Induron admits: ‘We are selfish’

Posted on October 16, 2012 by induron

By Ben Rowland, Induron Sales Rep, Birmingham, AL

I recently read an article entitled, “Authentic Selling: Be An Advisor”, by Marc Corsini. This article really struck a chord with me, as it represents the notion that I have always felt was the overriding philosophy here at Induron Protective Coatings. That philosophy being, that we work as “advisors” for our clients, not just “salespeople.” The Authentic Selling acronym is as follows:

Advisor

Undisputed Results

Trustworthy

Helpful

Empathetic

Natural

Thought Leader

Integrity

Collaborative Effort Continue reading →

Why is Safety Still an Issue in America?

Posted on August 21, 2012 by induron

A high-rise building under construction in China - all the scaffolding appeared to be made of bamboo.

It’s really pretty hard for me to believe.

Here in the United States, we pride ourselves on safety. At Induron, we have monthly meetings taught by outside professionals on a whole host of safety topics – fire safety, safe practices for lifting with overhead cranes, proper use of respirators, and many, many more. We have regular fire drills, just like my kids do in elementary school! Our government helps reinforce our commitment to safety through OSHA, a federal agency that is becoming even more vigilant in its enforcement of safety rules and regulations. Some in our industry believe recent enforcement actions have stepped over the lines. But you wouldn’t think that industries in this country were in any way lacking in safety practices and oversights, because of agencies like OSHA, educational & training policies like Induron’s, and the industy’s overall improving safety record. Continue reading →

How to Keep Employees Happy

Posted on July 24, 2012 by induron

By Davies Hood, Induron President

As an executive in a small business, I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers on how to “keep employees happy.” However, when I think about it, I think I know someone who does – Ric Michaels, my first grade teacher.

Now, I’m not comparing Induron’s (or your!) employees to first graders. But I am saying that keeping employees – or any other group of people – happy and productive requires the things we all learned, or should have learned, very early in life from a good role model. Continue reading →

I Just Signed It

Posted on June 7, 2012 by induron

By Davies Hood, Induron President

I believe that people worldwide have a right to clean water. I’ve encouraged the entire Induron staff to sign and support the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) “Water is Worth It” pledge. I just signed it. And I encourage you to as well.

By signing this short, four-sentence pledge, you too can help support clean and safe water worldwide! Think of the difference access to clean drinking water can make in one child’s life.

What I Learned About Business from “Moneyball”

Posted on May 8, 2012 by induron

By Davies Hood, Induron Executive Vice President

Thank goodness baseball season is here. I absolutely love looking at baseball box scores first thing in the morning. I like following my team (The San Francisco Giants) through the inevitable ups and downs of a long season. I appreciate the intricacies of the game, like bunting a runner into scoring position, the hit ‘n’ run and the subtle shift in fielders’ positioning based on a certain hitter’s tendencies, as well as what and where the pitcher intends to pitch to him.

I was expecting the recent box office hit “Moneyball” to delve into these parts of my passion. However, what I got was an entertaining (thank you, Brad Pitt) business lesson. This article in QP (Quality Progress, which unfortunately requires site login) really digs into the statistical part of the movie and fleshes out some of the real lessons that Billy Beane and his Oakland Athletics learned over the years.

These valuable lessons are:

Focus on measurements to create a culture of success. Quite simply, measure what’s important, because people focus on what it is that’s being measured. In “Moneyball,” Beane focused almost exclusively on “On-base percentage,” instead of batting average and the beauty of a player’s “swing.” This leads to the second lesson… Continue reading →

65 Years: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Posted on April 3, 2012 by induron

By Davies Hood, Induron Executive VP, Birmingham, AL

Induron celebrates our 65^th anniversary this year. I am beyond proud of this incredible professional AND personal landmark.

Reaching the 65-year mark makes me proud personally because of the success of my predecessors. That’s obviously my dad and granddad, but this anniversary is even more a testament to the management team and staff that’s worked here over the years. From the production crew and sales team, to the chemists, warehouse guys and store workers over the years, there’s a lot to be proud of.

In 1947, when our country was much smaller in population, there were many more paint manufacturers. Several existed in Alabama, and there were several in every major city in the country. Like many things, there’s been consolidation over the years. Even in my 15 years with Induron, I’ve seen significantly fewer small- to medium-size paint manufacturers nationwide.

Induron has stood the test of time because we’ve been flexible enough to adapt our business model to reflect current and changing tastes, but we’ve also consistently run our business with integrity. We treat our customers, employees and suppliers with integrity by doing what we say we’re going to do. We treat everyone with respect, because that’s what we believe in. Continue reading →

Straight Talk with Davies Hood

Posted on December 29, 2011 by induron

2011 has been a good year at Induron. Yes, it’s been a good year in sales, but it’s also been good in a way less easily quantified – culture.

Throughout our organization I can point to specific business changes that have affected our culture in a positive way. I feel the good year in sales is directly correlated to the great culture throughout our organization. Continue reading →

Straight Talk with Davies Hood

Posted on November 29, 2011 by induron

At Induron, we have a relationship based sales model and process. That’s the way we sell our products. I was in sales for years, and now I’m being sold to a lot, so I’ve seen both sides, and it’s the people I’ve really clicked with and become friends with who I like to buy from and who I sold a lot to.

What we’ve learned in 60 plus years of trying at Induron is that the influencers in our business, the water business, are civil engineers. The ones who trust us and with whom we have a genuine friendship with are the ones who we do the most business with. That’s how we’ll continue to do business in the future as well; business based on long term relationships.

I don’t like playing sales games, such as mirroring, and I sure don’t want to ask our sales team to do anything like that. Mirroring is when you go in to meet someone and you cross your arms because theirs are crossed, you make eye contact only because they do or you lean up on the table as they do. I consider that more in the field of manipulation than relationship building. Another game people play is looking for signs that tell them about the person they are meeting with when they first go into their office. I have a piece of artwork in my office of hand-tied flies. Now, I am not a fly fisherman, I just like the piece, so when people come in and automatically start talking about it, I’m not very impressed or interested. You have to take the time to really find out what people are truly interested in.

It’s not usually too difficult to find out these kinds of things about people when you are genuinely engaged with them, because everyone likes to talk about themselves, their hobbies and their interests. As you each exchange this personal information and connect to each other on various levels, a real relationship will be formed. What I personally need to work on is talking less and listening more!

At Induron, We try to make friends first and then make the sale. I want my guys to be genuine and have integrity. Of course we want to make the sale and get the commission today, but we also want to make the sale in five years and in 15 years.