One of the most important marketing lessons I've learned over the years is this: you can spend millions a year on marketing, advertising, PR and promotions but if you have an unhappy staff or, worse, a revolving door in your employment office, you might as well toss that marketing money out the window.

As a licensed career counselor, I've worked with scores of people who were miserably unhappy in their jobs. It's unfortunate that workers are sometimes so terribly misplaced in what should be an enjoyable experience. It's also unfortunate for the employer who then must deal with the problems caused by frustrated, discontented employees. From a marketing and sales standpoint, an unhappy staff is absolute poison to a company. Nothing will chase away customers quicker than a surly receptionist or a grumpy sales clerk.

With today's serious dearth of skilled workers, investing some time and a little money in "career mapping" can save a lot of grief for both employer and employee. Career mapping allows both parties to map out a strategic career path within the company, providing the employee with long-term goals, as well as opportunities to learn a variety of new skills. Benefits to the company include reduced turnover, higher morale, increased productivity, and a significant reduction in hiring costs and new employee training.

Career mapping should actually begin during the hiring process. Prospective employees should be carefully interviewed to determine not only the skills they can bring to the table but also their long-term career goals, their personality and communication styles, and the manner in which they prefer to work. Remember, your employees have their own goals, ambitions and career agendas. Companies that make an effort to help their employees reach their personal objectives will be rewarded with a team of motivated, loyal people who won't jump ship when a "better" offer comes along.

Personally, I recommend that businesses consider utilizing several assessment tools to better determine an employee's career interests and work values. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an excellent instrument, as are the COPS and COPES tests which assess career interests and career values, respectively. By understanding your employees, you can better address human resources, training, hiring, policy-setting and promotion issues. From a hiring perspective, it allows interviewers and human resources personnel to better place candidates in appropriate positions.

Finally, if you have a company staffed with happy people who like what they do, you're going to increase your sales and enhance your image in the community. Any way you look at it, investing in your people is a smart business strategy.

Debra Davenport, PhD, is a Master Professional Mentor and the president of DavenportFolio, a licensed firm with offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix that mentors entrepreneurs and professionals. She is the creator of the Certified Professional Mentor® designation and certification program and the author of The Ten Commitments of Highly Successful People. debra@davenportfolio.com or (866) 232-6492.