Jan
10
Getting Your Employees On the Brandwagon
In this video, I learn how Bill Ramshaw, General Manager of Ramshaw’s ACE Hardware in Mt. Shasta, California, inspires his employees to live the company brand. The following text is a synopsis of the interview, including some additional info and tips.
Branding is about defining and articulating the Unique Difference, the Meaningful Benefit that your company offers. Once you know what your company stands for, you need to position yourself as such in the minds of your customers.
Positioning makes your prospects and customers aware of the Single Greatest Benefit of doing business with your company. Then, every time your customer has a need or a problem, they immediately trust that the solution lies in YOUR offerings, rather than the offerings of your competitors.
In today’s feeble economy and hyper-competitive marketplace, branding is imperative.
The challenge is making certain that your brand is clearly represented at every touch point your customer encounters.
Externally, this includes your various branding signals such as Web site, advertisements, storefront, vehicles, etc. Internally, this means your employees need to get on the brandwagon.
Your employees need to understand the important role that each and every one of them plays in the branding of your company. They need to live your brand, whatever it may be, every single day.
One company that does this quite well is Ramshaw’s ACE Hardware in Mount Shasta, California. ACE Hardware brands itself as, “The Helpful Place,” and that is evident every time I walk into the store. I can’t get five feet into any department without being approached by an employee inquiring if I need help.
While some may find this annoying, I find it quite impressive. I started wondering how the management has been so effective in getting their employees to live the ACE brand, so I went in and talked with General Manager, Bill Ramshaw.
I learned that Ramshaw’s ACE Hardware was started by Bill’s grandparents in 1945. They joined the ACE Corporation in 1967, and while the company carries the ACE name and follows their advertising programs, they stand alone as a family-owned, independent company. Bill explains this further in the video.
Here are some key takeaways from our conversation that Managers may consider when inspiring their own teams to “be the brand”:
- Create an organization people are proud to be part of
- Keep turmoil out of the workplace
- Back up your employees 100%
- The customer is NOT always right
- Help every customer the way YOU want to be helped, treated and
served when you walk into someone else’s store
A couple points I would like to add:
- Communicate your company’s Brand Promise to your employees
- Make certain your employees know the role they play in the branding
of your company - Be clear that branding is the job of every department, not just the
marketing department - Have frequent meetings where you discuss successes, failures and areas of improvement as it applies to your branding
- Implement both rewards and consequences for delivering, or failing to deliver,
on your company’s Brand Promise
Remember, branding is not just a marketing buzz word. It’s real and it matters. Creating a positive brand experience encourages customers to perceive your organization as a company that provides real solutions to their problems, and is worthy of their loyalty.
Failing to pay proper attention to your branding efforts means those same customers may seek solutions to their problems through the offerings of your competitors instead.
So, how do you get YOUR employees on the brandwagon?
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If you need help getting your employees on the brandwagon, contact BAM! Small Biz Consulting for your FREE Needs Assessment. Phone: Nikolas Allen (530) 859.5454 • Email: bamsbc@gmail.com
