No business can succeed in a bubble. You have to put yourself out there. While some business owners dislike marketing — the "hey, look at us!" aspect — I find it quite fun. It's storytelling.
What stories do we tell? What purpose do the stories serve? What can we do to help customers improve their narratives, and then how do we tie that back to our storytelling? So let's talk about your story.
Here are five tips and tricks:
- Assess Who You Are: You can't tell a story about yourself without understanding what's important to you. What are your values? And how do you apply them to your business? You need to establish core values for your company, even if you don't reveal them to the public. Core values are the moral guidebook for all decision-making for every person you employ. Find an acronym that works for you. Ours is "SMARTER," and here are our core values.
Beyond Words: Turning Your Company's Core Values into Daily Actions
- Implement Those Values in Your Company: I enjoy value talks with our clients and employees because that's where you can truly get to know someone. What matters to them? What are their passions? What enrages them, and what delights them? We live by our values. Some people have a well-developed value system. Some don't. Don't work with those who lack strong values. It's not worth it. Make that a top hiring priority, and make sure your employees understand your value system and the company's. They must contemplate their role in your business and how the value system applies to their duties.
- Show Those Values in Action: Let your customers and clients see your employees living out your business's core values. At the end of every year, we have a fantastic online shindig, our big virtual Christmas party with hundreds of Filipino virtual employees. We have several "drumroll, please" moments when we recognize our core value award winners, along with our "Top VE" and "Top Newbie VE." These awards go to the VEs who represent our business values. They rock! And we post their stories on our website and social media channels. Our clients see our values in action, and our other employees get a powerful reminder of how living by a strong value system pays off.
HireSmart VE Is Always Available for His Family and Profession
- What Makes You Unique? As you noticed, most of these tips so far are pretty inward-focused, and that's by design. You don't want to market a bad product or service, so the first step in any marketing is to make your company actually shine. Next, consider what sets you apart from competitors. We push our "certification process" in much of our marketing because we go beyond other outsourcing companies in that way. We don't have some queue lined up of employees waiting to be hired. No, we talk with clients about their needs and then find an employee with the specific skill set and personality type to serve that role. We provide clients with three qualified people to interview for the position. The client makes a choice, and then our certification process begins. We will work with that new employee for the next week to train them on your industry's terminology and standards so they understand what's expected. This certification goes beyond the industry standard.
When Tom Quits, Consider a VE Team Instead
- Focus on Your Customer Value Journey: Does your unique solution positively affect your clients' lives? If so, don't miss the opportunity to speak with the client and get specifics, then share those testimonials with other potential clients. Our certification process brings tangible results, so we don't just tell people it works. We talk with clients who can testify to that fact.
"I really give credit for my virtual employees' success directly related to HireSmart going in and giving that one week of HOA training on the front side, prepping them and preparing them for what this world looks like on our side because, for a lot of folks, HOA is very new," said Philessia, a customer care representative for a community association management company, who works with 17 HireSmart virtual employees. "So the fact that you make sure they pass that training before you release them really sets them up for success on our side."
Don't feel put off by the "hey, look at me" duties in business. Have fun with that task. Start inward and develop your core values. Implement those values in your business and show them in action. Find your unique solution. Then, raise the volume on how that solution works, pulling in testimonials from customers who show why you're unique.
I'd love to chat if you want to discuss marketing or other business tips or learn more about our certification process and how we ensure our virtual employees are top-notch. Click here to set up a talk at your convenience.