We all know the importance of a brand’s story. The message. The product. It becomes a part of everything, or at least it should.
That means the people, too.
One can often forget that a company message is carefully curated over time and persistence is often key to conveying the message. But whilst a logo, a slogan, a product and a keynote might be what you think a customer sees, often what a customer sees is the personon the frontline. The staff. People.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”5491″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” el_class=”s-padding-bottom”][vc_column_text el_class=”s-padding-bottom font-size-20″]What they say and how they express the brand message could be the difference between a solid reputation and a not-so-solid one.
So why do your team on the frontline need to know the company story? There are three simple, but imperative reasons. We sometimes sweat the big stuff and neglect the small stuff. This is small, but could make a big difference to your business.
1. PASSION
That word is banded around a lot, particularly in retail, where people are supposed to have a big passion for whatever it is a company stands for.
Sometimes that comes to pass, and sometimes it doesn’t. But the bare minimum you can give your team is the tools to ignite that passion. What’s the bare minimum? The story.
If a team member knows the story then you’re giving them the impetus to be passionate about the brand. If they’re passionate about the brand, the more likely it is that they will provide the best possible service to customers.
As Marianne Bickle points out for Forbes, “Only effective front-line employees can have the consumer leave happy.” It isn’t necessarily the CEO that makes a customer want to buy into a brand. But if the CEO can convey their passion, their story and their aim via their employees, that’s half the battle.
Bickle also argues that “training alone isn’t sufficient.” It takes continual dedication. Having everybody know the company story is the perfect way to complement good training. It is both ability and dedication.
2. KNOWLEDGE
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain’s wise words still ring true, even in a business context.
Have you ever felt like the person with whom you have been talking hasn’t really known what they were talking about?
What about when you’ve been buying something, maybe, technical?
It’s an uncomfortable situation to find yourself in, and one in which you don’t want to put your customers.
So how does one avoid it?
It’s simple, really. Provide staff with the company story, and their knowledge of the story, the mantra, the philosophy of the company, and all of that will shine through.
As Donald Miller puts it, “Tell a good story and you’ll capture the attention of the world.” If everybody in the company can do this, not only will it capture the attention of the world, it will ensure your team are never caught off-guard.
Customers like knowing people really believe in the product, which means believing in the story behind it, but they also like the fact people are knowledgable about where they work and why they’re there. Make your team a smart team by making sure they know the story. That way, as Twain might say, they won’t have to remember anything.
3. IMPACT
What’s better than one person singing your company’s praises? How about 105? Or even more.
UK-based tea company Yorkshire Tea very recently sent the perfect message to one customer – and, by extension, many more, viaTwitter.
@2spikywwefans We’re based here, we blend it here & we created it here for the water here. This conversation also ends here.
— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) December 5, 2016
Not only is their community manager clearly rather witty and quick off the mark, but they’re also clearly passionate and knowledgeable about the product in question.
Being a little bit feisty or defensive to potential customers in certain contexts is of course, a big no-no, but in the right context, and done in the right way, it can have a huge pay-off.
In this instance, the community manager defends Yorkshire Tea not just through their witty retorts, but also through a solid knowledge of the company.
The impact this has is pretty easy to see.
We all know about the potential for social media to convey a message, but it also means companies can interact with customers like they never have before.
All it takes is one tweet.
If your community manager knows the company’s story and has a sharp tongue, it’ll stand them in good stead for whatever comes their way online.
SO WE HAVE WE LEARNED?
As customers we enjoy knowing where our stuff has come from. The story behind it, as it were. If a company can find an effective way of telling that story, especially through its team members, then this is only going to increase the impact of said story.
This also poses some tricky questions. Namely, could a company become a favourite without any sort of riveting origin story?
Are there certain qualities in a company’s history which makes them more appealing?
Whilst these questions might need further consideration, one thing is clear, getting your story straight and getting your team on the same page could be the difference between happily ever after or an anticlimactic finish.
