Power Network" to instantaneously meet all the acquaintances of another Sim... and you'll get a powerful starting bonus to those relationships too!	A Sim can meet anyone through a target, and get a Sterling Reputation starting boost through them.