The most effective tool leaders have at their disposal is time with their salespeople.

Time talking with our salespeople, one-on-one, over coffee. At times, we can become so busy and everything else becomes a priority that we no longer allow time to do this most important leadership function, but do we really save time by neglecting one-on-one time with our people?

There is an old leadership saying:

Loyalty is most often won in private.

If you believe this, you understand why taking the time to sit down with a salesperson and asking “How are you?” is so important. It is so important that if you fail to do it regularly, I guarantee that you will spend much more time hiring new people than you will ‘waste’ doing one-on-ones.

Ask “How are you?”, and you may avert a performance slump, resignation, or even better, you may help your team member overcome a personal problem. This is the highest calling of leadership and the one that wins loyalty above all others.

And do listen to what your team member replies. Never accept “Good” or “Okay” without further questioning. Listen to the tone of voice and observe the body language. If their results aren’t where they should be, and if you detect something is not quite right, ask this follow-up question: “How are you, really?”

You might be surprised by what you learn. Perhaps the team member is not getting the support from their spouse and is thinking of leaving. It might explain why their performance has waned. Now you know what the problem is, you might decide to take your team member and their spouse for dinner and see if you can address the problem.

One-on-one time will give you an opportunity to further build your relationship with them and uncover any issues behind the scenes that could be stopping them from operating at their fullest potential. At times, you may think there is nothing to talk about or that everything is going along smoothly for them. You will be surprised at what can come out just by taking the time to catch up with them. Many one-on-ones I have had where I thought everything was going fine for the salesperson, only to uncover all sorts of issues they weren’t comfortable speaking with me about in a work environment.

A valuable tool and often ignored or overlooked tool for a real estate principle.  Use it to stay connected with your salespeople. Stay connected by giving them your time. This will win their hearts, then you can win their minds.