Idea #2 – Train staff to speak to customers in an informed manner

Unless you’re a web-based business, then so often it’s a company’s staff that are at the frontline of customer and client relations. It’s a scary thought for any business owner to acknowledge but the reality is that it’s these people who can make or break a sale. The trick is to ensure they’re ‘worded up’ appropriately.

So…Explain to your staff the role they play in creating customer perceptions and feelings about your business. A great way to do this is to get them to personalise the experience. Get them together over a few sandwiches one lunchtime or after hours and ask them how they feel towards a company when they receive great service…and (more importantly) poor service.

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If you just want a ‘standard’ greeting to be used, keep it brief and explain the type of ‘tone’ you want staff to use.

If your staff need to answer questions, or explain what your business does, then create a draft script that covers all the main points. An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sheet is a must for any business. The best way to develop this is to get your staff to list all the questions they’ve ever been asked during the course of speaking to past and present customers…then commit them to paper and develop answers for each one. Not only is this a useful tool for existing staff, it’s also a great way of inducting new employees.

Then each staff member can use their own approach based on your guidance to say it in their own way (but making sure the main points are properly covered). If you try and give each staff member a standard word-for-word script, then they may lose their enthusiasm and character and it will sound like a script.

Use simple role-plays to demonstrate the outcome you want. Give a refresher after a few weeks if you think it is needed.

Including staff in the development process and drawing on their own experience in talking with customers is also a very effective way of acknowledging their value in helping your business succeed.

Another important point in wording up your staff is to make sure they know their job. Tell them about your products, services, return policies, your businesses selling style, who your decision makers are, your marketing strategy, how you want them to handle complaints, your competitors, and more. Remember, to your customers your staff ARE your business… and ‘front-line’ staff can be found anywhere — on the phone, at the counter, in the warehouse, in delivery vehicles etc.

By supporting staff, asking them for their input and generally helping them feel more professional, they’ll be much more likely to be the custodians of your business that you wished for.

Tips to make this happen:

Talk to staff about this idea…get their feedback before you actually do it
Do it in a way that gives them ownership and the flexibility to inject their own personality in to it
Reward staff who are seen to be taking the lead in implementing this idea

Now, list at least three reasons why this would be a worthwhile marketing idea for your business.

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And three reasons why it wouldn’t work.

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If it still stacks up, then start your TO DO list to get this idea underway…

That’s it for now. You’ve still got three business building ideas coming your way over the coming days.

But if you’re itching to take the express lane to small business marketing success then CLICK HERE to check out our latest best seller ‘The “I Just Want Simple Marketing Ideas That Work” Book’. It’s an immediate download and comes with a 100% money back guarantee so there’s nothing to lose and plenty to gain. Beat your competitors to it now.

Yours in success…

Tim & Luke
Small Business Big Marketing