PPB June 2020

team has been working remotely since March 16 and will continue under state-wide shutdowns. When do you foresee your sales returning to pre-lockdown levels? Frankly, I don’t see that on the horizon for quite some time, as the entire event industry will have a long recovery timeline. What shape of recovery do you think this will be—U, V, W, some combination or other—and why? I think the Nike Swoosh-shaped model is most realistic. What actions are you taking now to restart your business? We’re actively working with clients on what a “return-to- work” scenario will look like. In general terms, what are your revenue expectations for year-end? We’ll be down from 2019 for sure—how much will be determined by what “return to work” looks like. Sales have been off since COVID-19 began in mid-March. We’ve done some PPE, but not enough to make up the difference. The entire Mac Mannes team has been working remotely since March 16 and will continue under state-wide shutdowns. . Brad Ness President S&S Promotional Group Fargo, North Dakota How have your sales and business been affected by the pandemic? Our typical promotional product sales are down slightly. We have been replacing those sales with PPE products. We have had several people working remotely. We have not needed to lay anyone off. We are participating in the Paycheck Protection Program. The biggest thing that we have had to deal with is the uncertainty that the pandemic brings. Our sales staff has had to think outside the box by approaching business differently. We are practicing social distancing, disinfecting our offices regularly and using lots of sanitizer. Remote meetings are now regular occurrences. I am so proud of how our team has reacted to this challenging time. They have remained positive, respectful and worked together as a team to continue serving our clients and community. When do you foresee your sales returning to pre-lockdown levels? I expect sales to remain challenging through the summer. Once fall hits, we will be back to traditional levels or we will have found new product lines to get us there. What shape of recovery do you think this will be—U, V, W, some combination or other—and why? I believe the recovery will come in spurts. There will be a quick jump as soon as we feel it is time to get back to business. I also believe that the funds provided by the government will provide a stimulus. There will be certain industries that will suffer for a long time and perhaps not survive. There will be other industries that will come out of this flourishing. It will be at least a two- year process. Much of the recovery will depend on the government’s treatment of the payback process of dollars given out during the pandemic and future tax policies. What actions are you taking now to restart or promote your business? Sharing ideas and best business practices with fellow members of The Partnering Group has been a godsend. Open communication with our entire team has made a big difference. We intend to be very entrepreneurial in our efforts. We are currently advertising on TV and radio. We are staying in touch with our clients through email, phone, social media and video conferencing. We have added to our sales team and are fully staffed in support and production. We will be doing more self-promotions and fully intend to have our client appreciation show at the end of September. Adding the PPE product line to our offerings should provide a new revenue stream. We have to look to those industries that are doing well through this and put our marketing and sales efforts in their direction. It is a time to push ahead not hunker down. In general terms, what are your revenue expectations for year end? I expect revenue to be up around 10 percent this year. We were originally planning on 15-percent growth. A Snapshot Of Distributor Activity | FEATURE | JUNE 2020 | 55