The Secret to Customer Satisfaction: Your Team

What makes a customer satisfied with your business or organization? The answer may surprise you. It’s not always about offering the lowest prices or the newest gadgets. According to research from the University of Missouri, employee satisfaction plays a major role. The study shows that CEOs who pay attention to employees’ job satisfaction are able to both boost customer satisfaction and increase repeat business from those buyers two-fold. Simply put, when your team is happy, everyone is happy—including your bottom line.

So how do you keep your team members satisfied and blissful? As Dave teaches in EntreLeadership Master Series, there are numerous ways to attract and keep passionate, creative people who love their jobs. Here are just a few ways he pumps up his team:

1. All in the Family

Walk around Dave’s office after 5:30 p.m., and you’ll rarely see anyone. Why? Because Dave and his leaders believe in a proper work/life balance. They don’t want stressed out, tired, unhappy people with even unhappier spouses. If you are at the office after work hours, there’s a good chance Dave will come by and tell you to go home. Get your job done in 40 hours or ask for help. It’s that simple.

2. A Sense of Ownership

Want your team to be passionate about their jobs? Give them a sense of ownership in your company through profit sharing, commissions and bonuses. When a salesperson makes a huge deal, watch how the whole team—even those who don’t earn commissions—gets fired up, because everyone shares in the win when the company profits.

3. Keep on Learning

Keeping your team engaged and happy can be as simple as allowing them to continue to learn and grow. As Dave says, “People with stimulated minds make better, more creative and more passionate team members.” Value education and help pay for classes or workshops whenever possible.

4. Work That Matters

Everyone at Dave’s company is required to memorize the mission statement. Why? Because it’s one of the ways leaders ensure that the team knows they are working on something bigger than themselves.

The company mission statement is: The Lampo Group, Inc. provides biblically based, common-sense education and empowerment which gives HOPE to everyone from the financially secure to the financially distressed.

Having a higher calling lifts and inspires. It turns employees into crusaders fighting for the cause, willing to slay dragons right alongside you.

5. Stop Talking

Dave says gossip is an immature, horrible nasty sin that can seep into your organization and make everyone unhappy. It has the power to divide and destroy everything you have built. That’s why he instituted a zero-gossip policy with one simple rule: negatives go up, positives go down. Team members are encouraged to tell their leaders about the bad stuff, not each other. Gossiping is a fireable offense.

Whether through academic research or simply looking at the success of companies like Dave’s, Zappos and Google, it’s easy to see that satisfied team members help your business grow. Drop those old notions that the only thing an employee deserves is a paycheck, then step back and watch the magic happen. We guarantee you’ll be happy with the results.

To learn more about business, team building and leadership, download our EntreLeadership podcast.