An essential part of marketing for any business is not only the employees the owner or management chooses to hire but the training that each employee receives. After all, the people in your employ are representatives of the company as a whole. One bad experience with one employee can undermine any marketing efforts a business owner has strived to achieve. More important than any flyer, future event advertisement or coupon for a return-visit discount that you could take the time and trouble to print and place on a counter or wall in your place of business; taking the time and effort to train employees to share your company philosophy and encourage a positive customer experience can have more of an impact on return business than anything else. For instance, if a potential customer, possibly one who has come upon a flyer or publication promoting your business, calls for directions or to ask a question regarding services your business provides and has a bad experience, your business transaction may likely stop there and your return on investment becomes a big goose-egg! Hiring, training and keeping good employees are challenges that most business owners face.

However, an investment in staff education and promotion of personal development can be worth its weight in gold. When you take the human element into account with regard to marketing a business, it is important to recognize that we all desire to feel important and that our contribution matters. When people feel valued at their place of employment and feel as though they are making a worthwhile contribution to a team, they tend to stay on with the company longer; which can significantly reduce turnover and lower annual costs for rehiring and training future personnel. Further, employees who feel valued on the job tend to take more pride in the day to day tasks they are assigned; are less likely to show up late or call in sick; are less likely to steal from the company and overall; and do a better job than others who do not. By making an investment in your employees, and training them to share in your personal philosophy, they are more apt to look out for the companies’ best interest and by this you create a trickle-down effect. The impact that of creating happy employees and a happy workplace generates is an invaluable way to market your business in-house. Therefore, making the investment in employee education and promotion can prove to be worth its weight in gold.

One company, called Results Through Motivation (RTM), has been very successful in doing just that. RTM began with a philosophy and made the integration of employees and customer relations a primary focus. Within an employee’s very first week on the job they were to memorize the ‘Six P’s of the RTM Philosophy’: Purpose, People, Planning, Perfection, Profit, and Pride. At the end of the week the employee was to recite the Six P’s and give their interpretation of what they meant. Further, RTM continued to instill their vision, mission and purpose into their training program and the people who work with RTM tend to achieve great results, and is reflected in their sales and profits since its inception in 1983. RTM posts the following in all of their places of business:

Our Vision: To be the premier quick service food company in the world.
Our Mission: Quality Food, Fast and Friendly.
Our Purpose: To make money, have fun and make a difference in people’s lives.

By creating an atmosphere of good spirit and team effort, employees become an integral part of helping forward your business in your intended direction and as a result, they do much of your in-house marketing for you!

References:

Wikipedia., “Stew Leonard’s”; Web, 26 July 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew_Leonard’s>

Funding Universe., “RTM Resturant Group” – Web, 27 July 2011, <http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/RTM-Restaurant- Group-Company-History.html>

Reference: Marketing > Marketing for Long-Distance and Mail-In Services