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Marketing and Job Development:
The Business Side of the
Process
By Karen Flippo
Marketing
• Exchange of goods or services; a
mutually profitable relationship
• Worker meets employer need for
information, and/or production and
quality
Marketing
• Employment decision is
a business not a personal decision
• A delicate balance of acquiring
knowledge about the job seeker
and the local business community
Marketing Plan
• Driven from the outcomes of the
person-centered planning process
• Targets businesses/jobs in the
community
Marketing Plan
• Includes timelines
• Promotion ideas
Marketing Plan
• Marketing a priority - a line item in
the budget and be included in the
strategic plan
Marketing
• Closing the deal
The Deal
• Reviewing and understanding job
requirements
• Interviews, observations
• Learning employer need
The Deal
• Matching benefits of individual and
service to need
• Convincing employer that cost of
recruiting and hiring (and perceived
risk) is LESS than overall benefit
The Deal
• Being seen as a credible resource
for recruitment and retention
• Every approach is different and
tailored to the individual business
The Deal
• Each visit requires a set of probing
questions to solicit information
The Deal
• What are your personnel needs?
• How do you foresee your business
in the next five years?
The Deal
• What are the qualities that you most
admire in your employees?
• What are your “personnel pet
peeves”?
The Deal
• What is the frequency of changes in
tasks/job descriptions?
• How do you train your employees?
Costs to
Employers
• Job Accommodation Network reports:
(1992-1999 ongoing evaluation)
• Cost of accommodation
• No cost: 20%
Costs to
Employers
•
•
•
•
•
Between $1-$500: 51%
Between $1,001 and $1,500: 3%
Between $1,501 and $2,000: 3%
Between $2,001 and $5,000: 8%
Greater than $5,000: 4%
Marketing to
Employers
• Association for Persons in Supported
Employment and North Carolina
Marketing Initiative Project found...
through 10,000 field queries (20% of
NC businesses) and 30 focus group
events that:
Marketing to
Employers
• Business wanted their employees
to:
–Be dependable
–Possess communication skills
–Be honest
–Willingness to learn
Marketing to
Employers
• In the same study:
–47% HR execs noted that they
HAD NOT BEEN ASKED to hire
a person with a disability
–19% believed their work was too
dangerous to hire someone with
a disability
Marketing to
Employers
• 11% said they did not understand
what is involved
• AND, NO ONE SAID they did not
need the trouble or increased effort
Resource on
Accommodation
• Local vendors for assistive
technology
• Resource for ergonomic assessment
• Expertise in job carving
Business
Relationships
• Want ads are short term fixes
to finding jobs; marketing yields
relationships
Developing
Business
Relationships
• Understand current marketplace
• Scan market for potential contacts
Developing
Business
Relationships
• Learn what you can about business
• Conduct informational interviews
(all levels)
Developing
Business
Relationships
• Identify need and trends in resources
and production
• Communicate features/benefits to
meet needs
Organizational
Reputation
• What do you want people to say
about you, your service and
organization?
• Now, make it happen!
Goal and
Objective
• Successful job match
• Long term relationship with business
• Establish business credibility in the
community
Today’s Situation
• Many employment specialists do
not have experience outside of
disability/ rehabilitation
Today’s Situation
• Some individuals are not
comfortable working in a “business”
sector
• Marketing is a skill to be learned and
practiced
Marketing
Dilemmas
• Current unemployment rates of
individuals with disabilities remains
alarmingly high --close to 70%
• ADA is threatened in court system
Marketing
Dilemmas
• Most businesses remain
uninformed about the potential of
individuals with disabilities, job
carving, accommodation, and
employment services organizations
Available Options
• Establish presence in the community
as a resource for employment
• Build trust and credibility through
your service
Available Options
• Build “accounts” with each business
• Service accounts regularly - the
current climate of business
necessitates rapid change
Available Options
• Pay attention to lists of best
companies to work for - Forbes and
Working Women Magazine have
annual lists-make contacts
Tips
• Set aside time each day for
marketing-visits or calling
• Build databases of information about
employers and keep data updated
Tips
• Identify key contacts in each place
of business
• First, get commitment from the top
leader
Marketing
Techniques
• The time to establish relationships
is BEFORE a job is needed
• Personnel change frequently;
establish contacts with more than
one person
Marketing
Techniques
• Build a portfolio of successes
• Seek letters of references
• Ask satisfied employers to make
referrals for you
Marketing Additional Strategies
• Match your business personality to
that of the business
• Take a sales class
Marketing Additional
Strategies
• Know successes, problems,
recruitment strategies, plans for
growth
• Establish Business Advisory Councils
to provide expert advice
Marketing Additional
Strategies
• Join business groups; Chamber of
Commerce and Society for Human
Resource Management
Marketing
Research
• Read the business section of the
newspaper daily
• Look for new contracts awarded,
business plan/office
expansion/bankruptcies
Marketing
Research
• New personnel appointed or
promoted-helps with making first call
• Pay attention to business trends
• Evaluate every visit; what was
learned; how can it be improved
What Can
You Give?
• Responsive services
• Individual matched to position
• No fee to employer
What Can
You Give?
• Job carving to match unique need
• Dependability and credibility
Objections
• Anticipate them
• Have your data ready
• If you don’t get them, worry!
Objections
• Respond proactively
• Feel, felt, found
The Individual
in the Marketing
Process
• Balance the scale of knowledge the job seeker and the employer
• The more you know about each, the
better able you will be to complete
the job match
The Individual
in the Marketing
Process
• Carving and customization will be
easier if the relationships are strong
with both parties
Data
• Harris Poll (1987, 1991 and 1995
document success of employees
with disabilities in the workplace)
• Dupont Survey of Employment of
People with Disabilities (1990)
Data
• Referral letters from satisfied
customers
• Data on employment success in your
own community
Marketing
Avenues
• Company website
• Ads in local newspapers
• Targeted flyers
Marketing
Avenues
• Ads in company publications
• Updated business cards
• Continued personal contact
Outcomes
• Success is measured not by the
number of job placements but the
quality of the placement as stated
by the employee and the employer.