PPB June 2020

SMALL DISTRIBUTORS Kirby Hasseman Owner Hasseman Marketing & Communications Coshocton, Ohio How have your sales and business been affected by the pandemic? Our sales fell off a cliff the third week in March and that was the case for the next month or so. We have seen an uptick in business in branded PPE and products that will help businesses get open. We have had a week or two that have been good, and our hope is that we can maintain that a bit. When do you foresee your sales returning to pre-lockdown levels? My best hope is that we start to see [sales] ramp back up during the third quarter sometime. What shape of recovery do you think this will be—U, V, W, some combination or other—and why? I would love to say V, but I have a feeling that it will be more W. I think it’s incumbent upon each of us to ride the wave of need of our clients so we can be there to meet them. What actions are you taking now to restart your business? We have taken the time off to be intentional about marketing. We have created content nearly every day and have created a five-day marketing course for our customers. We have even worked to redesign our website. In addition, we have ordered masks for our team (and customers). In general terms, what are your revenue expectations for year-end? My hope is our revenue will be down only around 15 to 20 percent. I hope we are not down that much, but I think that might be realistic. Randa Rosenblum, CAS Owner Ideas Unlimited Memphis, Tennessee How have your sales and business been affected by the pandemic? We have two large customers that are still ordering, but most of ours are not. We have been asked for some large quantities of sanitizer and wipes, which have helped us to keep our revenue going, but nothing like what I am reading about for some distributors. When do you foresee your sales returning to pre-lockdown levels? I think the second round of COVID-19 is going to hit hard because we, as humans, are going to want to put this time behind us, thinking we are done. But I don’t think we are. I think there is a second round coming in the fall coupled with flu season. While I hope we are back to pre-lockdown levels in 2020, realistically, I think it won’t happen until early 2021. What shape of recovery do you think this will be—U, V, W, some combination or other—and why? I think it is going to be a V. In the past four epidemics since 1990, we have had V-shaped recoveries. There is no reason for me to think this pandemic’s recovery will be different. What actions are you taking now to restart your business? We are working hard to find solutions to the requests we are getting from our current customers and some new customers. We are reaching out to everyone we know to let them know we are here and able to source sanitizer and PPE. We are staying in touch with our customers on a personal level, reaching out to them by phone to make sure they are okay. We are also using this time for the whole team to get their certifications through PPAI. We are taking deep dives into our customer base and planning for the return of the economy and sales. We are having fun and keeping each other engaged. After all, we are in a fun business that brings smiles to people. In general terms, what are your revenue expectations for year end? So far, we are on track with what we did in 2019 year to date. With the work to gain new customers by providing PPE and sanitizing products, we hope to make up for any loss due to our active customer base not ordering. Distributors: Share your responses to these questions by adding them to the end of the online story at pubs.ppai.org. Tina Berres Filipski is editor of PPB. Photo provided by Daily Memphian A Snapshot Of Distributor Activity | FEATURE | JUNE 2020 | 57