Several years ago, the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty and rewards programs merged. The new program was called Marriott Bonvoy.
Sound confusing? It certainly was at the time.
I’m a loyal Marriott customer and didn’t understand the change or how it affected me. But I’m just one of millions of customers. It’s no big deal if I missed some of the communication details. But what if their employees are confused?
After that launch, I was traveling and asked the general manager of one of Marriott’s significant properties: “Can you explain this whole Bonvoy thing to me? Why it happened and what it means?” His answer: “I have no idea.” And this was a general manager. Not the person cleaning the rooms, not the receptionist, not the food server. But the general manager!
How well can your employees communicate your small business branding? The reality is many employees today struggle with basic branding and product questions.
So, how can you help your employees better communicate? Here are a few tips:
1. Explain the why
Simon Sinek (through his Ted Talks and books) famously emphasizes “start with the why.” That principle certainly applies to your employees. While you can drill product details into their brains, it’s best if they know your “why.” Why should someone choose you? Why are your products better than the competition? Why do you open your doors every day? Communicate the why and watch employee communication skills increase.
2. Give talking points
In the story above, Marriott either didn’t give that general manager talking points or he clearly hadn’t read them. When launching new products or initiatives, reduce the core message to key points (ideally, just three of them). Then, share those briefings with your entire team.
3. Train the brand
You do all sorts of employee training: BSA, compliance, sales and service, operations, etc. When was the last time you did small business branding training? This type of training refers to educating your staff all about your brand (vision, value proposition, niches, messaging, tagline, etc.). No matter what your brand says it is, it’s your employees who live it every day. And they can’t live what they don’t know.
4. Teach your products
Donald Miller famously says, “If you confuse, you lose.” How confused are your employees about your products? If you have 7 or 8 checking accounts, a plethora of different loans and countless savings offerings, your people probably don’t know that many details. Consistent product knowledge training is critical when it comes to your team’s ability to communicate those products.
5. Overcommunicate everything
While all those steps above are great, they are not one-time things. You must act consistently. In fact, you must overcommunicate your small business branding and your products. If you are getting tired of the messaging, then you might just be hitting the mark with your team.
6. Test for understanding
Assume absolutely nothing when it comes to your employees’ knowledge of your products and brand. You must test how well they know these items. Whether it’s mystery shops, surveys or random questions, you must double check their knowledge. As the old Russian proverb says, “Trust, but verify.”
If your employees – at all levels – were asked to explain your small business branding, would they answer like the general manager at Marriott? Would they have no clue? If so, use the tips above to close that communication gap.
And in some instances, you might need new brand messaging completely. Or maybe fresh training for your staff. Book a free consultation, and get help with your small business branding and training now.
