Your COMPANY SPOKESMAN has braces, tattoos, zits, a Mowhawk, buds in his ears, and a fish hook in his nose!!

“What in the hell was THAT!?”

The store manager finally broke the silence. He wasn’t talking to anyone specifically. In fact, rarely does he talk to anyone specifically. But now that he had everyone’s attention, it almost seemed like he was mumbling to himself. You could just barely hear him say, “I just can’t believe” as he looked down, now shaking his head. Only bits and pieces of what he was saying were even audible. “What the . . . Did you see . . . How can that kid . . . Does that last punk really think that I would even consider . . . Was that a fish hook?”

He was obviously confused and frustrated. He had no idea where to begin with his search for answers to what just took place. So, he said it again and this time it was a little bit louder, “What in the hell WAS that!?” The assistant manager, the floor manager, and the manager-in-training (I think that’s a more respectable title for the assistant manager’s assistant’s assistant) sat there in disbelief as well, just as they usually do on Tuesday afternoons.

Tuesday is the day this particular grocery store holds their weekly open interviews for their frontline, hourly-wage positions – positions like cashier, courtesy booth, sacker, stocker, and the like. It’s all those positions usually held by teenage employees. And, this particular Tuesday was no different. There stood a group of applicants that in no way, shape, or form looked or acted like anything remotely close to what any executive or manager in their right mind (or even in their wrong mind, for that matter) wants representing their company to the paying customer. Even the assistant manager’s assistant’s assistant could see that.

The Store Manager was back at it, “Are you kidding me? That’s ALL the applicants? That’s who we have to choose from?” The floor manager spoke up, “Well, we have to hire at least a few of them. We have 2 positions still open and we all know about the turn-over situation. It seems like no matter who or how many we hire, there are always a couple of positions we need to fill.” The manager-in-training chimed in, “I kind of liked that last kid with the purple Mohawk and the fish hook in his nose!” Needless to say, the manager-in-training has been in that position for a very, very long time.

The situation in this grocery store is no different from that of thousands of other companies. From restaurants to retail, private to public, businesses large and small are all faced with the same question:

How do we recruit, manage, motivate, and retain exceptional teen workers in such a way that they,
and their performance, accurately represent the image, the quality,
and the character of our company?

That is the multi-million dollar question. Literally.

There’s not a CEO or manager of a successful company that employs teen workers in their frontline positions that doesn’t “get it.” They more than “get it.” They know all too well that the point of contact with their paying customers begins and ends with the teen worker. Who, more times than not, just so happens to be the lowest paid, least educated, least experienced, and least mature workers of all. Day in and day out, your teen workers are the primary key communicators of your brand. They are your company’s true spokespeople. In the eyes of your customers, your teen worker – complete with braces, tattoos, zits, Mohawks, buds in his ears, and a fish hook in his nose – is the face of your company.

This is not new information. This is no secret. And, companies both large and small, are SPENDING millions of dollars searching for that answer while they’re simultaneously LOSING millions of dollars because they don’t yet have the answer. According to the most prestigious business schools, I believe that’s called a Double Whammy.

Now for some good news: There is an answer.

And, here’s the GREAT news: I have that answer.

And, if YOU want that answer, too, you have a few options. You can either give me a call or send me an email.

Talk to you soon.