The office manager is essential in the running of many small businesses. He or she has a close relationship with the owner and directly impacts many of the purchases small businesses make. ECSB data shows the office manager is the most important employee involved in purchase decision making (research, short-listing, recommending, and/or buying) in 7 out of 10 product categories.
Source: ECSB, August 2010, n=657.
Because the office manager is so involved in making purchase decisions, it is important to keep them in mind in your marketing. You can do so in the following ways:
Connect with the office manager by offering free trials of the products they are most likely to purchase.
Pay attention to ratings and reviews about your products / services and craft your materials with those reviews in mind. Ratings and reviews are the number one source of information for employees when purchasing or recommending a product.
Create messaging that speaks to how the product will not only improve the office manager’s job, but also the overall business. “Helping the business” is more than 5 times more important than “making my job easier” in driving them to recommend a product to the owner. This type of messaging aims to recognize the role the individual plays, empathizing with their challenges and those of the business as a whole.
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