So while visiting one of my favorite natural food stores I observed someone putting a new product on the shelves. I remarked “Oooh, that looks interesting! I wonder how it tastes?” He then replied, “I have NO idea, I would NEVER eat that.” He was clearly completely turned off by the product. Do you think I bought it. Nope. And never looked back. Or I’m sure some of you have been in a restaurant debating what to order and your server was unfamiliar with one half of the menu and didn’t seem too keen on the other half either.
Too many companies these days miss the mark on just how much money walks out the door right before dispassionate employees turn the lights off and leave for the day. These employees aren’t bad people per se, they’re just either in the wrong job, or have improper training or brand awareness. For the life of me I can’t imagine why a company would have an employee in place that’s not excited about the services they’re trying to entice others to buy.
Think of something you love. Be it a certain restaurant, a particular hotel, or even a type of computer. I mean you REALLY love it. Now imagine selling what you love to someone else. How easy is that? And LOVE, should be what every company aspires to instill in their employees for their products. At good restaurants, wait staff are required to taste all of the dishes, familiarize themselves completely with the menu. Yet its truly shocking how few companies require the same.
The assumption is generally that because a person is back office with no customer interface that their opinion of the company doesn’t matter. In today’s age of social media and instant communication, I disagree. A disgruntled employee can do a great deal of damage to brand image. And each negative conversation impacts future sales.
Don’t be afraid or indifferent toward the opinions of your employees. Not only should they be your first customers, they are, your first advocates. If they won’t buy what you’re selling, why should anyone else?
