By Evan Hackel
Have you ever had an experience like one of these?
- You were impressed by the service-oriented salespeople at the appliance store where you bought your new stove. But the people who came to deliver and install it were hurried and couldn’t answer your questions. Plus, they tracked dirt into your house.
- You visited a fast food restaurant and tried to order a special sandwich that you saw advertised on television the night before. But when you walked up to the counter to order it, the server didn’t know what it was and had to ask the manager if it was available.
- You got an email flyer from a tire store that showed a young technician in a spotless uniform who was ready to check your tires and rotate them for free. But when you visited a local branch of the store, a grumpy guy behind the counter seemed to be too busy to talk to you.
If you’ve had that kind of experience, you’ve dealt with a company that has failed to understand that every person in an organization – from the CEO to the front line employee – has a role to play in making good on the brand promise and delivering the brand experience.
Training Is the Solution
The most effective way to inspire brand commitment to excellence is to ensure that every employee in your organization understands his or her unique function in communicating and supporting your brand, and why it’s important. The right kind of training processes can create a company full of “brand stewards” who take your vision as seriously as you do.
When employees understand the “why” behind what they’re asked to do, they are empowered to take ownership. Their willing cooperation frees up their creative energy so they can apply it to making your brand stronger. For instance, it was a McDonald’s employee who came up with the idea to start serving breakfast. It was a Subway employee’s idea to bake fresh bread onsite. Both those activities are now iconic parts of each brand experience – and they came from employees in the ranks.
In both cases, the employees understood the brand goals and used their creativity to help further the cause. If you want to create an environment where people not only buy in and do the right things, but actually add to the collective vision of what your brand can be, it’s vital that you have the right kind of brand training in place.
Opinions expressed by C-Suite Network contributors are their own.
Meet the founders, CEOs and operators behind stories like this one. Next reception: Fort Worth Executive Reception, Tue, Nov 17.
Attend as a guestMembership: $100/mo →
