Marketing hygiene

[Cat]

Some insight from you all would be appreciated here - please. (And apologies in advance if this puts some people off)

Often I hear people talking about how 'disgusting' people at the office can be - from not flushing the loo, washing cups, wearing deoderant etc. It was from this I modified my finishing course for young ladies to one for corporates.

Although I do rely a lot on word of mouth - any different ideas on how to market this to corporates? There are only so many ways you can approach Management on dealing with personal hygiene, the alcoholic colleague, the toilet habits, the rude receptionist etc.

[tec0]

It is part of my job to make sure that everyone remains healthy “or rather it used to be”. The truth is you must market it not so much as hygiene but as hygiene in the work place. Fact is hygiene IS a safety concern as such it needs to be addressed as such.

Washing hands, using the toilets all of that is actual factors for personal safety. Fact is toilets are a major contributor to poor health and may even be devastating if there is harmful fungal growth. It is your right as an individual to exercise good hygiene at the work place. Thus the main marketing factor is safety and the use of your products.

Standard cleaning agents contain a list that will specify its uses and what it combats, start there and do a bit of research on each product and how it can help the human body stay healthy and functional and above all Hygienic.

But don’t be aggressive with health and safety that is why it has a bad name, Point to public image and how the company is projected. A good clean urinal and or toilet are a blessing to use and a necessity for any worker. Having proper products to complement that image can and will have a positive effect on health and safety.

Personal highline can be implemented in safety talks and is indeed done by myself and other safety-officers around the world not just South Africa. So do a bit of planning identify the strong points of your products and its health and safety value as well as company image projection.

I find that a 10 minute talk about hygiene does wonders. If that doesn’t work the first time include a nice gruesome slideshow. I personally don’t like doing it because it is not the type of image that I want to project. People must never be forced. But if the situation is desperate then “gruesome works”.

[AndyD]

I hope you teach the ladies to leave the seat up, there could be a gent in the cubical next....joking

As tec0 said, there's multiple angles to market this from and you can tailor the bias of these angles according to your prospective client.

Do you market a range of products along side the training?

[Dave A]

I think this short line deserves emphasis:

I find that a 10 minute talk about hygiene does wonders.

A truly great tip and I can vouch for its success from personal experience.

[Cat]

Apologies for my sudden disappearance. We moved offices and subsequently lost internet usage for a week

We are however back online.

The thing is I have never marketed this course as a "HYGIENE" thing - it's always been staff refinement but I get so many queries about how to discuss toilet manners with staff. I really have just been looking for a new spin on this.

[adrianh]

I think that there a serious aspect of this discussion that is missing. Companies also need to do their part. Companies need to put people in a position to 1. Want to keep the facilities clean, 2. Have tools to do so. Look, if a bathroom looks good, smells good and is well lit people tend to look after it better. 2. Many many companies don't supply toilet brushes, enough soap, enough toilet paper, towels & rubbish bins. Another problem is that toilet flushing mechanisms are sometimes totally inadequate. Now look, I understand that companies rent buildings etc, but that does not stop them from giving the place a paint job, providing good lighting and supplying the right tools for the job. Of course there will be individuals who do not care one way or the other, but I do think that companies are far more likely to succeed if the look at the issues that i highlighted.

[Mark Atkinson]

I agree with Adrian. If your bathroom is in pristine condition to begin with, people tend to want to keep it that way.

Also, as pointed out by tec0, Dave and Adrian - companies (management) need to maintain a good attitude towards hygiene. I find that when management sets the right tone things tend to fall into place quite nicely. So yes, give the staff a 10 minute pep talk, but the issue needs to be addressed at the top too.

[Cat]

I appreciate the comments - however, maybe I explained this the wrong way.
The course that we implement into these corporate companies doesn't just cover hygiene - it is just something that comes up alot. I agree completely that a company should maintain their buildings and create an environment staff will be happy to work in. My objective is to go into these 'presentable' companies that ARE maintaining their buildings and do some staff refining as well. The truth is happy staff are productive staff but in the same breath companies will recognize staff that excel and if they are not excelling then give the staff the correct tools to do so.

The full day course we teach covers:
· Confidence and Self Esteem
·**Deportment and Posture
·**Effective Speaking – Including basic interview skills and telephone etiquette
·**Etiquette and Manners
·**Health and Hygiene - Care, protection and understanding of your body
· *Fragrance
·**Skin Care
·**Make Up – The correct application (Less is More approach)
·**Nail Care
·**Clothing and Colour Co-Ordination
·**Motivational Workshop incl. goal setting and budgeting
· *Nutrition – covering eating disorders
·**Relationships – covering STD awareness and basic sex guidance
·**Drugs

[Dave A]

I'd market that course along the lines of "personal wellness" rather than hygiene, I think.

[Cat]

We have up to now marketed it as a STAFF REFINING program.
I just need a new angle.