It’s been said that success has many parents while failure is an orphan. If that’s true, it means having a good team is integral to winning. As a business owner/entrepreneur, how far you get depends in large measure on how talented your team is. But talents only get you so far. Those who really succeed not only assemble talented teams, they motivate them. A team that’s stocked with talented and motivated people is tough to beat. Therefore as a business owner, it is up to you to consistently motivate your team every day. If you have a motivated team, it will improve your business’ productivity, quality and service. You’ll also create an environment that will empower and focus your staff to increase sales during this summer season.

Employees who work in a recognition-focused company are five times more likely to feel valued and eleven times more likely to feel committed to their jobs and company’s mission. But if you think there’s not a budget for recognition programs and incentives, think again. Cash actually does little to motivate employees to work harder. Recognition programs however do more than just motivate employees. They can also help retain top talent and create a more dedicated workplace. Taking cash out of the employee incentive equation can actually generate more buzz about your perks and energize your workplace. Get creative with your offerings and regularly solicit feedback from your employees to figure out what works best.

Employees are the heart of any business. Disgruntled and apathetic employees can suck the energy out of sales transaction they perform. On the other hand, engaged employees pass on their enthusiasm to customers. In fact, customers are more likely to become engaged if they are served by passionate employees. In other words, engaged employees are a boost to any business’ bottomline. Yet most environments inspire apathy, not excitement. Fortunately, as a business owner, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to boost employee engagement. Affordable staff appreciation activities can boost engagement, partially through relationship building. Employees who feel they have a positive personal relationship with their supervisors are more likely to be engaged, and staff appreciation get-togethers provide opportunities for employees to connect with their peers and their supervisors.

Here are five tips to help motivate your teams:

1. Assess Your Team

It is important to determine what motivates your team. Ways to do this include:

• Providing a questionnaire/survey

• Conducting informal conversations

• Having team brainstorm sessions

Some typical motivators are:

• Career development

• Learning and knowledge

• Health and balance

• Materials and possession

• Status and prestige

• Recognition and praise

2. Communicate With Your Team

Open communication in your business allows you to:

Share financial information and goals

Provide an update of upcoming sales

Let your employees know the impact they are having on the business

Display the status of your employees’ or team’s performance (e.g. a “performance thermometer”)

Ways to communicate include:

Formal sales meetings

Impromptu huddles

1:1 Meetings (employer and employee)

Buddy system (peer-to-peer)

3. Empower Your Team

It is important for your team to feel empowered in order to build team spirit, to have a positive working culture and to encourage creativity.

Ways to do this are:

• Change it up – change people’s responsibilities each week

• Take turns chairing meetings

• Have a “manager for the day”

• Have group discussions to share creative sales ideas

• 4. Recognise and Reward Your Team

• Recognising and rewarding your employees’ contributions is essential. Here are some ways to recognise your employees for excellent customer service/sales:

• Create a performance points system

• Remember birthdays and anniversaries

5. Have Fun With Your Team

Finally it’s important to have fun! Some ways to do this are:

• Create team outings

• Have “Snoop Days” – allow your employees to go out and shop at/visit your competitors, and discuss what they see

• Engage in team weekly team building activities

• Develop sales contests

• Play a motivational song first thing in the morning

• Ways to model the way and be self-motivated include:

• Having a vision

• Setting goals

• Finding your voice (speak from the heart)

• Having a positive attitude

• Being passionate

• Being proud of what you’ve accomplished

• Being confident

• Taking risks

Motivation starts with you, and it doesn’t sustain itself on its own. Therefore it is important for you to take your motivation prescription daily.

FINAL WORD

Nothing beats a strong team win. In business or anywhere. Giving clear, achievable goals, being real, linking work to value, leading instead of bossing, staying in tune, offering incentives and always being respectful immensely aid creating and motivating a winning team.

Tags:  business Business Development Manage People People Start-up Operations Team development