Scouting Report Sept/Oct 2012

An ALLPRO® Publication VOL. 22, ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012

by:Joe Poliseo

Keeping the Momentum I am very pleased to report that the overall group purchases year to date continue to outpace last year’s purchases. Additionally, industry reports show the pace of new home construction and homebuilder confidence are also on the rise. This is good to see because it indicates persistent incremental improvement in the market and that translates to building momentum. With that in mind, I encourage each and every ALLPRO member to keep a positive outlook and do what you can to carry that momentum into the last several months of this year.

One way to do that is to be sure to take advantage of the ALLPRO Fall buying Specials, which kicked in August 15th and run through the end of September.

Members can take advantage of these promotions to stock up for the fall season and promote many of the products on special.

Also, don’t forget about the Wild Card promotions, most of which are at member’s discretion, and run through the end of the year. If you haven’t already used your wild cards of choice, this would give you two opportunities to buy on special before the end of the year. Special thanks to our participating supplier partners who’ve worked with the committees and office staff to provide these opportunities.

Secondly, while the fall meeting is oriented toward member workshops and the Point of Sale Partners to the group, it is also a great time to network and gain ideas from fellow members, ask what they are doing in their stores, what items are HOT for them right now, and how they might be going about getting new customers via outside sales and any internal promotions.

In fact, the Stockholder meeting workshop on niche products is a perfect opportunity to learn what other members are doing well in their markets. Be sure to ask, the answers and guidance could be very valuable in the coming months.

The loss prevention session will also prove to be very beneficial. You’ll not only be able to learn from fraud and loss prevention experts but other member experiences as well. Improving business climate or not, there’s never a time when we shouldn’t take steps to prevent money or assets from walking out the door. It’s hard enough to get it in the door.

Lastly, changing it up a little to keep everything fresh is more important than ever. Whether it is through your social media (keeping Facebook and Twitter content current and engaging or expanding into other social sites) or “old fashioned” end caps and stack-outs to call attention to new or highly profitable items to promote, make sure that you pay close attention to how your company is represented. Walk your store like a CUSTOMER might. Read your communications as if you were on the RECEIVING end…you might be surprised and notice what needs to be updated or changed right away.

Include and solicit input from your key employees…they are on the firing line and hear important feedback from your professional and consumer customers every day. Be ahead of the curve on making positive changes. By taking advantage of buying opportunities, staying HOT on the topics, and trying some good, new, proven ideas obtained from your peers you can keep the momentum and end 2012 on a positive and profitable note.

roof cements and other emulsions needed to repair roofs. Jacob Kamps of ALLPRO member JPS Paint Center in Cottonwood, AZ understands the need to stock silicone roof coatings. As he puts it, “In the Southwest, we have more than an abundance of flat roof homes. A flat surface does not drain well and is a nightmare when there are problems. Silicone roof coatings are not only a permanent solution for problem roofs but they also add to what I can offer my customers. I want the best for my customer, so when my customer has a problem, I have a problem.”

“Yes, We Can Help with That” Every day, independent dealers watch as the volatile economy changes consumer buying behavior, in turn, affecting how each storeowner makes purchasing decisions for his/her own store. Some dealers are content to simply send customers away with the words “we don’t carry that” ringing in their ears.

Innovative dealers on the other hand look for ways to grow and bring in new business, especially in a down economy. They know tough times have not caused customers to lose their desire for the new and exciting.

They understand how to sell specialty products and that these products will draw customers into the store, increase sales, and more importantly, margins.

“Margins on these products are traditionally very good, and I can more than compete with box and chain stores. If you are looking for a way to increase your sales in a slow market and would like to offer a permanent solution to your customers, silicone roof coatings are a great way to go.”

Silicone Roof Coatings are available in a wide range of colors such as blue, red, brown, green, black, gray, and of course white which many people choose to apply to save energy. The addition of colors broadens your customer base as metal roofs have seen increased use in the industry and you can now sell a coating that not only renews a metal roof but waterproofs it as well. The benefit is that silicone goes on easily and smoothly and works around transition areas so well it will stay permanently flexible.

Silicone Roof Coatings can help you think “outside the box” Silicone Roof Coatings are a large industry that has seen extreme growth over the last several years because the Roof Coating Industry does not revolve around new construction. Many people that own homes or buildings can forego many “fixes” that may need to be addressed but a roof is something that, if not maintained, can turn into a nightmare in costs. Silicone Roof Coatings are a proven product that renews the life of the roof and saves thousands of dollars compared to the cost of traditional “Tear Off” roofs. Silicone Roof Coatings are ideal for flat or sloped roofs and adhere to most substrates.

Also, applying a Silicone Roof Coating is considered maintenance on a building so the building owner can write off 100% of the cost that year, whereas a new roof is a capital expenditure only allowing it to be written off between 15-20 years.

Their success is your success.

Another reason why independent dealers stay successful is the relationship you have with your customer. Your customers are feeling the same weight and pressure of the current economy as you are, and helping your customers grow a segment of their business is helping them be profitable as well. They are already bidding on the walls and floors, why not bid on the roof as well? If you can help your customer learn how to become more successful you are creating a customer for life.

By adding a Silicone Roof Coating display, you will create an additional profit center in your store. You can sell Silicone Roof Coatings to customers such as the home owner, building owner, handyman, and painter as well as the professional roofing contractor.

Many of these customers may already be purchasing roof coatings from a building supply yard, lumberyard, or box store. Don’t lose these sales to the competition.

Silicone Roof Coatings are just that, a “coating” The tools needed to complete the coating project like caulking, applicators, ladders, and poles are items you already sell; all that is needed is the five gallon bucket of coating.

Innovative dealers recognize the need to educate customers, reevaluate inventory and embrace the new and exciting. When asked about silicone roof coatings, the successful dealer is sure to respond, “Yes, we carry that.”

You do not need to bring in multiple SKU’s to handle the different roof substrates as the versatility of these coatings allow for a wider range of applications, and they do not require all the traditional asphalts, plastic

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allowed for room to breathe it also required additional staff to help run the business. This brought its own set of challenges, namely finding quality staff. Enter Doug Pratt.

Doug had just retired as a Chief Warrant Officer from the Navy after spending the previous 20+ years working in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (the folks who diffuse and dispose of bombs). Upon retirement he and his wife settled in the community of Boone, where she promptly found a job with Appalachian State University (ASU).

Doug likewise needed to find something to fill his days so he talked to a local friend who set him up with a few interviews, one of which was with Boone Paint. He was more than a little apprehensive at the thought of working at a paint store. After all, he knew nothing about the paint industry, computers, merchandising or any of the dos and don’ts of customer service.

However, after meeting with Tim and Jamey he decided to give the job a year trial period and go from there.

“Doing it Better” By: Scott Morath Excellent customer service is the mantra of every independent business today. For some, it’s what you’re supposed to say as an independent but for others it’s more than just a tag line. ALLPRO member Boone Paint is one of those companies that truly walks the walk of customer service. Nestled in the high country of Western North Carolina, the company has maintained a focus on its customers by providing “unbelievably excellent” service since day one.

Day one began in 1987, when a young Tim Hodges, fresh out of college, founded the company located in the town of Boone. Interestingly, he had no prior experience in the paint industry. Tim had come from a long line of entrepreneurs dating back to when the town was little more than a frontier outpost and grown up in and around his dad’s many business enterprises. This exposure and his education provided him a practical understanding of business but he also recognized that no amount of business acumen would make up for a lack of industry experience. For that reason Tim relied heavily on industry veteran Maurice West, his one and only employee, to help run the business.

Doug did what any sailor would do and jumped right in to the task of managing the store. He picked up on things quickly and had no problem rolling up his sleeves to get things done. In no time he learned the point of sale system, how to interact with customers, and basically how to function in the daily routine of the paint store. That’s not to say it was a satisfying first year for Doug, in fact, as he puts it, “I absolutely hated it!” His time in the Navy had made Doug a leader and as such, the role of ‘deck hand’ just didn’t suit him.

At the end of the first year Doug approached Tim and Jamey and informed them he would be leaving. Their response, strangely enough, was to ask him if he would be interested in buying into the business. His response, strangely enough, was “yes,” he in fact would. It turns out that after ten years both Tim and Jamey wanted to pursue other interests outside of Boone Paint and were looking to ultimately sell the business. Both felt Doug had the skill set necessary to run the business so they extended him the offer with the intent that he would be their successor. For Doug the offer to become part owner completely changed

For Tim the biggest challenge with running the paint store wasn’t the fact that he was a relatively new business owner in an industry he knew little about. Nor was it business competition, issues with local building regulations, supplier problems or even finding qualified people to help with the business. The biggest challenge was the weather. Boone has the dubious distinction of sitting at an elevation of over 3,000 feet, which makes it the town with the highest elevation of any town its size east of the Mississippi. In short, because of its elevation, winters in Boone are brutally cold and no one buys paint or stain during the winter months.

To compensate for the Boone winters Tim very wisely adopted the “Penny Pincher” approach. Meaning, he focused on earning as much money as possible during the selling season then stretched every penny as far as he could to make it through the winter. His budgeting skills were apparently very effective and when you consider Boone Paint is the only independent paint store in the local market, it truly illustrates the importance of effectively managing money.

Within a few short years the business had grown to the point where Tim brought on his brother Jamey to help manage the store. He would also bring in seasonal help during the spring and summer when it was busiest. By 1997 the 3,200 sq. ft. store had gotten a little cramped, so the company relocated to a larger 6,000 sq. ft. space in a nearby strip mall. While moving to a larger space

First expansion of Boone Paint, Boone, NC

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took the plunge. The reward proved to be worth the risk, as the company more than doubled what they projected to make for the Banner Elk location in its first year of operation.

In spite of the explosive growth in business Tim was still focused on pursuing other interests and his opportunity came in 2008 in the form of Ken Zajick, a former District Business Manager for Benjamin Moore.

Ken had taken an early retirement package from the company a few years earlier. However, he had reached a stage in his career where he was looking for a substantive change and as Ken puts it, “Truth be told I always wanted to be on the other side of the counter, and I just thought it was time.” He adds, “I knew Tim and Doug well enough and their business was what I considered a model business. They had always run a tight ship and their operation was very impressive, so I just approached them with an offer one day.” For all involved the opportunity was timely and a good fit.

Ken purchased Tim’s shares and became Doug’s partner at Boone Paint. Given his years of experience Ken was able to step right in where Tim left off and focus on outside sales, sales service, and marketing.

Boone Paint’s Banner Elk store

the dynamic as well as his perspective and in 1998 he became the newest partner in the enterprise.

Transitioning from employee to business partner presented a completely different learning curve for Doug to master. As he puts it, “One lesson I had to learn was to be more considerate of employees. In the Navy, management is more akin to a dictatorship but that’s not the way to go in a retail environment.”

When asked what other lessons he learned initially Doug replies, “There were three big lessons: 1. Keep an eye on the cash flow because it’ll get away from you quickly, especially when you’re busy; 2. Pay attention to detail because if you don’t it will cost you money; and 3. Don’t get excited when things go wrong.”

Like most of the country today, the towns of Boone and Banner Elk aren’t in the growth mode they once were.

Still, that hasn’t deterred Boone Paint from focusing on their business goals and serving their customers. As Ken puts it, “Boone Paint’s focus has always been on providing unbelievably excellent customer service.

Simply put, we do what the competition won’t. I’m out there every day talking with contactors, builders, home owners, associations, and municipalities. We’ll write a spec then inspect the job to ensure its being done correctly. Many of these homes are second homes, so the homeowner isn’t around when the work is being done and we will actually work on behalf of the owner.

With Tim handling the outside sales, Jamey managing the sundry buying and the books, and Doug handling front end operations the business continued to grow.

By 2001 the company began looking at ways to become more profitable and less dependent on a single source of supply, which at that point was primarily through distribution. Their hunt led them to ALLPRO. Tim initially reached out to the group and in short order Boone Paint was ALLPRO’s newest member. They quickly began taking advantage of the direct buy programs, attending shows and stockholder meetings, and networking with other member dealers.

We also serve on the county board and work with local area schools like ASU. We recently contributed to the ASU Solar Homestead project, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. It was a competition

By 2002 Jamey left the business and the real estate market in Boone and the surrounding area began to take off, setting the stage for the company’s second expansion. For the local area much of the growth was happening in Banner Elk, a small town about 13 miles from the Boone store. There were multiple large developments that began to crop up so there was a huge need in that area. Initially they were able to meet the demand but by 2006 it had begun to stretch the company’s resources thin. As more homes were being built it required more servicing of the Banner Elk area, which required multiple daily trips along the 13 mile, two-lane mountain road. The solution was to open a second, smaller store in the town of Banner Elk to service that community. Fortunately, Ben Moore was looking for a dealer in that area, so Doug and Tim

Boone Paint owners Doug Pratt (left) and Ken Zajick (Continued on page 6)

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ALLPRO® Company Profiles

By Angel Chovanec ALLPRO has had the good fortune to add the highest quality companies in the industry to the group. We are pleased to profile some of our newest member partners

DUVAL PAINT & DECORATING

PIERCE TABER DISTRIBUTORS

• • • • • • • • • • •

Founded: 1968 Location: Jacksonville, FL Telephone: (904) 641-6664 Web site address: www.duvalpaint.com Founders: Dick & Frank Jurney Current President: Sean Thompson ALLPRO Contacts: Frank Jurney and Sean Thompson 2 Stores # Full-Time Employees: 17 Wholesale/Commercial/Contractor: 70%, Retail/DIY: 30% Duval Paint is a family ran company featuring Ben Moore & Devoe products. We also carry a wide range of specialty products for the Industrial & Institutional markets. We have excellent sales force to assist our customers with great products and service.

• Duval Paint was opened in 1968 by Dick and Frank Jurney under the Ben Moore TCO program. We have had a steady growth with sales in the 5 mile range. Our current owner and president is Sean Thompson a nephew.

• Company Slogan: Serving Florida’s First Coast

• • • • • • • • • • •

Founded: 1920 Location: Homewood, AL Telephone: (205) 879-4112 Web site address: www.piercetaber.com Founders: George Pierce and Amos Kirby Current President: Jeffrey (Scott) Decker ALLPRO Contact: Judy McGee 1 Store # Full-Time Employees: 8 Wholesale/Commercial/Contractor: 60%, Retail/DIY: 40% Pierce Taber has built its business on the highest quality service, products and expert knowledge second to none.

Paint and Stain custom tints are a big part of our business.

Pierce Taber’s design department offers from a high end wallpaper fabrics to custom made furniture.

• Pierce Taber was founded in 1920 by George Pierce and Amos Kirby (originally called Kirby-Pierce). The company was sold to Doug and Mary Lou Taber in 1961. Mary Lou Taber sold the company to Scott Decker in 2005. Scott is still the current owner. He has been with Pierce Taber since 1982.

STROTHKAMP BROTHERS, INC

HERITAGE PAINT & DECORATING CENTER • • • • • • • • • • •

Founded: 1956 Location: Manchester, MO Telephone: (636) 227-5225 Web site address: www.strothkamps.com Founders: Harry Strothkamp and Robert Strothkamp Current President: Harry Strothkamp ALLPRO Contact: Harry Strothkamp 1 Store # Full-Time Employees: 7 Wholesale/Commercial/Contractor: 50%, Retail/DIY: 50% Strothkamp has excellence in recommendations and products at their best. We also treat customers with respect.

• Strothkamp Brothers been in business for over 50 years. We are dedicated to excellence in service and recommendations.

Both owners started as painters under our father who owned the paint business. Harry and Toni have 7 children, Bob and Fran have 3 children.

• Company Slogan: Treat customers as you want to be treated

• • • • • • • • • • •

Founded: 1992 Location: Houston, TX Telephone: (713) 461-8995 Web site address: www.heritagepaint.com Founders: Bruce Hendricks and Benjamin Moore & Co. Current President: Bruce Hendricks ALLPRO Contact: Bruce Hendricks 2 Stores # Full-Time Employees: 10 Wholesale/Commercial/Contractor: 60%, Retail/DIY: 40% Heritage Paint is a two store operation in Houston Texas.

Benjamin Moore is our primary line and we provide a high level of customer service to both small and large contractors as well as retail and DIY. • Heritage Paint was opened in 1992 as a Benjamin Moore TCO Store. It was taken over in 1994 by Bruce Hendricks a Benjamin Moore District Sales Manager. Heritage Paint has since left the TCO program and is operated as a totally Independent Retailer.

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Member Happenings

(Boone Paint Continued from page 3)

Kudos to Teknicolors Paint, who recently donated all the paint and primer to Life Remodeled to help build a house for a family in need in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Life Remodeled is a non-profit organization that builds homes for struggling families in troubled communities.

They recognizes that people in need of shelter also need essential “life skills” and counsels all families in personal money management careers.

among 20 collegiate teams to use renewable resource to build a prototype home that is adaptable and self sufficient. They won first prize and we’re extremely proud to have been part of that. We also host the typical events like pro shows, an annual customer appreciation barbeque, and educational events to help get our contactors certified. We even do color consulting in partnership with contractors to help them grow their business. When it comes down to it, it’s more than providing unbelievably excellent customer service; it’s really a focus on and investment in the future of our community.”

Congratulations to Spectrum Paint who recently purchased Ocean Paint in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The store opened as Spectrum Paint on July 6th, 2012. This makes Spectrum’s second location in the Grand Strand, their 11th location in the North and South Carolina area and their 34th location in total.

While many retailers treat customer service as an adjustable add-on, Boone Paint treats it a little differently. For Boone, everything flows from customer service. Whether partnering with homeowners, builders or contractors or investing in the community it’s this approach that drives their success and has enabled the company to grow from a single location to two stores in a three county area of 90,000 people.

They are currently on the lookout to expand to a third location but will wait till economic conditions are less risky. Until then Boone Paint will continue to concentrate on their unique competitive advantage, which is as Ken puts it, “Doing it better than anyone else.”

Congratulations to ALLPRO member Canpro, who recently announced the addition of Goudey Manufacturing of Toronto, Ontario to their roster of member retailers.

CANPRO is a buying group in its own right and one of several ALLPRO members located in Canada.

Supplier Happenings PDRA recently introduced its own app available at the iTunes Store or at http://gettag.mob. The app allows users to read PDR Magazine on the go, any time, any place. Other features of the app include: Color Guide for Consumers, Profit Margin Calculator, Square Footage Estimator, PDRA Blog and much more.

Welcome to ALLPRO We'd like to officially introduce and welcome the newest member of the ALLPRO team, Katrena Rudd. Katrena came aboard as our newest account representative in August 2012. Prior to joining the ALLPRO team she worked for Verizon Wireless as a Marketing Manager. She likes to spend her off hours with her family and as a hobby restores vintage furniture and other items (by her own admission she is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn and memorabilia from the 40’s and 50’s). About working at ALLPRO Katrena says, "I enjoy talking to and helping the members out with their accounts." Please join us in welcoming Katrena to the ALLPRO team!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER …

ALLPRO 2012 Fall Stockholder’s Meeting Westin Kierland Resort & Spa Scottsdale, AZ, Oct 25 – Oct 28, 2012

ALLPRO 2014 Spring Show & Sales Meeting JW Marriott Desert Ridge Phoenix, AZ, Mar 19 – 23, 2014

ALLPRO 2013 Spring Show & Sales Meeting JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa Tucson, AZ, Mar 20 – 24, 2013

ALLPRO 2014 Fall Stockholder’s Meeting Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa Miami, FL, Oct 16 – 19, 2014

ALLPRO 2013 Fall Stockholder’s Meeting Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa Hilton Head Island, SC, Oct 24 – 27, 2013

ALLPRO 2015 Spring Show & Sales Meeting Rosen Shingle Creek Orlando, FL, Mar 18 – 22, 2015

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Optimizing Website Content on A Smartphone - Part 2 phone numbers and location information, more on this later.

By: Al Kinnear

Using McDonalds as an example, you can see in the example, that the mobile version of this website has 3 main topics, presented vertically. Notice that Locations is priority #1 for McDonalds. For ALLPRO members I might suggest that on the mobile version of their website that you focus on a vertical presentation of the navigation and include Locations, Contact Information, Offer a Single Promotional Offer on a Product, and also include some company history and service information for users who wish to learn about your company. In effect you are prioritizing your website content for the mobile phone user to these 4 items.

In part one of this article we discussed optimizing your website for iPads and other Tablets in 5 easy steps. In summary, we discussed removing all flash from your website, splitting content into more bite size pieces, utilizing pdf technology, examining your website in both portrait and landscape mode on the tablet and finally reviewing your website on several tablets to ensure your website presentation meets your expectations.

Integrate with Smartphone function: After prioritizing your content for the Smartphone version, it's important that you integrate the Smartphone features and functionality to make the website experience efficient for your users. The device is a phone after all! Make sure that you offer direct dial-able links to all of your location phone numbers and also include links to google maps to make it simple to locate and contact your stores.

Since publishing the last article, ALLPRO member Southern Paint & Supply has successfully launched their new website which looks absolutely fabulous on a tablet. Joe Tuttolomondo was very careful in the examination and planning stage to look for a design that was appealing not only for PC users but for the iPad. Check out www.southernpaintandsupply.com.

An example of this can be seen at www.calgarypaints.com/mobile/mobile_locations.htm

Smartphone Content A website that is optimized for a smart phone will actually sense that the browser is a Smartphone version and then display content that is actually intended ONLY for the Smartphone user. The big challenge here is that you find yourself dealing with a very small amount of video real estate so to speak with which to program your content.

You can see at this site that you can quickly and easily find and dial any of the stores listed, and once you key in on the store you are looking for, you can easily bring up a google map to help navigate your car to the store.

It's simple, clean looking and highly effective from a users perspective.

Conclusion: If you are looking to improve the user experience on your website for those who visit on a Smartphone, you must create a simple and easy mobile site that senses the Smartphone browser and reacts by displaying content designed for that platform. Adopt a design resolution of 240 x 320, and then prioritize the content for the mobile user in a VERTICAL manner.

Incorporate the dialling and mapping functionalities of a Smartphone, and ensure that your design works across several platforms.

Screen Resolutions: The screen resolution for Smartphones continues to evolve, however you will see that a resolution of 240 x 320 for older iPhones and Android devices is one sweet spot, and newer iPhones and other larger format Smartphones are moving toward 640 x 960. A complete list of resolutions by device is available at: http://cartoonized.net/cellphonescreen-resolution.php When reviewing common recommendations for Smartphone content, most expert opinion revolves around programming is to work with optimizing for the 240 x 320 resolution thus ensuring that your content will display properly on whatever Smartphone is being used to view your website. This is not a lot of screen space, so you must plan your site correctly to ensure you maximize the website experience for Smartphone users.

Planning Content: Once the decision to program in 240 x 320 is made, you must look at how this works on a Smartphone and then begin to plan your site content.

You will not want ANY horizontal scrolling to occur in your mobile site, so most designers will have a landing page that lays out some simple navigation to important areas of your website. Keep in mind that many of the mobile device visits to your website will often be for

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac post 2nd Qtr Profits According to the August issue of LA Times the housing market continues to show positive signs of growth as evidenced by both housing finance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reporting second quarter profits of $5.1B and $3B respectively. The $5.1B is the highest profit Fannie Mae has reported since ’04 and marks the second straight quarter where it has indicated it did not need federal bailout money for that period. Fannie’s chief executive Timothy Mayopoulos went so far as to say, “…we expect our financial results in 2012 to be substantially better than the past few years.” The profits are reportedly being driven by rising home prices and improvements in the real estate market. Both companies are in government conservatorship and have received a combined $188B in federal money. For every quarter that neither company needs additional funds, the dividend payments further reduce the amount owed to taxpayers. Combined, the two companies own or back approximately 60% of all U.S. mortgages. Still, Fannie’s CFO indicated that the company could not guarantee it would not have to seek federal help again to cover the $2.9B quarterly dividend payment owed to the Treasury. There is a “decent likelihood that every once in a while, we won’t earn enough to cover the full dividend payment,” said CFO Susan McFarland.

Editor/Production Scott Morath

Proofers Ann Spire Julia Thomas Angel Chovanec Chris Gingell Pat Brulfer Matt Spire

Contributing Writers Scott Morath, Joe Poliseo - ALLPRO Al Kinnear - Big Eye Productions GACO

Letting a 23-Year-Old Run Your Social Media – the Why Not I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone suggestion, “just have your niece or nephew or get an intern to do it” in response to a business owner who wants to get into social media but doesn’t “get” social media. It’s bad advice and a recent Time Business article offered 11 reasons why. The most notable reason was, “they may not understand your business.” Specifically, they may understand social media but they may not understand your particular business, how you differentiate yourself in your market, what your customer’s expectations are, how to troubleshoot issues and so on. As with any marketing tool, social media still requires direct involvement and monitoring to ensure your company is being presented the way you want it to be. For a link to the complete article visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/allprocorp

Google+, Skip It A recent study of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands on Google+, basically Google’s version of Facebook, show the social media website is continuing to grow. 22% of the brands on Google+ now have circler (fan) counts above 100,000 and as of February the site has approximately 19 million users. What does this mean? If you’re a small business owner it means you can cross Google+ off your list of social media outlets to consider going forward. While more users are adopting Google+ the reality is site usage is still anemic in comparison to Facebook, which boasts 167 million users. What’s more Google+ users only spend an average of 5 minutes per month on the site whereas Facebook users spend an average of 7 hours per month on its site. In short, your resources would be better focused where you’re going to have a greater opportunity to reach more people.

ALLPRO® President Travis Detter

Exec. Vice President Joe Poliseo

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