No one ever said, “I hope my bottom line never grows, and my client base never expands.” said no business owner EVER.
Many elements make up a solid small to medium-size business:
- Great product
- Great market research
- Great followup after the purchase
However, one thing that can make your business fall flat if you don’t have a reliable and dependable internal team structure.
Why?
It gets down to this: your team needs to believe in the company and the product to make your brand strong. This is accomplished through a foundation of four points:
A solid squad always has four major qualities at its foundation:
Everyone is on the same page
This is accomplished by having regular meetings to discuss issues, trends, problems, and resolve everything at the end of each session. Which leads to the next aspect of a strong foundation.
Everyone feels they have a voice in the company
Some people may have issues speaking up, go around the room, and ask for input. The spirit of open communication keeps the team feeling alive.
Everyone is involved in the success of the brand
When a team member has an idea of a better way to do things, upgrades on delivery, or other improvements, allow them to tell others during a meeting. This brainstorming can open up new products, services, and ways to hit the market your competitors have not even considered yet.
Hard work gets acknowledged
When a team member goes all out for the brand, shout it out during meetings and even on social media. Always give credit where it’s due.
Did you gather every one of those hallmarks is about making your team feel important and valued? That is because, to have a stake in the success of a brand, every team member needs to have an emotional attachment to the product and brand. People who believe in the brand do not mind working hard to make it successful.
What Happens If You Don’t Build an Engaged Team?
Then you wind up with people who show up and do just enough work to get paid and keep their job. They aren’t interested in contributing to meetings, don’t care about the product, and it will show in the form of one-time customers and a lack of brand loyalty.
Remember: Mediocrity never accomplished anything.
What Can You Do To Bring a Team Together?
Set goals, and it is essential to set both attainable short-term goals as well as “bigger picture” long term goals. This keeps the momentum going as the shorter-term measures get attained. Brainstorm during meetings and develop step-by-step plans to reach goals and assign clearly defined roles to team members for accountability.
Reward Hard Work
While being told “good job” is great, create rewards for teams that pull together and increase the success of the brand. Monetary rewards or company trips to celebrate success together are all excellent perks to use.
How to Get to This Point in Your Business
If your small to medium-size business hasn’t been ready to build a team, determine the qualities you want as you carefully bring each member onboard.
If you already have a team, look carefully at each individual and their part in the success of the business. You need to determine where their best fit in your organization is and define each person’s role.
During your next team meeting, bring up goal planning for the next quarter and notice which team members grab the reins and which sit back and let others do the work. The people who sit back are signaling that they are fully invested in the success of the company or brand.
Think of your business like a beautiful garden with massive potential to grow the best and brightest plants. Weeds take away from that, and much like weeding a garden, you need to weed your team from time to time to wind up with a solid group of people that are as determined to make the brand successful as you are.