03/ 05/ 2007
by Jeffrey Moses
Small-business success depends on making a difference in customers' lives
It has often been said that people are willing to make greater sacrifices when working for others than they are when working for themselves. In the case of a small company, workers and managers alike tend to become more dedicated to their work when they see others in the community benefiting from their efforts.
For example, officials in law enforcement or the local fire department are highly dedicated to their work, often going far beyond the call of duty to perform their responsibilities. Why? Because they see firsthand that their efforts directly affect the lives of others.
While it's unlikely that employees in a retail or service business will see such one-to-one correlation between their responsibilities and the well-being of others, virtually every type of business has the opportunity to improve the lives of its customers. This may be by saving them time, increasing their safety, offering objects of lasting value or beauty or providing financial well-being. Each of these services offers value, and everyone in a company should view these as highly important to the community.
The trick is to point out to employees that this relationship exists--and that it's an important aspect of their day-to-day schedule. Too often, employees of a small company fall into a humdrum type of routine that makes their work seem automatic and relatively unimportant.
Office workers may shuffle papers, losing touch with the importance of accuracy and creativity in every transaction. Sales staff may go through the motions, falling into the trap of thinking that success is a numbers game and not remaining dedicated to the needs of every potential customer who walks through the door. Production teams may be isolated from the end user, not realizing that the quality of their work projects an image of the company that will influence customers for years down the road. And even managers may become so bogged down in meeting schedules and overseeing employees that they lose sight of the importance of every point of contact with a customer.
It's clear that each of these activities, along with countless others, are important to the company's overall success. But even more important for the long-term dedication of employees is the realization that each of these activities--when carried out with attention and care--directly affects the life of each customer.
There are a number of ways to bring this awareness to employees. The most direct is simply to point out how specific activities impact others in the community. This can be addressed in meetings, company newsletters or e-mail memos. Even better, however, is to gather testimonials from satisfied customers, with a focus on how their lives have been improved by doing business with the company. These testimonials can be used for marketing purposes and, just as important, they will point out to employees how real-life customers have benefited by interacting with or buying from the company.
All efforts in this direction will strengthen the dedication of employees by extending their perceived sphere of influence. When employees see themselves and their jobs as valuable to others in the community, their work takes on an added importance. The result is greater job satisfaction, improved job performance, lower employee turnover and improved company profitability.
