Employees Archives - Page 8 of 11 - McLellan Marketing Group

Is branding only an external activity?

April 1, 2007

The answer is no.

In fact…as a business owner or leader, you should be branding your organization to your employees every day. There is no audience more important to your brand’s success.

But all too often, its internal communication budgets that get cut. Or leadership consistently says one thing and then does another — losing credibility and trust.

If you want to learn how to lead an employee-centric company, you only need to go to one blog to learn the ropes. Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand focuses on how to inspire your employees to help you deliver the brand promise to your clients. Her posts on leadership, retaining employees and her podcast series are packed with gems you can put to immediate use.

Last week, I had the incredible good fortune to speak to Anna on the phone. We talked about how the relationship between the employer and the employee is experiencing a power shift, just like the one we’re seeing between customers and companies. We also talked about recruiting, generational differences and a whole lot more.

Anna captured our conversation and I’m very proud to be the voice of Show #73 of the Engaging Brand podcast series — Secrets of a Great Employer.

Go over and take a listen. And while you are there — bask in the smarts of Anna Farmery.

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Try this experiment on your employees

March 29, 2007

No lab coat required.

If you asked your peers/employees to tell you in a sentence what your company’s compelling reason for being was – what would they say?

If you are like most companies, they would burst out laughing.

And then odds are, every one of them would give you a different answer.

How can we expect our employees to deliver consistent quality and service/products that are aligned with the company’s core mission if they don’t know (and really know) not only WHAT it is, but WHAT it means, WHY it matters and HOW you make it real?

This isn’t just a marketing slogan of the month or rattling off a buzz word or two – this is taking the time to define the heart and soul of why you are in business – from your consumer’s point of view.

Try it. Come back and tell us about the experiment.

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5 Keys to a Rock Solid Guarantee

March 27, 2007

If you’ve been following our very insightful conversation about whether or not you should offer a guarantee to your clients/customers, you might have decided it’s for you.

If so — here are 5 keys to a rock solid guarantee:

Only promise what you can deliver. In the comments section David Reich tells the story of a client who wanted him to promise a Business Week cover. He wisely and ethically refused.

Be straightforward. A guarantee that requires 3 paragraphs of disclaimers is going to be viewed accurately. You don’t really intend to ever honor it.

No legalese. Use plain old English.

Prep your staff. Make it very clear how you’d like your team to respond if a customer invokes the guarantee. Give them the tools, the procedure and the permission to honor your promise.

No questions, no hesitation, no excuses. Just do as you promised. Apologize. And ask for another chance.

No one pleases their clients 100% of the time. Why not give your customers a way to express their discontent (better to tell you than 20 of their friends) and give you a chance to make it right?

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Should you offer a guarantee?

March 25, 2007

You probably already do, implicitedly.

After all, if a customer is very unhappy with your service or product aren’t you going to do something — fix it, replace it, return it, repeat it, refund it– to make them happy?

Offering a guarantee is just merchandising and marketing your unspoken policy. But, the difference between letting it just be assumed and using it as a marketing advantage can be notable. Here are some of the advantages:

It reassures the first time buyer that they have a safety net
It sets the bar for your employees
It gives you a platform to have a "here’s what we expect" conversation with your sub-contractors
It clearly communicates your confidence in your product/service
It allows you to define the terms of how you satisfy an unhappy client up front

You’re going to make it right anyway — so why not use it as a point of difference?

What experiences have you had with a guarantee — either as the customer or the company? Do you have a nightmare to share? Has it ever saved a customer relationship for you?

Flickr photo courtesy of mrshawn.

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How would you tip the scales?

March 24, 2007

It’s the biggest sales job we have to do — sell ourselves.

We’re:

One of two agencies up for an account
One of two finalists for a job we really want
One of two small businesses pitching for a big new client

You know that the decision makers are in the final phases of weighing their options. Might be a few days, might be a week, might even be a month.

How do you stay top of mind? How do you let them know you really want the job/account? How do you demonstrate you’re the right choice? How do you balance the scales between looking too eager versus nonchalant? Or do you do nothing and just let your interview/proposal speak for itself?

How do you make sure that you stand out from the crowd?

Flickr photo courtesy of buggs.

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Hurry up to help a grad!

March 24, 2007

Earlier this month I posted a request. Help me help the newly emerging college grad .

Let’s save them from all those horrific mistakes that leave us shaking our heads.
Let’s guide them by sharing our own war stories.
Let’s inspire them with words of wisdom.

In short — let’s get them a job!

I am compiling all of the great comments (and tracked back posts if I can find them throughout the blogosphere) into a free e-book that we’ll make available to any grad who wants the download.

We’re going to start assembling the e-book at the end of the month, so you have a few days left to get your comments in.

Come on — someone helped you once upon a time. Time to return the favor.

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A bit of Walt Disney’s business philosophy

March 22, 2007

When asked his feelings about being bottom-line driven, Walt Disney replied: "If we take care of our guests and our cast members, the rest takes care of itself."

What do you think? Too simplistic? Right on the money? Have a different take?

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How do you fuel anticipation?

March 21, 2007

Anticipation. (For the 30+ crowd, you should be singing by now.)

What a powerful and often over-looked marketing tool. How could it enhance our customer’s experience? Think about these buying situations:

A couple books a cruise 9 months in advance.
A client gets fired up during the discovery process but must now wait 3-6 weeks for a logo design.
A bike enthusiast puts in his order for the new Harley which will be off the line in 15 months.

Let’s face it, we want them to be counting the days. To be watching the clock. To be talking about the pending delivery to their peers and colleagues. We want them to be hungry for the pay off, right?

Here’s my question to you — how do you keep a client’s enthusiasm bubbling while you are back at the shop, toiling away? This is a question we still wrestle with at MMG. We’re not as good at this as I’d like us to be.

Looking for a great example of someone who does do it well? It won’t shock you to discover that Disney is always working on improving in this arena. Most people book their Disney vacation at least 6+ months in advance. They have an extensive Vacation Planning Kit, which includes a DVD that I guarantee you gets watched many times before the actual journey begins. By adults and kids alike. But they decided that wasn’t enough anticipation buzz.

So, they’ve just launched their new Customized Maps which allow you to create your family’s personal journey through each of the theme parks. After you’ve spent time deciding which attractions, shows and restaurants you want to visit — they will send you 5 full color 14" x 20" maps that are made to your specifications.

Wow.

Add up the time spent choosing the locations, marking each map and then the time studying the maps once they arrive. That’s building anticipation!

Fair enough, we’re not Disney. But it is a very potent reminder that even though we have a client’s money — we still need to search for ways to keep them at the edge of their seat.

How do you keep your clients psyched up while they wait?

Flickr photo courtesy of Mike ~heart~ Tiffy.

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Learn about one of the most powerful marketing tactics known to man!

March 20, 2007

When was the last time you sat down and wrote a thank you note? To a customer? An employee? A vendor? (Thank you note…in the mail. The old-fashioned kind.)

It’s time to get to it. You will be stunned at the impact.

Gratitude is one the most powerful marketing tactics known to man. You get more business when you demonstrate that you have the grace to appreciate what you’ve been given.

Now you know the secret. Use it wisely!

P.S. I will never hire someone who doesn’t take the time and have the manners to send me a thank you note after the interview. If they don’t send one when they’re trying to get a job, they’ll never send one to a client.

Flickr photo courtesy of pinkbelt.

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It isn’t easy being green

March 14, 2007

Does your company turn your competitors green with envy? If not — why not?

And what are you going to do about it? How could you become more enviable?

flickr photo courtesy of hey joe…

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