Mattamy Homes is continuing its tradition of team building for its 13-member sales force.
“We believe in our sales team and we invest a lot in them,” said Tami MacKinnon, vice president of sales and marketing for Mattamy Homes. “The people we have here are the people we have hand-selected and want to keep - that’s why we have training and team building days.”
Mattamy Homes has sponsored several training sessions that have helped groom sales associates for personal and professional greatness. The events are designed to promote closer relationships within the organization so the team is better positioned to achieve excellence together.
Mattamy Homes took its sales team to “training camp.” The purpose of the event was to recognize members of the sales team for their hard work and to reward the team with a special day of fun and camaraderie. Building on the training camp theme, each member received a matching Mattamy Homes ball cap and T-shirt to participate in the day’s events.
During the morning, professional speaker Meredith Oliver rallied the team with a two-hour training session on everything from motivation, tips on sales and various closing techniques.
The training session ended with a pep rally, then a stretch limousine picked up the sales team for lunch at a local bistro. The day wrapped up with competition - an afternoon of bowling at a nearby bowling alley.
“We always make sure our training sessions are first and foremost a resource for learning wonderful sales techniques,” MacKinnon said. “But that has to be balanced with fun - and in that fun, you see associates learning and appreciating more about each other personally.”
Earlier this year, Mattamy Homes hosted a team-building event that focused on laughter and helped reinforce that bond between co-workers. Called “The Prescription for Success...Laughter,” the event was staged by local comedy workshop, Improv Jacksonville.
Improv Jacksonville led the Mattamy Homes team in several workshops designed to encourage laughter and camaraderie between co-workers and departments. The group learned and practiced communication skills including listening with multiple senses, communicating clearly and responding to communication in ways that create positive energy and momentum.
Improv Jacksonville started with easy group activities and later introduced activities that were both mentally and physically challenging. Improv Jacksonville also made sure the Mattamy Homes team worked and learned about as many of their coworkers as possible. At the end of each game, the Improv Jacksonville team briefed the Mattamy Homes group - about what they learned and how it applied to their workplace.
“Laughter relaxes the mind which results in less tension - and less tension leads to happier working environments and better production,” MacKinnon said.
As is the case with most Mattamy team-building getaways, the exercise was followed by an afternoon of fun. Mattamy team members later enjoyed lunch and played games at Dave & Buster’s, a restaurant and arcade venue on Jacksonville’s Southside.
Mattamy Homes’ team-building events aren’t always about new sales techniques. About a year ago, the company hosted its sales team to an event that focused on something that could be applied positively to professional and personal growth: business etiquette.
“Etiquette can sometimes make or break a deal,” MacKinnon said. “So we wanted to reinforce how important business manners and proper behavior are to the people they serve.”
The etiquette training session was called a “Suntacular Training Day” and was held in a beach setting at the Sea Turtle Inn in Atlantic Beach. The sales team was invited to come dressed in casual summer attire.
Clockwork Marketing, a marketing and public relations firm in Ponte Vedra Beach, coached the team in business etiquette with a seminar and competitions with prizes, gifts and awards.
This year, Mattamy Homes expects to have more sales retreats and fun days. However, MacKinnon doesn’t like to plan them too far in advance. Instead, she plans the training sessions around issues or events that are of timely importance to her sales team.
MacKinnon said Mattamy Homes usually has three or four training days per year.
“We build as we go, so it really depends on what comes up,” MacKinnon said. “We don’t want this to be so planned that we’re not hitting the hot topics of the time.”