MAKE THEM
PROUD
How
many salespeople do you have? And how many full and part-time employees? What
effect would it have on your business if those two numbers were the same? Imagine
if you had 10 salespeople instead of 1; or 60 instead of 6; or 5000 instead
of 100. Well, you could. Everyone in your business could be a salesperson,
out there telling everyone they meet about your fantastic company and its fabulous
products.
But for staff to promote your company, they would have to understand just
how fantastic your company is. They would also have to be proud of your company
and its products and services. These aren’t going to happen by chance. You
have to market your company to your staff, just as you would to your customers.
Now I am definitely not talking about producing reports, newsletters, memos
and other boring bits of corporate communication that interest no one including
the people who write them. I am talking about a planned and resourced internal
marketing campaign where the target market is your staff, and the campaign’s
objective is to inform, excite, and even make people proud to be associated
with your company.
The first step in developing the campaign is to list all of your company’s
assets and achievements. What is special about your company? What have you
accomplished? What do you have to be proud about? Think about three areas.
First, list the things you are doing for your customers. These could be ways
you make their lives better, and stories about exceptional things you have
done to help customers in need. You might even include some positive feedback
you have received from customers. Second, think about what you do for your
staff. How are their lives richer because they work for you? This might include
financial rewards, career opportunities, or lifestyle benefits such as flexi-time.
Finally, think about the contributions you have made to the community in which
your business resides. What have you done to make your corner of the world
a little better than it was? Do you sponsor teams, help schools, support local
organisations, or improve the environment? You don’t have to compile these
achievements by yourself. Involve your managers and team leaders. Have a meeting.
Brainstorm a list. Then take the list away and revise it.
Once you have identified the stories you have to tell, work out the best
way to tell them. Remember, this is internal marketing, not internal communication.
Tell your stories with pictures and with posters, not just words. Involve graphic
designers and other professionals, just as you would if you were planning an
external marketing campaign. Decide which themes you want to develop over the
next year. Choose the stories that best communicate these themes. Then find
pictures, images and words that communicate these. Be bold. Be colourful. Be
dramatic. The aim is to excite not simply to inform. Think about your customers
(who are your staff in this case) as you do this. Think about how a message
would have to be presented to have impact on them. Think about where you could
put these posters for maximum impact. The staff room, hallways, elevators and
even the lobby are great display areas. You will need to change the displays
from time to time, of course. People become bored quickly. You must keep your
campaign alive and fresh.
You will probably feel uncomfortable with this idea because Kiwis don’t like
to blow their own trumpets. It is embarrassing, and it is a little scary. You
can just hear the knockers, can’t you? The great Kiwi Clobbering machine will
be fired up and the tall poppies mown down. But if you don’t blow your own
horn, who will? And if no one sings your praises, how will your staff know
that they work for a great New Zealand company?
Staff who are proud of the company they work for stay longer, are more productive
and are more pleasant to be around. They are also great advocates, telling
anyone who will listen just how wonderful your company and its products and
services are. Think about what that could do for morale, your sales, and even
your profits.
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