Employees are the lifeblood of your dealership and have the most impact on your customer loyalty. If that sentence made you cringe, you probably aren’t doing all you can to ensure employee engagement and have the tools and guidance necessary to fully do their jobs. Marketing to customers may be the key to bringing in business, but who is responsible for truly conveying the message of your business to consumers? Who gives customers the first impression at your dealership, has meaningful conversations with consumers on the lot, and spends time in the service center showing customers how to check their oil? Who informs customers about their financing options, fosters relationships, and creates customer loyalty? Your very own employees.

Correctly marketing to employees means showing them your dealership is a place they can be proud to work and ultimately leads to success in the marketplace. Below you’ll find four important reasons why marketing to your employees matters.

1. Employees become more engaged.

Marketing to employees means encouraging communication and positivity, understanding their values, showing every employee respect regardless of job title, and appreciating the work they do. It also includes fostering workplace relationships and assuring they understand your dealership’s culture and mission. They should feel proud to be employed by your dealership.

Consistently listening to employees and measuring their preferences will promote employee engagement, creating the classic win-win relationship for both employees and employers. According to PeopleMetrics, individual companies lose about $2,246 each year per disengaged employee. This is certainly something your dealership wants to avoid. An environment where people feel connected and in sync with the company culture encourages employees to care more about the jobs they do and leads to high levels of employee output.

2. Employees will want to stay at your dealership.

Employee turnover costs US business $11 billion a year, and disengaged or dissatisfied employees are far more likely to leave their employers. On the flip side, engaged employees are less likely to leave and seek jobs elsewhere. Retention should be a priority for your dealership, given the added expense of recruiting and hiring replacements. If your dealership is focused on making sure employees know the goals, culture, and mission of your business, retention won’t be an issue. In addition, working toward a common goal or for a cause people want to support can work wonders for a dealership’s engagement and employee satisfaction.

3. Employees will share your dealership.

It’s true your vocal employees are your best brand advocates. Did you know that on average, your employees have 10 times more connections than your brand? And did you know that leads from employees convert 7 times more frequently than other leads? With these statistics in mind, do you want to miss out on the potential sales your informed and engaged employees could afford your dealership?

Employees will only want to share your dealership with their networks if they fully understand the company mission. Ensuring your employees want to recommend your dealership means highlighting what makes your dealership the best one in the market so they feel comfortable sending their family, friends, and acquaintances to it.

4. Employees will create a fantastic customer experience.

Dealership executives aren’t the only ones who should focus on creating the best customer experience. ALL employees are brand ambassadors, even the ones who aren’t paid the most and have ample opportunities to interact directly with customers. This includes professionals on the sales floor, on the lot, in the service department, in the waiting room, or in the finance office.

Great managers market to employees so they gain an understanding of how their job connects the dealership to the customer. Every direct or indirect point of contact has the potential to make a customer feel more or less engaged with your dealership, and because sales and service employees are almost always in close proximity to customers, ensuring they want to make the customer experience a good one is imperative to the growth of your market and your dealership’s success.

Marketing to your employees has many benefits. Focus on making employees feel valued and convey your mission, goals, and what makes your dealership unique and prepare to be wowed by a highly engaged team, a lower turnover, a bigger market, and guaranteed great customer experiences.