I did a little vacation boating with an old buddy who is CEO of a small service-oriented company. He wore a t-shirt that pretty much sums up what’s wrong with a lot of organizations today.
It said: “Beatings will continue until morale improves.” It made me a little hesitant to join his crew.
I know my friend, and realize his shirt was tongue-in-cheek. But the message unfortunately rings true at many places of employment where negative feedback far outweighs positive reinforcement as a management tool.
Going negative is no way to get desired results. Especially when it comes to something as critical as helping sales teams improve their telephone skills. As I travel the country speaking about how to maximize revenue from inbound sales and service calls, I reinforce the importance of upper level management’s role in making call training and execution an organizational priority.
But, drilling down even deeper, to change employee behavior, upper level management must set clear expectations for how phone calls are handled, and positively reinforce behavior and results that change for the better. Once these positive reinforcements kick in, they create a cycle of continuous improvement.
The simple truth is, no one likes negative feedback. A study from psychologists at Kansas State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Texas A&M University, was profiled in the Washington Post. Reading the article, this jumped out at me:
“New research looked into how people respond to negative feedback they receive in a performance review. They guessed that people who are motivated by a real desire to learn would respond well to getting critical feedback in a performance review, using it to improve how they work without much in the way of complaint. They were wrong.”
The takeaway? Negative feedback turns off even the most energetic and passionate employees.
Providing positive feedback to the dealership team when phone performance improves reinforces your commitment to excellence and also your appreciation that the team is moving in the right direction.
Employees who know you are committed and see you are pleased with progress, will continue to move in the right direction.
There are different ways to provide feedback. Obviously, one is to do so verbally at weekly sales meetings. When the numbers are moving in a positive direction, acknowledge it. Celebrate it.
Entrepreneur Kevin Kruse, a New York Times and Forbes contributor, lists small things that nonetheless are memorable and motivating to employees:
- Arrange to have their car washed, or better yet, to have their home cleaned.
- Buy small gifts such as movie tickets or Starbuck’s gift cards.
- Give them a card with lottery tickets inside.
- Send a thank you note and gift basket to their spouse.
- Give them flowers or a book or something else small but meaningful.
None of these will break the bank, but they will all be meaningful because they are personal and often completely unexpected.
Small tokens can go a long way toward increasing morale and getting the staff focused on doing the right things.
Of course, the bottom line is always the bottom line. As appointments increase, it is highly likely that commissions will grow, too. One of the most important forms of feedback is to show the link between higher sales and better performance on the phones. This is something that can be done during one-on-one meetings with salespeople.
Once this positive feedback cycle becomes part of company culture, morale will improve. So will performance and profits. It’s better than subjecting them to 50 lashes until they smile, like buddy’s shirt message suggested.
Andrew Price is president of CallSource Automotive. He can be reached at 877-725-5573.
