Two recent conversations I had at Agent2021, Gary Vaynerchuk’s digital marketing conference, weren’t centered on what companies should be marketing–rather, how companies could make sure their employees were delivering on their marketing messages.

Good marketers will generate buzz for a business based on what differentiates them from others in their market, whether it be something like a unique car shopping process that allows the customer take it home for a few days or a new piece of technology in-store or on the website to speed up the buying process.

All of this is great to streamline the buyer’s journey, but once the shopper interacts with their team, online or in person, does the seamless experience continue for them? Oftentimes, employees aren’t trained properly and act more as a roadblock to the buyer than a stepping stone.

Amidst constant demands by owners and leaders just to “get the customers to our location,” the real problem is often lost. While companies are always focusing on getting the customers in, what happens once they get the customers there can become an afterthought.

Let me give you a real-life example of marketing promises not being delivered upon. One of my employees and his wife were looking to lease a car and took all the appropriate steps–used the tools on the website, compared models, and figured out a price they felt good about for the car they wanted.

Upon arrival to the dealership, they were ready to discuss price with the salesman only to find that he decided to start from square one, asking questions like what they were looking for, what price range they were comfortable with, and other simple discovery questions. When they mentioned that they had already done research, the salesperson said he liked figuring out the best price his way.

My employee told me that every step they took with the salesman made them feel like it was car shopping 20 years ago, the very thing that all of today’s digital tools aim to eliminate. It’s a common problem dealerships face today–consumers are smarter than ever before, and often know just as much or more than the employees at a dealership.

Once the manager saw that they were ready to leave, he jumped in and told them that he was able to give them the price they found online, which inevitably led to the question: “Why did we have to go through all of this, when they claim online they make the buying process simple? Why have the tools if the staff doesn’t use them?”

When a marketing agency or team is pushing out claims or promises, the internal leaders need to go over a checklist to ensure their employees are delivering an experience that aligns with those promises:

• Do the employees understand the marketing claims being promoted?
• Do the employees have a written process in place to deliver on the promise?
• Are the employees trained on using new technology or the process?
• Who is accountable to check, audit and give continued feedback so the process remains effective?
• Are the leaders continuing to refine the process and distribute the message to potential customers?

By taking these steps for granted or choosing to skip the installation of a strict process, employees will never be able to support the marketing claims being shared, and it will ultimately affect customer sales and retention.

Customers held up their end of the deal by agreeing to come into your store. It’s time that you hold yourself up to your end of the deal by making sure your employees are in touch with your marketing.

About the Author

Glenn Pasch is a Partner and CEO of PCG Companies. Glenn continues to author articles for multiple industry publications, blogs and forums as well as continuing his writing online at www.glennpasch.com.