Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1390352
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION JULY 7, 2021 Page 24 Are Your Employees Effective Ambassadors? By Todd Ginter, PSAI's Director of Marketing W hen I was beginning my marketing career, an early position I held was working as a Director of Tourism for a local Chamber of Commerce. My main goal was to put a positive spin on the local area by promoting businesses and attractions to prospective visitors. I would often visit businesses such as hotels, resorts, gas stations and restaurants to check in with them. I usually carried maps and visitor guides they could provide to their customers and guests. One afternoon when I was out doing one of these calls, I stopped by a business that was one of the most popular attractions in the city. There was a person in their 20s working at the counter, and for a bit of Friday fun, I pretended to be a visitor from outside of the area. I asked about the business he was working for, the local area and what I could do for the next few hours. This was his time to shine! I was ready to be bombarded with how amazing the business was he worked for, all the details of what he could offer me and maybe, just maybe, I would hear something new that I didn't know before. Unfortunately, what I heard was a steady repetition of, "I don't know." Extending your brand. As a business owner, you have likely worked very hard to create a business model that will not only attract many customers but will also provide experiences that will encourage the customer to either recommend you to others or use you again in the future. In our ever-changing world, your customers are often more demanding than they have been in the past, and they are presented, even bombarded, with an endless torrent of advertising from companies vying for their business. So you need to make sure you are not missing your opportunities to shine. While you and your competition may be spending coveted dollars on advertising campaigns, logos and websites, it is important not to forget one extremely important and effective resource, your employees. Any business that has customer-facing employees, whether this be at the front counter, over the phone or out in the field, should be utilizing their employee resources as a way to reinforce their message and promote the company brand in the best possible light. For every employee you have who replies to a current or prospective customer with, "I don't know," you are missing a chance to expand your company brand and possibly missing out a new customer opportunity. Companies that are successful often explain to current and future customers the 'why' of what they do, and the ways that they 'believe' in what they do. If employees do not know the 'why' or worse yet, portray their own 'belief' about their company's offerings rather than the company's rationale, you can bet this will seriously impact your sales and bottom line. An Apple (approach) a day. If you have ever shopped at an Apple store, you may have noticed that their customer-facing employees know and understand the company message very well. In Apple's case, the shop floor workers are called "Geniuses." This employee 'label' immediately gives the impression to customers that Apple's employees know everything about the products (and brand) that there is to know. They are not called an "iPhone 12 Genius" or "iPad Genius;" they have been given a job title that incorporates the entire brand/company. In contrast, businesses who do not communicate their brand message with their employees effectively place a brick wall in front of their public outreach campaign. Even if you are pushing a consistent Continued on page 25