How to Inspire Employee Motivation in Estate Agency
To be honest, a career in estate agency isn’t all that bad and, speaking from experience, certainly is nearer the top of the more enjoyable work roles I have had over the years. When the office atmosphere is pumping and most if not all of the team get on like a house on fire, then it is a fine profession to be in.
Every estate agency wants to be performing at their best, achieving the results set week in week out and growing their portfolio and their business. Team effort is vital for a successful estate agency and when there’s a problem in the ranks then it can spread like a wild fire throughout the team and eventually effecting those all important targets and results. An estate agency manager / owner needs to be not only the person who controls the team, but also they will hold plenty more roles such as mentor, counsellor and friend.
It is a very demanding role and during busy times there will be much stress and pressure and also plenty of rejection. It can be a rollercoaster ride each and every week full of highs and lows, emotions are tested and for sure the manager will need to steer their team through many varied situations in order to steady that ship.
As the team will be most of the time, especially when all together, working within the office(s) then it is here that our focus on motivation should really focus. I have worked in, visited due to my role in the property sector and also popped in to during my house hunting experiences many estate agencies and for sure the atmosphere is always quite varied as are the layouts, design, quality, team and much more. Many are still quite dated and traditional in their set up, some are new to the market and giving out innovative and modern characters, many are just plain and boring (sometimes reflecting on the team inside too).
So, having seen many estate agency offices and their teams, what are my suggestions for motivating employees? Let us take a look at a few easy to adopt ideas:
- Refresh a dated looking interior: I totally get that there might be restrictions regarding this idea such as requesting permission from the landlord, maybe the building is listed or, if a multi chain agency, the brand consistency is of importance and if / when changes can take place can only come from head office. Though if we assume we are looking at smaller independent estate agencies then I always recommend a refresh of décor to include furniture and if possible too, shop window displays. Sometimes new branding can also be an exciting time for team members especially if changing from an old / dated look to a new, more current look.
- Breakfast and the kitchen: Many estate agencies will usually have a kitchen of some sort, many times they are tiny little areas with the usual kettle, mini fridge, sink full of dirty mugs and a bin – Maybe some biscuits are hanging about if you are lucky. I always suggest to look to upgrade the kitchen area when possible, make it a bit more exciting – wine fridge (you will be celebrating hitting targets won’t you), decent coffee machine, selection of teas. How about each morning, during those team meetings before opening, we get in people’s favourite breakfast order or maybe as you (the manager) walks by the local patisserie you pick up the croissants or have them delivered each morning? If team members start looking forward to coming in early and partaking in the breakfast motivational meeting in the morning then it sets a good feeling for the rest of the day.
- Targets and leaderboards: People like a challenge and this can be internal as well, ie team challenges. We set our monthly targets, though who are reaching their targets in their field and by how much (or less)? What do they win if they are constantly delivering above expectation (yes, commissions are great, but what about something extra and more fun filled)? Create leaderboards, for example those by rise.global, where you have an online scorebook with your players (team members) and their live scores and team members can be notified on new updates. Arrange great, ideally action filled, prizes for monthly winners though also take time to help those struggling to compete with added training.
- External training days: There are many key estate agency trainers out there and a visit from some of the more well known names can really help to improve your team performance and loyalty.
- Weekly / monthly team socials: I fully understand that for many people they go to work and from there have their own lives to lead, but for many work is an important part of their lives as are their work colleagues. If you have a team that are quite social you can look to arrange weekly / monthly social events from an evening at the wine bar to dinners, maybe some sports / adventure activities too – Get your team to form a suggestion list. For holiday celebrations, ie Christmas night out, get the planning for this underway a couple of months prior and make it a special occasion for the team to look forward to.
- Ring that bell: OK, nothing new and can be seen to be a bit has been, but the old brass bell up on the wall that gets rung upon a new sale is something I always liked to see, but of course today more innovative, online solutions are available.
- Once a month one to one: Being a manager of a team requires you to get to know each member well and to do this I suggest you put aside 30 minutes each month for each member to discuss their performance, any issues they may have or feedback, to give them encouragement and compliments etc.
- Feedback / suggestion box: It can be one that is anonymous (online options exist too), but give your team the ability to share their ideas for the better of all. Listen to each, sometimes what might sound somewhat odd might in fact be a current trend and a positive to embrace.
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