How to fix real estate awards

Real estate office awards have long needed a shakeup. Our industry is obsessed with ranking agents on only one variable - income.  This usually means that every awards night you see the same people being celebrated.

Many salespeople aren't motivated simply by money. They're motivated by doing a good job, helping others, being a team player and having a good life balance.

As an industry, we are missing a golden opportunity to celebrate all the agents who add value to our teams, even if they don't consistently rank no.1 in sales.

Here are 11 new award ideas to incorporate into your next awards function. By doing so, you'll be including members of your team who don't normally get up on stage...

Real estate sales award ideas

1. Never give up award. Given to the agent who had the longest days on the market for a single listing resulting in a sale.
2. Team player / to the rescue award. For the agent congratulates others on their success. Who helps out their colleagues in a jam, running an extra open home at the last minute, letting a building inspector in on short notice or helping buyers at auctions.  
3. Client satisfaction award. For the salesperson who has the biggest raving fans.
4. Laugh-out-loud award. Given to the agent who can break the tension in the office by making everyone laugh. The one who makes coming to work more fun for everybody.
5. Best marketing campaign award. For a creative marketing campaign that was the talk of the town and attracted bucketloads of visitors.
6. Best advert award. Encourage your agents to make an effort to write incredible adverts by awarding the best work in this area. Who puts genuine thought into their write-up?
7. Worst photos award. Given to the agent who insists on still taking listing photos on their iPhone.
8. Scariest driver award. For the salesperson who always seems to have a new ding on their car. The person you never want to go driving with on caravan day. (could award a driving lessons voucher).
9. Best dressed / best presented. Awarded to the agent who consistently makes an effort to look their best each day.
10. Comeback player of the year. Awarded to the salesperson who rebounded from a major life challenge to get their career back on track. Maybe they had time off for a health scare or a tough relationship breakup. We all go through challenges and what better way to support your team than recognising their effort to bounce back when times are tough?
11. If you have an office with lots of teams, add a PA of the year and/or buyers agent of the year award. These integral members of your staff don't normally get recognised but are critical to the success of your top agents.

Key point: Don't forget to thank your office administrators, support staff and property management team. You could add individual awards to the list above that recognise these all-important pillars of your business, or you could provide a team voucher experience so all your admin team can go for a massage, have a nice lunch out together, or go to a concert/event.

On top of just providing creative awards, give out prizes that mean something to the recipients:

Real estate awards prize ideas

1. Bonus 5 or 10% on your next commission
2. Free training session with a top real estate trainer
3. Real estate sales advice book
4. Free membership to Agent Monday!
5. Free ticket to your annual conference
6. Free accommodation at your annual conference
7. New iPad / tech voucher
8. Car grooming voucher
9. Voucher for direct mail campaign printing

Notice these are all positive prizes that are helpful to your team, but also incentivise the kind of activity you want to encourage.

Bonus tip

Have a present for the whole sales team to enjoy. It could be a new coffee machine, a new bbq for Friday arvo drinks, a snack cabinet that the office keeps full, a new fridge for the kitchen, a bathroom upgrade, or a new heater. Anything that makes your team's working lives a little more comfortable.

Moral of the story

Have fun with your next awards night. Make it as inclusive as possible. Some of your team members will never reach no.1 in sales but they still add value to your business. Show them you care by recognising what makes them special.