1. Incentive Pay. If possible pay all your employees on some form of commission. For instance a CSR (Customer Services Representative): Pay them an hourly wage plus $1.00 for every call booked and not canceled. For dispatchers: Pay them an hourly plus $0.50 for every call cleared off the board on time. For Technicians: Pay them 100% commission. Convert their hourly into a percentage of your cost on labor. This will encourage ALL of your employees to take more ownership in their job. They can then give themselves raises. Every time they want a raise give them another call to answer, to dispatch, or to service.
2. Bonus's. Give a performance bonus. When you do, pay it out in $20 bills in front of all the other employees. Count out loud, $20, $40, $60, etc., this will get the whole group counting. Explain in advance that taxes will come off their next paycheck. One big reason to pay this way is that a paycheck goes to bills, cash goes to fun. This can help ease the stress by allowing them to have a little fun and not feel guilty about it.


3. Give Awards. Call Successories and order their Certificate software. You can print up professional certificates. They even have Gold Seals! Put them in a frame and hand them out in meetings. Give them out on special occasions, such as when a client sends in a letter telling how they really liked one of your employees, or when an employee shows their leadership, etc.
4. Contests. When you run a contest don't do it for the person that does the most. The same person might win over and over when you really are trying to motivate the less productive employees. Run the contest by most improved. For instance; Tech "A" does $100,000 in sales in a year vs. Tech "B" does $50,000. At the end of the next year Tech "A" did $120,000 and Tech "B" did $70,000. Which improved more? It is harder for the top producers to win, but they still increase their productivity and at the same time it motivates the less productive employees.

5. Read. Read as many books and articles on employee relations as you can. A great book is "Don't Fire Them, Fire Them Up!" By Frank Pacetta. This book will give you more ideas on how to take a group of employees that are self-destructing and turn them into the dream team.
6. Training. Provide constant audio/video training from a wide range of people. Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Service Doctors, Association tapes, etc. This will help keep them focused and show that you are not only going to improve their work, but improve their home life as well. Live seminars are fantastic as well, such as Dale Carnegie, Service Doctors, Maio, Zig Ziglar, Success Seminar by Peter Lowe, etc.
7. Quotes. Put a quote of the week or month in the paycheck. Wrap the check in it so they have to open it to get the check. One quote you might include is: The most important question to ask on the job is not "What am I getting?" The most important question to ask is "What am I becoming?" by Jim Rohn.
8. Credit Card Awards. Use a credit card that gives you frequent flyer miles to pay your vendors and as many bills as you can. Then at the end of the year when it comes time for a Christmas bonus you can do this: Change the name on the free tickets you earned from your credit card and give them to your employees. Imagine a tech that lives on a budget getting 2 roundtrip airline tickets. The significant other will greatly appreciate it and all they have to do is pay for meals and hotel. All it cost you was $50-$75 to change the names on the tickets. Some airlines won't even charge you that!

9. Company Functions. Have a bimonthly function. A potluck lunch, weekend beach party, softball game, etc. Invite all the families and make a point of your managers going around and talking to all the family members. Get to know them on a first name basis. Send out Birthday cards to your employees and their family members.
10. Family Participation. Invite family members to a yearly meeting. Do not include the employees. Have food and contests and ask them to share their feelings on how their significant others are doing working there. You may find out more than you want, but you are showing that you are a family oriented company.

Your employees need to feel wanted. Constant "Atta Boys" help prevent employees from feeling like they are not appreciated. In life most people appreciate a simple Thank You, and it is the same with your employees. Remember you have to wake up and look at yourself in the mirror and say, "did I do right today?" Make every decision because it is the right thing to do and life will reward you.

Till next week,

"My goal is to translate response into results.
Some teachers teach for others to learn. That's not me.
Some teachers teach for others to accomplish. That IS me."
   - By Jim Rohn