BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Your Company’s Values Should Drive Your Marketing Message W Ryan Englin, CEO, Core Matters
hen contractors think of marketing, they often think of the method first—advertising, social media, email, sponsorships, or trade shows. But before you take that step to invest in marketing, you should first give serious consideration to your message. Your message, and all marketing, should reflect your company’s values. We asked Ryan Englin, co-author of Hire Better People Faster, and CEO of Core Matters, to weigh in on the topics of values, mission, vision, and company culture, and how they impact marketing decisions. “In the construction industry, a strong foundation of Core Values, Mission, and Vision is essential for longterm success. These elements are more than just words. They shape your company’s identity, drive your team’s commitment, and guide your reputation in the market,” said Englin. “By clearly defining and consistently communicating them, contractors can attract and retain the right people, build a loyal client base, and forge strong partnerships.”
What is the difference between Core Values and Mission/Vision Statements? Think of Core Values, Mission, and Vision like the foundation, the frame, and the blueprint of a building. Each one has a unique role in holding the structure of your company together. Core Values are the standards you expect your
employees to live up to. They’re the behaviors that define your team. For example, if “Serve Others” is one of your Core Values, you can expect your team to actively put others’ wants, needs, and dreams ahead of their own. Mission is often interchanged with purpose. It’s your why. Why do you get up at 5 AM to hang iron in the bitter cold or blazing sun? Maybe your Mission is to build structures that last generations or to provide rock-solid work opportunities in your community. Your Mission is the purpose behind every weld and every cut. Your Mission is important because it gives people something bigger to work toward. It’s what motivates a welder to put in that extra effort, knowing they’re building something that matters. People want to feel like they’re contributing to something bigger. Your Mission gives them that sense of purpose. Vision is about the future. Think of your business like a bus - everyone’s on board, but they need to know where you’re going. Your Vision is the destination of the bus (business). For instance, your Vision could be to become the most trusted name in steel erection across your region. Or maybe it’s to set up shop in all 50 states. When the whole team knows the end goal, they can work together to get there. Your team probably spends more waking hours with you than with their closest friends. If people are going to trade their time and energy, they want to know where
MAS Building & Bridge, Inc., Norfolk, Massachusetts Core Values: People, Safety, Quality and Productivity Our values are not just words, they translate into action and performance. Our safety record has given us one of the best reputations in New England. This contributes to GCs and fabricators preferring to work with us.
Glen Pisani, Steel Division Manager
We communicate our core values to our employees by following them ourselves. As a result, our employees stay with us because we care about the welfare of our crews. There are lots of ways that this is implemented, but here are a few examples. • We have a dedicated person in charge of employee development to make sure all managers and leaders are following through on company programs and initiatives. • We offer foreman, lead man, welding, and Subpart R training to all employees, and utilize a base task list to guide employees through meeting specific criterial for task proficiency. • We bring in financial advisors to educated crews on investing in 401K retirement programs and how to invest annuity money. We pay for the classes as long as the participant passes the completion.
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