Having a proud team out in the field, answering phones, or waiting on customers is the most effective PR and sales tool you can have. We know this. Naturally, you treat them well, pay them well, and – hopefully – they represent your company well. But how often do you provide real inspiration to your employees? How often do you give them reasons to be deeply proud of where they work? What if they didn’t just represent you well, but really felt engaged and honored to be part of the team?

Consider this equation: Your history + telling your story = an inspired staff.

Especially if you are an older company, or a company with a compelling founder’s story (rags-to-riches, family-owned for multiple generations, first woman to do X), doing the research on your company and then sharing that information with your team can really put starch in their backbone.

It all needs to be grounded in the research, though, so that’s Step 1. The process might go like this:

Step 1: Hire a historian or researcher to do the historical research on your business

Step 2: Identify the great stories

Step 3: Work these stories into your PR campaign

Step 4: Display “evidence” (photographs, display, etc.) of the most compelling stories at your place of business, on your Web site – wherever it makes sense for you

Step 5: Bring in an inspiring speaker to share the information with your staff

There is nothing like having an outside expert express respect and admiration for your company. Most people really do care about the reputation of their employer. When you invite a historian (for example) who can speak with passion about your business, who can present the historical information and explain why your business is unique, outstanding, or groundbreaking, you will have a very inspired, proud staff on your hands.

If you don’t already hold all-staff meetings, can you schedule one? Perhaps a brownbag lunch? An hour off in the late afternoon?

And if your business history has direct ties to your local history (which it will), can you schedule a walking tour of related town history? A visit to a historic house, historical society, or museum with ties to your business?

Think of it as another take on town pride. Instead, this is employer pride. Yes, a job, good salary, and benefits are valued and appreciated. But so is feeling good about where you work.

For you, inspiring your team with your own history will not only pay off in happier staff members/sales people but in loyalty as well.