Much of your focus as a small business owner is likely directed at your customers.
You place advertising to attract customers.
You offer sales and discounts in an effort to entice them to buy.
But do you make the same effort with your employees? After all, they are customers too.
Certainly, employees don't buy from you in the traditional sense of the word.
But they are "buying" (or not "buying", as the case may be) the vision you have for your business.
When they are "buying" they will be motivated and productive.
They will contribute to the success of your business.
When they aren't "buying" they will be looking for a better opportunity and performing poorly.
So how do you "sell" to your employees? The answer is simple: Ask them.
After all, each employee is different.
Each employee wants something a little different from his job.
Some employees may be in it for nothing but the money.
If they get an offer for an extra dime an hour, they may be gone.
Others however, are looking for more than money--they want job satisfaction.
And what constitutes job satisfaction can vary widely.
The best way to discover this is to ask, and then to the extent that is reasonable, accommodate those desires.
An employee may want more responsibility or more challenging tasks.
Wouldn't this be good to know? And wouldn't it be good for your business to attract and retain such employees? But you won't know if you don't ask.
I certainly don't mean to imply that you should seek to satisfy any and all desires on the part of your employees.
Some desires/ requests may be unreasonable or not mesh with your vision for the business.
But when the employee's goals and your goals do mesh, it can be a beautiful thing.
The bottom line--and isn't business about the bottom line--if we want happy, productive, and motivated employees, we must treat them like customers.
We must do market research, discover what they want, and then offer them those values.