One aspect of managing human resources is often overlooked: the impact employees have as marketers. We are not just talking about your sales and marketing staff here—all of your employees have an impact on your company image and your ability to sell a product. What do employees like to talk about at neighborhood gatherings away from work? You! They talk about your company, your products, and their work. You want to make sure that they are saying positive things about you.Non-Sales Employees as Marketers
Employees outside of your marketing department are just as critical in your marketing efforts as those inside it. If your own employees would never buy a product from you, you’re in trouble. They are almost certain to pass their negative opinions on to friends and neighbors. On the other hand, employees who are enthusiastic about your products and services will eagerly share what your company does with all their friends and neighbors. You want to encourage them to share. Employees who believe in their company’s products can be the best advertisers.
Boosting Employee Enthusiasm
How do you make your employees eager to talk up your business? First, treat them well. Proper handling of human resources is critical to employee morale. They will complain about their work to their friends if you give them reason to—and that will hurt your sales almost as much as a faulty product will. Second, keep your product or service quality up. Employees know when they are providing high quality products and services and they will talk your company up more when they do. They can be one of your best marketing resources.
Bonuses for Employee Referrals
Granting bonuses to non-sales employees for referring potential customers can be very beneficial for both employee morale and company sales. You want to be careful with such bonuses to make certain that non-sales employees don’t spend all their work time trying to find potential customers. On the other hand, these bonuses help non-sales employees feel greater ownership over the company’s future. An invested employee is a productive employee, and nothing makes them feel more invested than being on the front lines of company growth.
Training Employees in Marketing
If you are worried about your non-sales employees using the wrong tactics to promote your company, give them a little training. You don’t want to over-train them and turn them into clones of your sales personnel. Part of their effectiveness comes from being themselves—they can reach a different audience that way. However, you can give them some pointers about how to subtly generate leads while in conversations with their friends. Such pointers will help them feel less shy about making sales invites in casual conversation with friends and neighbors. It will cost very little and will likely be adequate for helping your non-sales employees generate a few leads on the side.
Clearing the Way
Your employees can be some of the best marketers for your company if you set them up well. By providing good products and services, treating your employees well, and giving them a few pointers on sparking interest in others, you can get them excited about promoting your company. Along with happy customers, employees can be part of your company’s image and get thousands of dollars of additional revenue for you.
