Introduction
Your Association has made an important decision to license the TwoGreySuits HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line for your members. Whether you are selling this unique service to your members or providing it free of charge, it will require a concerted and focused effort and, while TwoGreySuits will provide comprehensive marketing support, the ultimate responsibility for getting your Members signed up for this member benefit rests with you.
The purpose of this White Paper is to provide you with an understanding of the sales/marketing process from our perspective and to lay out a roadmap that you can follow to ensure success. Effective implementation will result in the creation of a significant, recurring non-dues revenue stream for your Association while, at the same time, providing your members with a unique and valuable service that will allow them to get people management answers quickly so they can focus on business priorities. Once you are comfortable with the selling process and have experienced some success, the process will become second nature and you will see Member signups increase exponentially.
The Sales/Marketing Process
In this White Paper, we will address three major components of the sales/marketing process:
· Understanding the Product/Service: what are you selling?
· Marketing to Your Members: creating and sustaining awareness
· Selling to Your Members: closing the sale
Understanding the Product
Association staff responsible for selling the TwoGreySuits’ HR Power Centre and Hot Line should review the website in detail. We recommend reviewing the sub-sections of each of the six Modules as a critical first step in understanding the product. While it isn’t necessary or practical to remember all the website content, sales staff should be able to speak to the depth of information and shared knowledge available on the website.
There are three requirements to understanding the product:
1) Being able to describe what the HR Power Centre is in clear and concise terms
2) Being able to describe the HR Power Centre’s six Modules and their purpose
3) Being able to provide examples of problems the HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line can solve
What is the HR Power Centre?
You should be able to describe what the HR Power Centre is in 60 seconds or less. Your explanation must be succinct and clear while conveying the value that the end user will realize from the product/service. Your ability to do this well will have a direct impact on sales success.
Here is a suggested script for describing the HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line. You can use it as is or customize it to your individual style.
“The HR Power Centre is a unique website and hotline service designed to help small and medium sized businesses deal with the inevitable people management challenges that arise. It was created by two senior HR professionals with extensive experience working with small and medium sized businesses. The site is easy to navigate and is designed so that you can get the information you are looking for quickly including forms, letters, processes, policies, questions & answers and educational tools. The Hotline is for real time HR emergencies or when you want direction on the use of the website. In all cases, a senior HR professional will respond to your questions within 24 hours. The monthly “Talking Suits” enewsletter contains valuable people management tips and information on current issues regarding people management. Many users refer to TwoGreySuits’ HR Power Centre as having HR insurance for their business.”
The HR Power Centre’s Six Modules
1. HR Basics – Contains everything a company needs to set up a basic Human Resources system including preparing job descriptions, writing performance objectives for employees and setting up an annual performance review process.
2. Recruitment – Provides a structured approach to recruitment that will ensure better hires. The six subsections include direction and materials on sourcing and screening candidates, behavioural interviewing and selection, checking references, making the job offer, new employee orientation and more.
3. Performance Management – Contains a comprehensive section on improving supervisory skills called “The 11 Management Challenges”, a detailed approach to dealing with poor performance and a section on handling the annual performance review.
4. Pay &Benefits – Contains all the information and direction needed to build a compensation and benefits plan, including a tool for ranking jobs in the company one to the other in terms of skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions.
5. Risk Management Canada & USA – This popular Module is well used, particularly the subsection on Termination. There are termination templates, legal release documents, everything required to ensure that terminations are handled properly, legally and with minimum risk. Links to all Provincial and State employment legislation are contained here, as well as a one of a kind union-free strategies section.
6. Administration – Contains a complete HR Policy Guide and a Code of Business conduct that can be downloaded and customized with one click.
Sample Problems the HR Power Centre and HR Hotline can resolve or eliminate:
· Avoiding fines and costly legal problems by being legally compliant with employment legislation
· Minimizing legal risk and saving dollars regarding employment terminations
· Improving the quality of new hires by increasing knowledge of the recruitment processes
· Properly dealing with poor performers, managing them back to acceptable performance levels as opposed to terminating
· Letting employees know exactly what is expected of them by developing robust job descriptions and meaningful performance objectives
· Allowing for fair and consistent treatment of employees by having an HR Policy Guide and Code of Business Conduct
· Talking to a senior HR professional to get people management questions answered quickly and professionally
Marketing to Your Members – Creating and Sustaining Awareness
Marketing is defined as: the management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer.
Marketing is required to create product awareness. It is the Association’s responsibility to actively market the TwoGreySuits’ HR Power Centre. The good news is that all of the marketing materials have already been prepared for you. We have considerable experience with this and the marketing materials are all designed to create awareness, interest, desire and ultimately, action within your membership.
Sellers of the HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line must understand the product and the value it brings to the end user. Marketing and acceptance of the product is somewhat easier when implemented directly by the Association to their members vs. a third party marketing effort. In other words, potential buyers need to know that a decision has already been made by their Association, based on research, that the product has significant value to the end user, otherwise, they would not be selling it. Marketing by the Association to their members is also made easier because of the established member relationship. This is where your earned credibility is very important to enable you to leverage this existing relationship to an eventual sale.
As mentioned, for an Association to be credible with its potential buyers the individuals responsible for selling have to have a reasonable understanding of the product. The HR Power Centre can only be sold if the seller truly understands and believes that the product has value and will help the end user solve the inevitable HR problems that arise in any business. We highly recommend 1:1 communication with members in support of the planned, frequent distribution of the marketing materials we provide to create and sustain awareness.
The TwoGreySuits Communications Library consists of:
· Introductory announcement to your members about the HR Power Centre
· Licensee testimonials
· End user testimonials
· HR Power Centre and HR Hotline frequently asked questions
· 50 Reasons to use the HR Power Centre
· Year 1 Communications Plan schedule for Licensees
· HR Q & A for your next 12 newsletters to your members
· Real cases when people have used the HR Power Centre
· HR Power Centre value proposition
· Sample hotline questions asked
· Managing Employee Performance Series – 60 articles authored by TwoGreySuits
· Sample communications used by other Licensees
· HR Power Centre at a Glance – PowerPoint presentation
· Whitepaper – Selling The HR Power Centre to Association Members
· HR Power Centre – Just the Facts
· Managing Employee Performance checklist
· HR Power Centre – Everyday Resource and Long Term Solution
Marketing to Your Members – Why, Who, When, Where, How
Why?
Your members will very likely not be aware of the HR Power Centre; it does not have Facebook or YouTube status on the internet!
The more people hear about this product, the more they are liable to buy it. Your members are busy in their businesses, dealing with a myriad of priorities and Human Resources does not tend to be high on the list…unless a problem arises. The reality is that HR happens whether attention is being paid to it or not and the more frequently your members hear about the HR Power Centre and Hot Line and its value in resolving day-to day HR issues, the more likely they will be moved to action. Almost everyone has a different knowledge level of HR management and what it is or should be. Members will need to know what problem(s) the service will solve and how much this will cost them or save them. Once they understand this, they will be more inclined convert their expressed interest into action by making the purchase decision.
User testimonials are very powerful indeed and serve to create super-awareness of the product. Simply put, if the product is not effectively marketed, people will not understand the value and therefore will not be in a position to buy it. Marketing is very important from a frequency and consistency perspective. A consistent message of value and affordability is critical here. Simple email or newsletter marketing is sometimes not sufficient. The product needs to be front and centre at annual and regional meetings and other important Association gatherings.
There are benefits to both parties here – members are provided a one-time valuable and affordable ($250; 50% off retail) resource for helping them to manage the people part of their business and the Association is seen as helping their members while building a significant and recurring non-dues revenue stream for themselves.
Marketing to Your Members - Who?
Association staff in positions such as executive, sales, marketing, executive assistant or membership roles should be capable of making a sale. It is equally important that board members understand the product to the extent that they can explain the value to a prospective member. TwoGreySuits staff can be present at your annual meetings or other member events.
Marketing to Your Members – When?
Marketing the TwoGreySuits’ HR Power Centre is all about creating and sustaining awareness until the member takes action by signing up. We suggest that members be communicated with at least monthly using the materials supplied in the Communications Library. The initial launch will bring in some early sales, however, our experience tells us that people will take some time to understand the product before making a buy decision. This length of time is different for everyone. In some cases people buy when they have a specific need or crisis to be resolved. In other cases a Manager may assign responsibility to someone to assess the product. What we have learned is that, in many cases, the Member will accept the value proposition but then will move on to other priorities and not take the few minutes necessary to get out the credit card and sign up. This is where regular 1:1 communication by Association staff is invaluable to move the member to action. For initial launch we strongly recommend a six week blitz campaign designed to heighten initial awareness combined with a telephone campaign designed to get members to go to the HR power Centre website to see for themselves.
Marketing to Your Members – Where?
Association staff should be marketing the HR Power Centre at annual meetings where members are in attendance, or other social events such as golf tournaments or any event where members are gathering. Marketing is not a one-time event, it is a continual process. The best way of course is face to face with a member. Our experience suggests that face to face marketing and selling from a credible person in the Association is the quickest way to generate sales. As an example, the Executive Director of an Association is in a powerful position to make a sale because they normally have the necessary trust relationships in place, and they can easily explain the value and express what problems are solved by using the HR Power Centre and Hotline. When a Member asks for HR advice from Association staff, the staff member should always take advantage of the opportunity to explain to the member that there is a valuable product/service available which will resolve all of their people management needs, quickly, professionally, and affordably. The Association website should have a link to the TwoGreySuits promotional video and also an explanation of the HR power Centre including clear directions for signing up. Every Association newsletter should contain an article about the value of the HR Power Centre. A selection of articles is included in the Managing Employee Performance Series.
Marketing to Your Members – How?
Marketing is about creating awareness, interest, desire and action. This is done several ways. The initial launch and the six week blitz campaign combined with the telephone campaign is the starting point. Following this, a consistent and frequent stream of awareness/value messages should be sent on email, or via the Association’s newsletters. Your website should clearly explain what the HR Power Centre is and the sign up procedure. Again, based on our experience to date, face to face marketing/selling is very powerful. If you wish, TwoGreySuits can arrange a training webinar for Association employees who will be involved in the selling process.
Selling to Your members – Closing the Sale
Members will only buy if they can see where the product service will save them money or time or solve a problem they have now or one they foresee. Knowing and being able to communicate the types of problems the HR Power Centre solves is critical at this stage. Also being able to explain the value in real dollars is important. First, the prospective member is being offered a 50% discount from retail pricing, a $250 savings. Second, using the HR Hotline, even infrequently easily pays for itself compared to calling the Member’s lawyer or accountant for people advice. Another way of looking at this is; for the cost of a coffee a day for a year ($1.50/day) the Member has a comprehensive HR service at their disposal complete with over 1500 pages of downloadable forms, documents, templates, processes, and educational tools along with a powerful 24/7 HR Hotline. This strong dollar value proposition is the main reason that Members will renew each year thereby sustaining the Association’s non-dues revenue stream.
To explain the value, here is a random list of what we consider the top 10 reasons to use the HR Power Centre.
1. When an answer is needed about an HR or people management issue, it is usually needed fast. The 24-7 HR Hotline answers this need. A senior HR professional is available to you with a 24 hour response time, usually much faster. This is known to be a key value driver.
2. Employees are more productive when they have formal objectives, when they know exactly what they are responsible for (job descriptions) and how they will be measured (performance review) The HR Basics module covers these important topics.
3. As an employer, you are required to understand new or existing laws and employment regulations. Everything you need is in the Risk Management Module.
4. Lack of structure or knowledge about recruitment and selection is an enormous cost in business. The Recruitment Module has everything you need to start making better quality hires immediately.
5. Lack of structure around people policies often results in expensive and disruptive employment terminations. There are hundreds of HR policies and a complete HR Policy Guide in the Administration Module.
6. Poor people management is by far the number one reason why good employees decide to resign. In the Performance Management module, managers can self-teach or be coached by their manager on every important aspect of managing people. This subsection contains all the “what” and “how” to do’s of people management.
7. Knowing the ins and outs of employment terminations can save significant dollars in legal fees and law suits. The Termination subsection of the Risk Management Module explains everything in simple to understand language, with all the legally vetted forms and letters you will need. Never expose your business to a wrongful dismissal law suit again!
8. Not dealing with poor performers is costly & unfortunately common in many businesses. The Performance Management Module will help you improve the problem employee’s job performance and provides the manager with valuable insight on managing all employees to optimum job performance.
9. Health & Safety is important in any business from a legal and moral perspective. Download a complete Health & Safety Policy Guide in the Health & Safety subsection of the Risk Management Module.
10. There is no other product like this on the market that provides comprehensive HR support with a 24/7 HR Hotline, an expansive and up to date website and a helpful monthly newsletter loaded with people management tips. “Because HR Happens”….any business will inevitably have to deal with the people issues the HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line are designed to solve.
Members will sign up if it is easy and not time consuming to do so. To sign up, all you have to do is direct them to your Association specific URL (website signup page link) and this takes about 3 minutes. They will use a credit card for payment and TwoGreySuits looks after payment and revenue sharing with the Association. After they sign up, they have immediate access by using the username and password they selected when signing up – that’s it, it’s that simple. An automatic confirming email is sent to them and to the Association administrator.
If a member is expressing any level of interest, this is your cue to strongly recommend that they sign up immediately, so they will not be in a panic situation when the need for HR help arises. This also gives them a chance to see the content and very likely use other information/process/forms that they need. Association staff must know the sign up process in detail and should offer to guide the Member through the process whenever the opportunity arises.
Even after sign up it is important to keep marketing to the users, so they are constantly aware that they have access to this valuable service, because members who sign up but do not use may not renew!
In summary, know the product and what problems it solves, understand your Member needs and connect the two, encouraging your members to sign up as soon as possible. Face to face or in-person selling is the best way to generate sales quickly. However, from our experience people tend to take a little while to make the purchase decision – so don’t panic if it looks like a slow start. Consistent and frequent marketing is recommended with a six week opening marketing blitz campaign accompanied by a telephone campaign.
If ever in doubt about any sales or marketing expertise, we are a phone call away and are here to support all your marketing and sales efforts.
