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Team targets and incentives

By Rachel Atkin
25 September 2015 | 7 minute read
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As a business leader, it is essential that individual staff KPIs are set and reviewed on a regular basis, to ensure that individual targets are achieved – and exceeded.

But what about team targets and incentives? Are they an important factor? The short answer is yes. It is vital to motivate staff to achieve team targets and goals, for the key reasons mentioned below:

  1. To encourage staff to work together as a team towards shared business outcomes.
  2. To avoid the ‘silo mentality’ that is often evident with portfolio management.
  3. To promote a workplace culture focused on cross training, support, teamwork and shared success.
  4. To increase business results, ultimately achieving growth targets and exceeding customer service expectations.
  5. To encourage individuals to assist each other when needed (e.g. covering the workload when staff are on leave).

Quick tip – to avoid the need for additional staffing resources, why not split the portfolio across all property managers in your team when someone is on leave? This can be built into your team KPIs. That way, the workload is evenly distributed, customers continue to receive quality service and your property manager will return to work without the dreaded feeling of an overwhelming workload to attend to. That’s true teamwork!

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When setting team targets and incentives, it is vitally important to involve your staff – ask them what they think is fair and equitable (for all parties involved) and, more specifically, find out how they would like to be rewarded. Agreement of shared goals will set the scene and clarify the ‘rules of play’, ensuring that all staff understand exactly what is required of them to achieve the target and receive the incentive. Transparency is crucial in this process to ensure there are ‘no shades of grey’. The team target is either achieved or not.

Many successful and unified property management teams have implemented the following ideas regarding team targets and incentives. Understandably, the structure and type of incentive may vary from office to office, depending on the type of team goal and the financial outcomes related to the goal (ie: people, growth, revenue).

Some examples of team targets and incentives may include:

  1. Monthly incentive – if revenue target is achieved (based on total management income generated): $250 gift voucher each.
  2. Quarterly incentive – if revenue target is achieved on a cumulative basis (based on total management income generated): $500 gift voucher each.

Note: this is a great motivator if the team has missed the monthly target, yet averages out across the quarter to meet the revenue target. This is gold for encouraging continued momentum.

  1. Bi-annual incentive  if growth target is achieved across a six-month period (i.e. total number of managements increases to the figure agreed upon): team building day off-site, team lunch/dinner/movie night, etc.

To reward people for their achievements individually is crucial. To reward your team for meeting their shared goals is the key to protecting existing business and paving the way forward for growth. A consequence may also include the retention of exceptional people in your business and the development of high-performing teams.

Lastly, remember that you can never underestimate the power of non-monetary rewards. A simple (and genuine) thank you for a job well done never goes astray. Why not a morning/afternoon off, perhaps a bottle of wine, a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates? These types of rewards will always be well received by your team and will indirectly build loyalty and commitment to your business – so staff are more inclined to go ‘the extra mile’ when necessary.

The Real+ team are here to help you. Why not contact one of our experienced consultants today to find out how we can assist you and plan for business growth, simply by setting team targets and identifying team incentives that will work within your business?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Rachel Atkin

Rachel Atkin

Rachel has over ten years’ experience in real estate and maintains a genuine passion for the industry. She has been employed as a Senior Property Manager, Rental Department Manager and Senior Business Development Manager. A successful and well respected professional within her own right, Rachel is considered to be an expert in her field and is highly regarded for consistently achieving new business growth targets.

Now working with the team at Real+, she is responsible for building relationships with property management businesses around the country, consulting with them identify their weaknesses and gaps, as well as helping them achieve their goals through training, coaching and team development.

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