Motivation, sales and construction

Most of us have heard the name Zig Ziglar -- motivational speaker and writer. However, probably few of us know that Ziglar traces his success to the motivation provided by Dr. Emol Fails, founder of FMI Management Consultants and Investment Bankers in Raleigh, NC. FMI now asserts that it is the largest consultancy/investment banker serving the construction industry, with almost 200 employees in four offices around the U.S.

I've just interviewed FMI President and Managing Director Hank Harris, but you'll have to wait until the summer to read that interview in our North Carolina papers (and, I trust, by then, our revitalized websites.)

So what do Zig Ziglar and FMI have to do with construction marketing? Well, especially if you are one of the larger generals or subs and need consulting services, the consulting will largely revolve around marketing issues and I expect sooner or later you will hear about and consider using FMI.

But the other issue here is the nature of references, stories, and evolving history. Ziglar started out as a protege of Fails -- but now FMI uses the Ziglar story as part of its corporate history and credibility. The protege has, in essence, become the endorser.

Greatness happens in many ways and, as you read Ziglar's observations about Fails, you can see that the Professor understood how to recognize the strengths and capabilities of the people working with him -- because these strengths and capabilities were both real and well deserved. Ziglar might have suffered from low self esteem, but Fails saw and appreciated his talent -- and helped him develop and gain confidence.

Some people I'm sure still associate "marketing" with advertising, canvassing, and nuisance surveys by telemarketers (I received another inbound call today and courteously, again, declined to respond.) But really when you come down to it, marketing is all about how you respect and treat the people around you; your clients, your employees, and ultimately your new clients. Marketing success is achieved when you meld all these elements into a cohesive vision and successfully implement it.