“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.”
– Confucius
This quote should have been written for C-suite executives as it relates to the importance of their corporate story. If you want your story to be a difference-maker when it comes to business performance (employee engagement, customer acquisition, etc.) you must help key stakeholders internalize and personalize that story.
Below are just a few reasons it is so important for executives and leaders to travel that last mile with their story. The last mile is the distance you must travel to get employees to not only understand … but also internalize and activate your corporate story in the customer experience.
YOUR PEOPLE ARE THE KEY MESSENGERS OF YOUR STORY.
“70% of customers’ brand perception is determined by their experience with your people.” (Source: Ken Irons, Market Leader) The truth is, customers do not engage directly with your brand. They experience the brand based on the experience (conversations) they have with your people. So the real question becomes: Can you afford not to infuse your corporate message throughout your organization?
INTERNAL MESSAGING ACTIVATION = GROWTH.
Business performance increases if your people understand your story, internalize it and activate it in customer conversations. In fact, companies where employees truly embraced and activated the corporate story grew three times faster than their competitors (Corporate Leadership Council).
ENGAGEMENT INCREASES WHEN EMPLOYEES EMBRACE YOUR STORY.
Higher-than-average levels of employee engagement produce 27% more profits, 50% more sales and 50% higher customer loyalty (Gallup). Employee engagement increases when stakeholders have a personal connection with your story (who you are, what you do and the value you deliver).
BENEFITS OF INFUSING MESSAGING INTO YOUR COMPANY AND CULTURE.
Increased employee engagement was accompanied by a 12% increase in customer satisfaction and double-digit revenue/margin growth over the past three years (Serco Study). Do your employees understand your story? Have they internalized it and personalized it relative to what they do every day? Statistics show it does pay off.
YOUR STORY IMPACTS SALES RESULTS.
Companies that implement great sales messaging increase lead generation results by 15%+; sales by 15%+; and margins by 5% or more. Make sure there is alignment between your corporate story, internal communications, external messaging and your sales conversations.
