As a culture, we need to master the art of appreciation before it fades into history.
I ordered at a drive-thru the other day. When I thanked the disembodied, crackly voice, the response was, “No problem.” It hit me that we need to work on communicating thanks.
Thus started my informal survey of how Americans give and receive appreciation.
We used to say, “You’re welcome” in response to “Thank you.” Now, it’s more commonly expressed as “Sure” and “No problem”.
At one drive-thru, the person taking my order said, “It’s my pleasure!” I drove up to the window and asked who took my order. She came to the window and I gave her a tip to acknowledge that she was delivering customer service that was appreciated.
Are you an appreciation master?
How are you expressing appreciation to your team? Are you simply telling them they’re “not a problem”? You’re a sales leader. Is that the best you can do?
When you don’t respectfully communicate appreciation, you lose an opportunity to make a stronger connection. A quick “no problem” has the sincerity of a texted “ty” or a thumbs-up emoji. Can you take a few more seconds and be genuine? Try this next time:
“You did a great job on that. Thank you so much for your effort. I just want you to know you’re appreciated.”
Even when you’re making a correction to someone, you can show appreciation.
“You’re doing really well. I appreciate the way you take correction as an opportunity to keep improving. Keep up the good work!”
Praise goes a long way in the workplace. A team member who is acknowledged for an accomplishment, even a seemingly minor one, will build the relationship and the loyalty that comes along with that. Being thankful delivers strong ROI in the form of retaining your star new home sales professionals! HR professionals are quick to support employee recognition programs and say that the appreciation it presents builds worker satisfaction, productivity, morale, and trust.
What’s it worth to you to appreciate your team? One study estimates it costs 33% of a worker’s annual salary to replace them.
Ways to show appreciation
A simple “thank you” is a great way to show appreciation to your workers. Here are more ideas:
- A monthly employee recognition program acknowledges extra efforts in front of the team. Include people who are showing major improvement. They’re often the ones who need recognition the most.
- Provide training to your new home sales professionals. Studies show that professional development contributes to employee retention.
- Reward more than sales achievement. Don’t just reward your team members for meeting or exceeding sales goals. Set professional goals, such as certifications or improving lead follow-up.
- Encourage feedback. When you ask people for their opinion, you communicate respect, which shows appreciation.
- Spend quality time, one on one, with each of your new home sales professionals. This personal attention gives them a chance to be heard.
- Random acts of appreciation are a nice surprise. Take one or more people to lunch, or cater it at your workplace. Send a stressed, hard-working team member to a spa, courtesy of the company.
- Praise them publicly. Use social media to show your appreciation for one person, a group, or an entire team.
- Notice the small stuff. Don’t overlook things that might seem minor. “You’re so quick to get back to me. I really appreciate that about you.” “I notice you’re really great at organizing your time. Maybe you can share some tips with the team sometime.”
Let’s all work at being more thankful! Avoid using “No problem” or “Sure” as a response to someone offering thanks. And reinforce to others when they get it right, like “It was my pleasure!”
Being appreciative is a big step in building a thankful culture. And we need that right now.
