News Newsletter January 2010 MEA Has Your Back—So Buy MEA 1st
MEA Has Your Back—So Buy MEA 1st
Written by Tom Kopperud
We decide how we are going to spend our money every day. As business owners, we want to get the most "bang for our buck." We have many reasons beyond price for choosing who we buy from. I invite you to think about how much extra bang we get when we buy from MEA.The money we pay to MEA for classes, books, and other services comes back to us in the form of the following:
• A stronger voice at the Legislature, Board of Electricity, OSHA, and other agencies.
• Alerts and newsletters to keep us posted on changes in laws and rules along with industry news.
• Classes based on what we ask for and located in our communities with top trainers. Trainers with direct experience in running businesses, designing and estimating projects, and/or managing big jobs.
Will I still go to the training offered by our area representative or inspector? Sure—when the new code comes out, I want to hear how they will interpret and enforce the code.
Will I alternate that training with the classes MEA offers? Absolutely—for two reasons:
• MEA has my back! The electrical contractors who belong to MEA can use that money to pay for staff and lobbyists who will fight for us! So you're darn right I will use MEA whenever it makes sense.
• Their trainers are in our business and can tell me how they apply the code in designing, estimating and running jobs.
Will I buy my insurance from Federated because they pay a safety promotion fee to support MEA's safety program? If my son is selling insurance for another company or Iif get the same coverage for a lower price—probably not!
I do buy insurance from Federated because it has the best contractor package I have seen. For example, a while back I was talking to a contractor who made a design mistake and his "errors & omissions" coverage was not designed for contractors. He was worried about losing his business. When I compare it against the coverage offered by other companies—their price may not be the cheapest—but their coverage is far better. Plus—their safety promotion fee pays for the tool box talks, part of the MEA News, helps with safety classes, and more, so why not buy from them?
When making your buying decisions, I invite you to ask yourself these questions:
• Does the book store you are using fight for your interests?
• Does the company you use for training fight for your interests?
• Does the business you are using support the association that is fighting for you?
If they do not—considering BUYING MEA 1ST. In talking about this at the Strategic Planning meetings this month, it became clear that the economy is tough for MEA too—so it is more important than ever (when things are close to equal) to support our association by throwing as much business their way as possible.
Thanks and I wish you a happy and successful 2010!
