Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/201186
on record | by Marcia Gruver Doyle MGruver@randallreilly.com Share W e recently noticed a write-up great idea or method to appear first on our in an association magazine website or within the pages of this magazine. about a contractor who had Still, there's a lot you can gain by sharing what won a national safety award. you know, and in this digital age, it's becomGreat, we thought. Let's go ing more of the norm. Online forums such as to him and get some more details on how he heavyequipmentforums.com have been around for won this award. We're always looking for good years, sometimes even breaking news, such as ideas that can be adopted by rumors of Deere's 764 HSD other contractors. high speed dozer before its But when we contacted intro at the 2008 ConExpohim, the answer was a Con/Agg. These forums give resounding "no thank you." boots-on insight into equipThe contractor had only ment issues, but you do have Whether it's a agreed to the previous article to make checking them out mistrust in dealbecause he was a member of part of your weekly routine. ing with us writer that association. And that's In addition, a number of all he had to say 'bout that. contractors have expressed types, a fear that This isn't a one-off when interest in forming peer a closely-guarded talking with contractors. groups with noncompetcompetitive secret Whether it's a mistrust in ing firms. The idea: there's a dealing with us writer types, lot of shared pain, and one will get wide disa fear that a closely-guarded firm may have an effective semination, or just competitive secret will get strategy to combat one issue, not wanting any wide dissemination, or just while another contractor has not wanting any stray beam some battle scars that taught stray beam of the of the limelight to shine on him not to go down a certain limelight to shine them, we've found there can path. on them, we've be great hesitation among I confess: Editors give each contractors in sharing their other a private eye roll when found there can experiences. press event presenters talk be great hesitation But neither is it a blanket on about "listening to the among contractors voice of the customer" as if statement. It's definitely not true of our current Contracit's a novel idea. The phrase in sharing their extor of the Year, Scott Kelly, has been said so many times periences. who has a passion sharing it's become as trite as callwhat he's learned and in ing a machine the "Swiss turn, learning from others. Army knife of (fill in product This intensity among the many reasons we type)." But the action behind the sentiment is named him our 2013 winner. on target: they – and we – need to listen to When it comes to the topic of sharing, I your voice. recognize I'm prejudiced. I want that next We'd just like hear it more often. EW " " EquipmentWorld.com | November 2013 11