Want to Double the Chances That Great Staff will Stay With You?

I read with interest a recent Smart Company article that quoted research from US software company Highground on the benefits of creating loyal employees. The figures are well worth noting and every business should have a focus on ensuring your employees are more engaged as this will build staff loyalty.

Here’s the Highground research on highly engaged employees. They are:

  • Twice as likely to remain with your company
  • Twice as likely to help a co-worker even if they do not ask for help
  • Three times as likely to do something good for the company that was not expected of them
  • Five times as likely to recommend a friend or relative to apply for a job at your company

These statistics make it very clear that spending time on improving the engagement of your staff is well worth the effort. Who doesn’t want the benefits highlighted above to be taking place every day your team is working together. Imagine the increase in productivity, the increased morale and for retailers, the massive impact positive and motivated staff have on customers.

I saw some other research recently (from feedback ASAP) that shows top performers have a 40% better acceptance of add on’s than bottom performers. Top performers achieve over 100% higher sales per hour than bottom performers.

Not only do highly engaged staff stick around longer and help other colleagues they are better salespeople and produce much more income per hour. From my own experiences and the feedback from friends and colleagues, there is a massive opportunity for a large number of sales staff to improve.

Of course, the question is – how do I engage my team so they become more loyal and better at what they do? Here are some thoughts that you can implement quite easily and quickly:

  • Spend some time finding out what motivates and de-motivates each team member. Find out more about them and try to match their needs and wants within reason.
  • Offer diversity in their job role as well as opportunities. Give them a chance to try other things so they find out what they like and don’t like.
  • Develop and communicate a clear vision so the team knows what they are there for. Link this to a social outcome so they also know how they are making a difference and for whom.
  • Provide both positive and improvement feedback regularly so they know how they are going. Praise what they are doing well and help them to improve in the areas they need help with.
  • Be consistent with the above four steps across the entire team. In my experience, that’s what most staff want, a leader who is consistent so they know where they stand.

There is so much upside of spending the time to implement these steps. I know dealing with staff is time-consuming but if you need them more than they need you (that means you can’t run the business on your own), it’s in your best interest to have them highly engaged and being the best they can be at all times.


Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Retail Solution” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.