Staff Appreciation and a Drill Top March’s To-Do List

MAR. 1-7

TRADESHOWS Keith Davis, KRD Design (Chester Springs, PA), Rick Ream, Media 1 Wrap This (Sanford, FL), Stuart Stein, Stein Sign Display (Watertown, SD), Russell Toynes, Studio Dzo (Austin, TX) and many others will be gearing up for the ISA International Sign Expo in Orlando, FL, Apr. 8-10.

MAR. 8-14

FACILITY Organizing the shop and preparing for a potential summer move are on the list for Matthew Taylor, Galaxy Sign Co. (Seattle). Across the country, Raychel O’Donoghue, Lexington Signs & Graphics (Burlington, MA), is also reorganizing her shop and finishing new office renovations.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

MAR. 15-21

MANAGEMENT This first quarter, Matt Brasel, Indigo Signs (Brasel, ND), is focusing on finding his North Star KPI — “the single event or activity that when it happens, leads to bookings, which leads to orders, which leads to revenue.”

STAFF Run a 10-min. “cool head” drill. One plays the angry customer, the other practices calm posture and a soft voice. Better to sweat in practice than freeze in battle.

MAR. 22-28

STAFF, PART DEUX “March is our employee appreciation month,” says Heather Kincaid, Kinly Signs dba Signarama River Cities (South Point, OH): lunch, a weekend trip with their family, and employee appreciation awards and gifts.

MAR. 29-APR. 4

ANALYSIS Reviewing sales, margins and expenses are on the docket for Don Budde, CalComp Graphic Solutions (Cypress, CA), while a quarterly review of material costs and retail prices are in the cards for Jeffrey Fusaro, Fastsigns of Pflugerville (Pflugerville, TX). Adjust as needed, he adds.