Employee turnover is a fact of life. The truth is, sometimes, despite your best efforts, a top performing team member may eventually move on in pursuit of a better opportunity. Unfortunately, paying top dollar to replace them isn’t always an option. A more cost-effective way to manage staff turnover is to promote from within. The good news is that with the right approach, you can take mediocre workers and turn them into property management superstars. Here’s how.

Create a persona 

When marketing your property management services, chances are you have certain buyer personas that you’ve created to improve results. The same concept can be applied to employee promotions. Create a benchmark of your ideal employee against which to measure progress and achievement. You can create this from scratch or use a previous superstar employee’s performance as an example.

Invest in training 

The employees you currently have in place may have incredible potential that you can tap into by investing in appropriate training and continuing education. Take time to assess and gauge each team member’s strengths and interests. See if there are natural career progressions that can be nurtured. And don’t skimp. If you want a quality outcome, you have to invest in a training program of equal stature.

Approach things as a partnership 

You want to promote your employees for the betterment of your property management company. They want to climb the ladder to further their career, improve their skills and feel a sense of accomplishment. In other words, your approach to staff development should be that of an equal-opportunity partnership. Work with your employees to help them map out their career goals and look for ways to strategically make those aspirations into a reality.

Define appropriate incentives 

What’s in it for them? What things might motivate different team members to want to step up to the plate and make a career change? If money is tight, look for other creative perks and incentives that can complement a smaller bump in pay, such as a new office or a flexible work schedule. Figure out ways to demonstrate how your employees will directly benefit from their participation.

Encourage risk taking and accept that mistakes are part of the process 

Think of your own career journey. It’s likely that you’ve made plenty of your own mistakes over the years. Rather than giving up and throwing in the towel, you let those mistakes shape your path to accomplishment. Encourage your employees to take risks where applicable and be supportive along the way. This will let employees know that it’s ok to try new things without fear of backlash.

Recognize and celebrate individuality

Not all superstar employees will be the same. Some may be motivated by entirely different things while each will have his or her own unique strengths. Be cognizant of what frustrates and engages your new up-and-comers and focus on a strategy that will make each team member’s skills shine the brightest.

Creating a star staff within your property management company doesn’t necessarily require recruiting outside talent. With the right approach and a positive attitude, you can turn ordinary staff into prize-winning employees. The tips above should help set you up for success.