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BUILDING BRAND EQUITY
THROUGH YOUR PEOPLE
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The same concepts used in advertising a brand to the public can be reversed back into the organization in order to shape a brand through employees.
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This is one of a series of articles written by Gail Cottle that offers practical guidelines on successful retailing.
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When I first joined Nordstrom 33 years ago as a salesperson in the shoe department, my manager kept reiterating the fact that the Nordstrom name was synonymous with exceptional customer service. He told me that the only reason I had been hired was to take care of the customer, and one day I unintentionally put his convictions to the test. An elderly woman came into the store insisting that she had just purchased a pair of shoes, only to have left them on the bus along with the receipt. She explained that she had intended to exchange the shoes for another size. I noticed that the shoes the woman was wearing were practically taped on to her feet as a result of being so worn out. At first, I was uncertain what to do, but my manager’s words about customer service kept echoing through my head so I took the woman at her word and handed her a brand new pair of shoes.
After she left, I had a few moments of doubt, seriously worrying that I might be fired. But I didn’t even get reprimanded. My manager said that as salespeople we were expected to believe that most people tell the truth, that it was not our job to pick out the true complaints from the false ones. He went on to say that I had done the right thing and thanked me for taking care of the elderly woman.
It was a lesson that stayed with me throughout my three decades with Nordstrom: What is right for the customer will inevitably be what is right for the company. Building brand equity does not happen merely as a result of advertising — the brand is ultimately determined in any face-to-face interaction between your customers and your employees.
While branding may begin in the marketing department, this vision has to be expressed in every decision made within the company. In other words, the head of human resources (as well as every other manager in all functional areas) has to keep the message of the brand in mind just as much as the chief marketing officer.
Once the company’s brand is clearly defined, the process of managing employees becomes simplified. You take the promise that you’ve made to customers through your advertising, and then you only reward employee behaviors that reinforce these values.
At Nordstrom, all employees are encouraged to view their jobs in terms of the impact on customers, whether it’s designing a dress, wrapping gifts at the store or working in the stockroom. Take the fit technician’s job, for example. Her goal is not just to put 28-inch waists in all the size-8 garments. It’s important that she talk to salespeople to get customer feedback on how a garment really fits on a person, not on a mannequin.
Once you have a clear understanding about what the brand means in the eyes of the customer, you can reverse the techniques used by the chief marketing officer back into the organization in order to effectively engage your workforce on an emotional level. Listed below are a few tips to help you do this.
1. Share the company vision with employees.
Communicate the mission statement and make sure employees buy off on it. Dedication to the company begins with something intrinsic and psychological as opposed to just monetary compensation.
2. Ensure that your mission statement is the vehicle for expressing the brand.
Reward expressed values that support the mission/brand. Single out well-meaning acts with praise. Do not tolerate expressed values or behaviors that do not support the mission/brand.
3. Exemplify capable leadership.
Let employees know that someone is steering the ship, a strong leader whose principles they can stand behind.
4. Keep employees informed.
Let employees know how the company is performing. Provide mile markers that show where the company is, congratulate employees for this success and then explain how to reach the next level.
5. Educate employees.
Informed employees (whether or not they are in direct contact with the customer) who can speak intelligently about a product are going to make an organization much more effective in communicating the brand.
6. Define job titles in terms of the effect they have on the customer.
Every employee should think of his or her job in terms of the impact it has on the customer, whether the job is designing apparel, wrapping gifts in the store or working in the stockroom.
7. Empower employees to make decisions.
What is right for the customer tends to be right for the company. With this belief in mind, empower employees in direct contact with the customer to make decisions.
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