Small business owners are keenly focused on building and selling top-quality products and services to meet their revenue goals. They use sales analysis and customer data to make decisions on which products to keep and which need to be removed or repositioned. But are they missing out on the most critical customers…their employees?
A properly structured business is built around solving problems (needs) for its customers. That need can range from being hungry to a place to board your dog while your out of town, but there is no doubt every expenditure is in response to a problem that needs solving.
Business owners spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising to let potential customers know they have the solution to their needs, but are they overlooking the low hanging fruit of peer-to-peer referrals? Are their employees so excited about the products/services being offered that they use them themselves or better yet, ensures everyone they know uses them?
When you look at companies that have cultures that drive their success (Publix, Chick-fil-a, Google, etc.), one of the things you’ll notice is the employees are proud of where they work. They identify with the core values of the company and the company’s dedication to its customers and staff. Therefore, they are fulltime brand ambassadors and make sure everyone they encounter are familiar with or introduced to their employer’s brand.
It should be no different for small businesses. Training employees should encompass more than showing them how to sell products or services. It should view employees as consumers and address how they can use your products to solve their problems. Explain what makes your products different, the process of delivering the product to the end users, and policies for customer service.
A good example of this would be a restaurant where employees train in the front of the house and the back of the house. They get to taste everything on the menu including the bar (if they are old enough to drink). Menu changes are introduced at staff meetings, and everyone gets to taste the new items, understand the reason for the addition, and offer their honest opinions.
Two things happen in this scenario. First they will become customers for all of the products they really enjoyed and second they will feel a deeper sense of job satisfaction because they are involved with what happens to bring the products to market.
Once they are customers, ask for feedback from a quality viewpoint and ease of use. Find out what they would change if they had a “blank check” and really listen to their responses. What you will find is a unique perspective from someone who is on both side of the transaction, which ultimately leads to higher customer engagement.
When your employees have honest conversations about your products because they use them or not, the customers feel they are honest and trustworthy and will not only purchase your products but become loyal as long as they feel they are receiving enough value for their money.
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This post was previously published on rbsocala.medium.com.
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