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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®








 Retaining Top Personnel
MOTIVATION

  

The Cost of Turnover

Orientation

Motivation

Coaching and Mentoring

Training

Goal Setting

Performance Assessment

Resignation and Termination

More Resources: Retaining Top Personnel

Code of Ethics: Retaining Top Personnel		   Team-Based Motivation

Ramona Williams of the Floyd Wickman Organization—of Sweathogs fame—discusses team motivation and goals.

Q: How can brokers benefit from creating a team spirit among their salespeople?

Williams: A brokerage business benefits from having team dynamics in an organization because it increases motivation, production, and enthusiasm when you have people working together toward a common goal. Because there’s a special momentum created with a group, people tend to achieve more than they can alone. Creating team dynamics also allows brokers and sales managers to reduce some of their day-to-day management of a sales force. In a team environment, salespeople will draw on one another as resources. Teams also serve as a retention tool because you have an excitement going. And when people are working toward common goals, they don’t do a lot of negative politicking.

Q: How can a broker create a team ideal or spirit?

Williams: It’s no different than an individual doing it. You have to look in-house and decide what the company goals are. What is most important? Listings? Selling mortgages? It differs based on things like your region and your philosophy? It starts by defining what the company goals are, finding out what levels your folks are at, and putting people in situations where they can succeed. It’s figuring out how everyone can be the biggest contributor to the overall goal.

Q: What’s a key difference between motivating teams and individuals?

Williams: With a team, you have to take more of a general, broad scope approach and get them all to buy into a team goal. This goal has to be something that everyone agrees to in advance and everyone commits to, such as positioning the company to serve a particular market niche or area of the city

Q: What are some things brokers can do to motivate team of salespeople on an ongoing basis?

Williams: Sponsor contests and incentive competitions, invest in training and education opportunities, and provide resources salespeople need to be their most productive. Any kind of positive recognition and awards are a big thing; people who are independent contractors are highly motivated by recognition.

Q: How well do teams work in real estate where in some ways every salesperson is competing for the same business?

Williams: At Sweathogs, we try to teach our students to compete with themselves and to be the best, most productive salespeople they can be. There’s nothing wrong with friendly competition. It’s a very healthy thing. The key is to keep it from becoming too aggressive or cut throat.

9 Steps to a Successful Contest >