It was a new safety training program for everyone in “management” with the ever so exciting title Safety Management Accountability Training (SMAT). It was my baby. (No I did not come up with the name.) I was in charge of hosting every session. Here was the kicker– it was voluntary attendance! So I had to figure out ways to convince as many management employees as possible to show up. I had just transferred to the safety department at PSEG and this was my first big project.
So, my reputation was on the line.
First thing I did was go around and talk with all the department managers to get their buy-in. That was helpful. But the thing that made the biggest difference was something I’d never done before. I was amazed at how successful it was. In fact, I had to turn people away and schedule more sessions than I planned to. The idea came to me when I was reading a trivia book.
I don’t remember the name of the book, but I do know it was fun to read. Plus it inspired my brilliant idea. For two months leading up to the first SMAT class I would start my day by picking fun facts from the trivia book and including them in a short personal message such as:
The Cuban Land Crab can outrun a horse.
I can’t.
Carlton the “Human Hairpin” could stretch his body and increase his height by six inches.
I can’t.
Maks sure you have an awesome time at SMAT on Thursday, June 5.
Well that I can do!
See you there!
Every morning I randomly chose five or six management employees from the site phone book. Then I wrote each one a personal note and sent it through the company mail. This took about 15 minutes. The note also included an unusual picture which I photocopied.
There were hundreds of management employees so I knew I wouldn’t get everybody. But I didn’t have to. People were posting the notes on their cubicles and it created a buzz about the training. (My boss did call me into his office and wanted to know what in the world I was doing with these strange notes. Of course, later, when it was successful he thought it was a brilliant idea.)
Why was my note campaign so successful? Because it was fun and unusual. Plus, there was a personal touch to it. Those three qualities FUN, UNUSUAL and PERSONAL are awesome marketing tools. They also add life and power to your safety meetings and training sessions.
Let me know if you’ve done anything fun, unusual and personal that has helped market your safety and health training or promotions. I’d love to hear about it.
‘till next time.
Richard
