PRESENTATIONS
THAT WIN PROJECTS Presenting effectively is actually very simple. All you have to do is tell the customer how you will solve their unique concerns, and you’ll most likely win the project. Of course, delivering the message well is also important. So why do so many contractors keep talking to customers as if customers are contractors? The reality is that most customers really are not interested in construction. They are much more interested in their own business. For the typical customer, construction is an elaborate hassle. What they really want is additional floor space to expand their manufacturing capability, or a better office environment to support the growth of their business, or a distribution system that gets product to their customers when needed. What they don’t want is another construction project. Presentations The reason why presentations don’t go well are many:
The message isn’t well-structured. Team preparation is lacking. The customer’s “hot buttons” are not really known or discussed. The customer perceives that you delivered a boilerplate presentation rather than one uniquely designed for them. Effectiveness comes from a high level of understanding about the customer, their needs, and their wants. Those issues are the customer’s hot buttons. Too often, contractors’ presentations focus on what the contractor does well rather than an explanation of how the customer’s problems can be solved. The contractor’s representatives point out how the contractor will be on time and on budget, and that they have good people who are safe and deliver good quality. All of these qualities are nice to have — the problem is they do not capture the client’s attention or sell many projects. Truly effective presentations are crafted before the
RFP hits the streets. But that is not always possible. If you’re finding out about a
project opportunity through an RFP, then you’re starting one step behind in the race
to win the project. We all think of our own business in great levels of detail. We can recall lots of facts and figures, technical information, market impacts, and people snags. However, the tendency in presentations is to discuss customer issues in vague terms. It’s not uncommon to hear a contractor say, “We’ll get you into the building on time.” That’s important, but it is too vague of a concept to get the customer’s attention. The reason for needing to move in on time is what is important to the customer. It might be because they’re operating out of two facilities and one of the leases will be up, and they need the new construction space so their people have a place to work. Or perhaps the opening date is important because it’s a distribution center and the computer system needs to be in at that time to support the merchandising buildup necessary to open the store. Whatever the reason, tell the customer you can get them in on the right date to meet their needs and say it in the same words that they use internally. If you can do that and deliver the message confidently, you will win their favor.Quick Tips Here are a few more presentation tips: 1. Plan your presentation to end five minutes early. You’ll come across as well-organized and prepared. FMI Management Letter September 2002 Reprinted with permission from FMI Management Letter, FMI Corporation, 919.787.8400. For more information, visit www.fminet.com or call Angela Blackburn at 919.785.9220.
T.F.. Beck Company Awarded Safety Plaque
On Thursday, September 12th an award luncheon was held at T. F. Beck Company to honor the staff, safety director, foreman and other key personnel for their role in safety awareness.
During the luncheon, James O’Boyle of The Accident Fund Company presented Daniel E. Casey, owner of T. F. Beck Company, with a safety plaque for “Continuous Safety Improvement”. He congratulated T. F. Beck Company for promoting workplace safety/health and for their significant improvement over previous years. Over the past two years, T. F. Beck Company has reduced the frequency of injuries by more than 30% and reduced the dollars paid for claims by more than 75%. Congratulations! Scholarship Essay Awards 2002
The Roofers Union Local #149/RIPF/SMRCA Scholarship Board of Governors is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Scholarship Grants. Winners will receive a grant towards college in the amount of $600.00, for submitting an essay on “What Roofing Means to Me.” The Board of Governors (John Burman, Karen Colver, Edward Farley, George Schena, and John Stenson) selected six winners. They are listed as follows: Matthew Ramiro GalvanLutz Roofing Company, Inc. Jeffrey Mohammadi Milbrand Roofing Company Sharlee Trent Milbrand Roofing Company Matthew Crane Newton & Crane, Inc. Erin Piontkowski Royal Roofing Company Craig Champagne Schreiber Corporation
MiRCA Convention
The Michigan Roofing Contractors Association (MiRCA) celebrated their 37th Annual Convention on August 8-10, 2002 at Crystal Mountain Resort. Special thank-yous for all who donated ladies gifts and/or monies for cocktail reception sponsorships. They are listed as follows: ALCO-NVC, Inc.Allied Building Products Corporation GAF Materials Corporation Garwood, Buda, Knight & Associates, Inc. Kawkawlin Roofing Company Koppers Industries, Inc. L.T. Ollesheimer & Son, Inc. Lumbermen’s, Inc. Marty Wildfong & Associates, Inc. Michigan Roofing Contractors Association Mid Michigan Roofing National Ladder & Scaffold Company Phil Johnson Sales/Johns Manville Roofing Industry Promotion Fund Triangle Design, Inc. Trumbull Division Owens Corning Wimsatt Building Materials, Inc. Thank you for your continued support! FOR SALE230 pieces of decking 18” X 6” prime
painted BW 36-20 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS January 15, 2003—Ohio Roofing Contractors Association Convention,Columbus, Ohio l (888) 294-7733 January 21-23, 2003—NERCA 2003 77th Annual Convention and Tradeshow, Providence, Rhode Island l (617) 472-5590 February 11-14, 2003—NRCA Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana l (800) 323-9545 May 20, 2003—SMRCA Annual Golf Outing , Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club, Oakland, Michigan l (586) 759-2140 July 31-August 2, 2003—MiRCA Annual Convention, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Michigan l (586) 759-2140 October 23-24, 2003—54th Annual MRCA Convention and Trade Show, Cincinnati, Ohio l (800) 497-6722
JAC School Update
On Saturday, July 13, 2002 the Joint Apprenticeship Committee for the Roofers & Waterproofers Union Local #149 and the Southeastern Michigan Roofing Contractors Association presented a graduation dinner at the Stephenson Haus for the Apprenticeship graduates from the December 2001 and June 2002 classes. Mr. Drogosch, the full-time instructor at the Apprenticeship School, made all necessary arrangements for this event. On behalf of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee, which consists of Ed Farley, Larry Bringard, Ed Doyle, Hamidullah Ali, Bob Peterson, Bret Pienkosz, Ted Evans, Larry Pronek, Dave Thompson and Karen Colver, we would like to thank Mr. Drogosch for all of his hard work involved in the planning and implementation of the evening. Congratulations to all graduating apprentices! BIRTHDAY WISHES Bob Bair, ALCO-NVC, Inc.June 11 Ed Karpinski, ALCO-NVC, Inc. August 8 Heather Hadley, SMRCA September 21 Eric Schultz, Lifetime Member October 3 Larry Rowe, National Ladder & Scaffold Company October 10 Mervyn Smith, Lifetime Member October 13 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Terry Kiciak , TK Roofing Products and MarketingOctober 13 Stacy Foley, Crane Roofing, Inc. October 20 John Sinkowski, T.F. Beck Company November 9 George Schena, Schena Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., Inc. November 13 Terry (TK Roofing Products and Marketing) and Wally Kiciak August 14 John (T. F. Beck Company) and Carol Sinkowski September 17 Mary Jo (T. F. Beck Company) and Ken (Schreiber Corporation) Dietrich September 26 Karen (SMRCA) and Gary Colver October 3 Kelly (Tremco, Inc.) and Toni Conway October 24
NRAC'S SEPTEMBER "10@10" Bush Signs Executive Order: Fulfilling a promise he made in his Small Business Agenda earlier this March, President Bush signed an Executive Order on August 14 requiring federal agencies to submit within 90 days to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy their plans for how they plan on accounting for the impact on small businesses of their rulemaking procedures. Energy Bill by Year’s End a 50/50 Bet: Depending on whom you ask, you’re almost certain to get an answer ranging from 40-60 percent to the question of whether we’ll see an energy bill pass Congress this session. The bill is currently in a conference committee to iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, and negotiators in both parties appear eager to clinch a deal. But a number of contentious and high profile issues could jeopardize a final agreement. If those issues prove too difficult to resolve, the question then becomes one of whether the conferees agree to report out of the committee a scaled-back bill containing non-controversial provisions that could become law this year. This is a strong possibility. Fortunately for NRCA, a number of the items that have not generated controversy include energy efficiency initiatives, research and development incentives, and tax provisions designed to spur conservation and greater efficiency gains in the construction of commercial and residential structures. OSHA Announces Restructuring Plan: On August 27, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health John Henshaw announced a plan to reorganize the agency. The reorganization features the creation of a new Office of Small Business as well as a new compliance assistance section called the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, which will be dedicated to formalizing OSHA’s efforts to expand compliance programs, training, and outreach and education programs. Other new offices created by the reorganization include the Office of Partnerships and Recognition and the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, both designed to reach out to the business and employer communities. Terrorism Insurance Prospects Dimming: There was hope that an agreement on terrorism insurance legislation would be at hand when Congress reconvened last week, particularly given that before the August recess congressional leaders named conferees to negotiate the final language on terrorism insurance legislation. However, it becomes increasingly unlikely with each passing day that an agreement will be reached because Senate Democrats continue to demand that punitive damage awards be allowed in the bill. Alternatively, several key Republicans have vowed that the bill will not go forward under those conditions because it would effectively hand over the keys to the federal treasury to trial lawyers. The legislation is designed to be a temporary federal program to back up the insurance industry should another attack occur. Under the bill, the government would pay 90 percent of insurance claims arising from terrorist attacks after costs exceeded $10 billion—federal payments would be capped at $100 billion. AFL-CIO to Challenge Bush in Highest Court: The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO announced on August 28 that it will file a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a July 12 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. That court decision found that the president had the authority to restrict the use of mandatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on federally funded construction projects because the government acts as a “market participant” in negotiating such contracts. The July 12 court ruling stemmed from Executive Order 13202, issued this past February by Bush.Excerpt’s supplied by the NRCA “10 @ 10”, by R. Craig Silvertooth, Director of Federal Affairs, 324 4th Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002. NRCA News August Contracts Increase 7 Percent New construction contracts increased 7 percent in August, reports the F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Construction.“The construction industry in 2002 essentially has stabilized close to its 2001 level, following 10 straight years of expansion,” states Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. “The weak economy during the past year led to sharp declines for commercial and manufacturing building, but the slack has been picked up by further growth for single-family housing, public works and institutional building.” Total construction activity in August was 1 percent higher than the corresponding amount during 2001. Information downloaded from the NRCA News 9/30/02 .
"QUESTIONS
AND ANSWER" QUESTION: Our Company has a retirement plan in place for its salaried workforce. It is my understanding that changes have been made to retirement plans that may require amendments to the plans. What is the timing of these amendments and are contributions affected for calendar year 2002? ANSWER: Two different items concern calendar year 2002. A. December 31, 2002 is the deadline for completing the “GUST” Amendments. GUST is an acronym for six different Tax Acts passed since 1993. Thankfully, the IRS does not require companies to update their plans on a yearly basis but allows plan sponsors to accumulate the various changes into a single plan amendment which includes all the accumulated changes. Calendar year 2002 is one of those years in which companies must update their plan documents to include all the “GUST” Amendments. B. In the Economic Growth & Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (the “Act”) there have been significant changes in the administration of retirement plans. The Act becomes effective for plan years beginning in 2002.The amount permitted for deferral by participants was increased to $11,000 in 2002. The deferral amount will continue to increase to $15,000 by 2006. Subsequent to 2006, increases will occur pursuant to changes in the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). Individuals over the age of 50 are also able to make “catch-up” contributions of $1,000 to these plans. The limits also increase from $1,000 up to $5,000 by 2006. CPI increases will occur subsequent to that date. The employer’s deduction limit has also been revised. The employer’s deductibility rules changes the maximum contribution limits for both profit sharing and 401(k) plans from the prior 15% of net eligible compensation up to 25% of total eligible compensation. Employee’s compensation that may be used for plan purposes increases to $200,000 with incremental CPI based increases thereafter. In 2003, participants in employer retirement plans will be able to make their IRA contribution to their employer’s plan. Such contributions will have to be separately accounted for and will still be governed by the IRA rules. In 2006, IRA contributions may be made on either a pre-tax or an after-tax basis. The ability for a participant to rollover or move his or her retirement assets as he or she changes jobs to the new plan has also been liberalized under the Act. The Act relaxed the prohibition of moving funds between qualified and non-qualified plans. Pre-tax and after-tax funds may now also be commingled. Balances currently held in regular IRAs are allowed to be rolled into company retirement plans. The only exemption is that after-tax money in an IRA cannot be rolled into a company retirement plan. The Act impacted plan administrators because of the many changes that affect the design and administration of the plans. The underlying principles of increased benefits and portability inherent in the Act has created changes in the traditional environment of the plan administrator. Companies should contact their counsel to determine what amendments, if any, need to be made to their plans in order to comply with the new requirements. Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers.
Upcoming Seminars RIEI Seminars The RIEI provides educational seminars that include cities from coast to coast. RIEI addresses a wide variety of seminar topics which are of interest to roofing contractors, consultants, specifiers, plant engineers, and anyone else with a professional interest in roofing design, construction and maintenance. Introduction to Roofing November 18 Chicago, IL This class is designed for those new to the roofing industry. Perfect as an orientation to the industry, Introduction to Roofing provides the right blend of information to start employees out with a solid understanding of roofing subjects. Roofing Technology November 19 - 22 Chicago, IL This is a necessary course for anyone who has roofing responsibilities. Discover the advantages and disadvantages of commercial low-slope systems, including new or changing products or application techniques. Learn to evaluate different systems to determine which best meets your roofing needs. Roofer - EMS November 13 - 14 Denver, CO This hands-on course is for those interested in taking an active role in managing their roof systems using the Roofer-EMS system. This course teaches the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Roofer and Micro-Roofer, computer-based roof asset management programs. Combined, these two programs comprise a powerful roof asset management tool. In addition to learning the process, students will have hands-on experience using Micro-Roofer. Roof Inspection, Diagnosis & Repair December 5 - 6 Dallas, TX Learn the techniques used for conducting visual roof inspections and non-destructive moisture surveys. Students will leave with an understanding of sample taking, materials testing and proper repair techniques. For further information feel free to visit the RIEI website at: www.nrca.net/riei/seminars Unversity of Wisconsin A Practical Workshop on Low Slope Roofing Systems—Built-up, Single Ply, and Metal RoofsNovember 19 - 21 Madison, WI If you design, install, maintain, or repair low slope roofing systems, this workshop will show you techniques for ensuring trouble-free roofs. A special session will address water/moisture-caused mold-related health problems. To register call 1-800-462-0876. SkillPath® SeminarsThe Conference on OSHA Compliance 2002 November 20 Dearborn, MI One information packed day on what every business -- large and small -- must know now to meet new OSHA regulations and avoid the growing number of inspections, citations, fines, Workers’ Comp claims and workplace related lawsuits. Dealing Effectively With Unacceptable Employee Behavior November 21 Farmington Hills,
MI How to get the productivity, cooperation and results you need without incurring resentment or damaging relationships. Managing Multiple Projects, Objectives and Deadlines December 2 Farmington Hills,
MI Learn how to get and keep control of concurrent projects, competing priorities and critical deadlines Register online at www.skillpath.com or call 1-800-873-7545. National Seminars Group Security Essentials for Front Desk Professionals November 12 Traverse City,
MI Learn how to respond effectively to aggressive behavior without risking your personal safety, handle emergencies with proven methods recommended by law enforcement professionals, exhibit a take-charge, no-nonsense attitude while still remaining friendly and helpful. Register online at www.natsem.com or call 1-800-258-7246. |
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