Dan Woodman, Founder of Leading Labor writing today. I know that the Building Trades Legislative Conference is coming up next week, and I wanted to take a minute to talk about technology. I’ve been in the industry for nearly 20 years. (I was selling websites to businesses before most business owners even knew what a website was. Really.) But, my focus during almost all of those 20 years has been helping businesses understand how to leverage technology effectively in order to grow their bottom line through marketing and the smart application of technology. Most businesses don’t need (or want) the “latest and greatest” technology. They need technology that actually helps the business run more efficiently, grow, and prosper. Selling a widget to a business that doesn’t need it helps no one but the people making widgets.
I bring this up because in the past two years, I have worked with more than 400 members of the Building Trades. To say it has been an eye-opening experience is an understatement. I have experienced so much frustration with technology vendors that only tell their clients part of the story. As an example, I recently met with a group that had just spent a significant amount of money on a new website. They turned to a trusted vendor to help them achieve the goal of getting more business for the local’s contractors. The end result? They trusted that their vendor would steer them in the right direction, spent the money, and have nothing to show for it. This seems to be the norm, rather than the exception: websites built in Flash (even though Google doesn’t index it and Apple devices don’t support it); technologically-advanced communication platforms that are “coming soon” (and have been for a year); locals that have a brand new website, but can’t update it and don’t know that they can measure their website traffic. Why is this still happening? It is disheartening to say the least.
I got involved with Labor Rising because I am a vehement supporter of Labor. When you attend our class, you’ll realize that this is more than a career to me – it is a passion. I want to change the status quo. I have brought my marketing and technological expertise to bear in order to help Labor be more efficient, grow, and prosper. As an independent consultant, I am in a unique position to help you evaluate technology-related decisions. I care about you getting the technology you need – to advance your unions and contractors. Feel free to give me a call – I would love to help. I bring this up because I know there will be vendors wining and dining at the conference and I don’t want 2014 to be another year of status quo. This should be the year that Labor Rises!
Dan Woodman
Leading Labor
