Keeping your employees motivated is a challenge for just about any business, but is especially important in a leasing office for an apartment complex or large number rental properties. The less inclined and excited your employees are to sell and move in new renters, the more the overall profits will suffer. Not only will the sales pitches be weak on each property they show, but the lack of enthusiasm can be felt by prospective renters through the leasing agent, which will also detract from leases. Below are some tips to motivate your leasing agents to stay excited and motivated to lease as many available properties as possible.
Lead By Example
Go out and try to lease or market properties yourself, so that the other leasing agents on the team see your dedication and spirit towards doing the job. It will also allow you to spend more time in the office and make the whole team more tight knit, discussing strategies for achieving more leases. It will also encourage other leasing agents on the team to try and stay ahead of you, motivating them to work harder than their boss.
Offer Rewards for Individual Salesmanship
While this tip isn’t encouraging you to turn the leasing office into a Glengarry Glen Ross environment, it’s not a bad idea to create a contest out of the number leases that are signed with each leasing agent within a certain quarter. For example, whoever leases the most properties to new renters wins two round trip plane tickets to Hawaii or Las Vegas. There can be second and third place prizes of lesser value as well, allowing others who work hard to do their leasing jobs to be recognized and get a little extra for their efforts. Few things are more motivating then rewards.
Reward the Team
Reward your whole team with parties and dinners from time to time when they do a good job or lease a certain number of properties within a certain period of time. This will encourage the entire team to work together for one common goal, encouraging everyone to concentrate on making the renter sign a lease, rather than just concentrating on their own personal goals. In short, everyone will share in the company’s success. However, you have to be strict about when the team gets rewarded and doesn’t, otherwise the team rewards will lose significance.
Allow Team to Voice Complaints
If there has been lackluster performance in the leasing office and there is a real lack of motivation, create an open forum where leasing agents can air their grievances about why numbers are down. This will allow the employees to blow off steam and get any problems off their chest. It will also give you an idea of what you need to improve upon to get the properties leased and make everyone money. The more honest and fair the sales environment is in the leasing office, the more everyone will focus on doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.
What are your best ways to keep employees motivated in the leasing office?
