& CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS
BUILDINGTOGETHER
BECOMING AN EXPERT IN THE INDUSTRY A team of us recently went on a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to meet with a book publishing firm. We traveled there to do research on whether or not it might be advantageous for us to write a book on the inner workings of EV. We spent the entire day talking with writers, staff, marketing/PR people, etc. discussing what the book might look like and how it might be used. I ultimately wanted to know whether we had a story worthy of documenting that would be of interest to people! They offered a resounding, “Yes, you definitely have a great story to tell that would benefit many…” They also shared a book can make you the expert in your field and being considered an expert brings credibility, trust, respect and access that 99% of the contractors will never have. Lightbulb Moment: Ahhh; It’s not about book sales, it’s about market positioning! We first heard of the phrase “authority marketing” while meeting with them. What this publisher suggested was that if a person or company can be looked at as an “authority” in any particular subject matter (through a book), their credibility goes up significantly and as a result there’s an improved ability to stand out from the competition and thus be a preferred resource. We see having a published book as an additional, unique feature that will set us apart from the competition. When asked at the final moments of an interview “Why should EV be hired over the competition?” We will have a 200 page, hardcover, published response! Bam… Sale made!
Why Safety Matters Thank you to all who attended our 10 year celebration on June 14! During the event children hung up their safety artwork. View all of the entries from the 10 Year "No-Lost-Time-Injury" Celebration on our Facebook page!
June 2017
Many people want to publish a book out of ego or a desire to be rich. Publishers will tell you that few people ever make significant money on book sales (JK Rowling being the exception). Similar to the EV history book we released in May, we plan to give away these books to everyone that might have an interest in it. Again, a book can set a company apart and create an aura of authority and expertise that others don’t have. In reflecting on our own market, none of our competitors ever considered writing a book because what they do is not unique or special enough to be of interest to others! We are very proud of what we created here at Elzinga & Volkers. The publisher was very impressed by just a few of the Unmistakably EV stories we shared. Many leaders of other organizations continue to be intrigued and want to know more; in fact, a couple of us are regularly called upon to do public speaking to large groups regionally/nationally (and even in Canada) to tell the story of how this small contractor in West Michigan has grown to be a leading edge company. Documenting “Unmistakably EV” in a way that will inspire others seems to be the right thing to do. It’s our social conscience that drives us to help others; it’s part of the EV DNA! Who knows, we may be out there some day as consultants for other contractors (not our competitors of course) teaching them how to build an award worthy, successful company with our inspirational business model.
Mike Novakoski President/CEO