Q&A from the 2020 Virtual Summit
On May 19th & 20th, an industry Virtual Summit was held. 25 speakers participated on the program, giving ideas, solutions, and resources for dealing with the current economic and societal challenges.
As an outgrowth of the program, we received numerous questions for both Dave Yoho and D.S. Berenson. We selected the questions that best fit the current environment and posted them below:
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM D.S. BERENSON
Q: In the recent house bill, which includes a provision for extending the 8 weeks to use PPP funds to 24 weeks. Do you know of any real attention that is being placed on this subject?
A: Currently, that bill looks to be a road to nowhere – not so much as to the extension concept, but because of the other items tacked on to it.
Q: Does a cell phone count as utility?
A: Yes
Q: What was that sheet called for employees that refuse to come back?
A: That is a Rehire Verification form that Berenson LLP created for this purpose. You can email us at info@BerensonLLP.com and we can send you a copy.
Q: Where would we go about acquiring the Covid poster?
A: You can email us at info@BerensonLLP.com and we can send you a copy.
Q: DS Berenson I believe said that we could get the letter requesting employees come back to work.
A: You can email us at info@BerensonLLP.com and we can send you a copy.
Q: Question about PPP loan forgiveness – – Eligible non-payroll costs include “transportation” – – can you elaborate? Could that include vehicle payments? Gas for vehicles?
A: Actually, we don’t yet have any real guidance on what transportation costs actually cover. We believe it should reasonably cover the costs of reimbursed expenses such as taxis, Ubers and the like used by workers to get to and from work, and expenses for business vehicles, such as gas used in company vehicles. Payments such as on vehicle leases should also be an approved use of the PPP loan proceeds, assuming that debt existed before February 15, 2020.
Q: D.S. mentioned the SBA Template that came out yesterday, used in calculating the ‘forgiveness’ of the PPP.
A: To receive that form without obligation, email us at info@BerensonLLP.com
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM DAVE YOHO
Q: Do you really believe all salespeople, new or veteran should receive sales training?
A: Numbers of our presenters state this is a “new game”, which includes new techniques, new methods to transfer information and a better understanding of where the consumers thinking is at this moment.
Q: One of your presenters said, “Disruption should lead to innovation”. Are you serious?
A: Not only are we serious, it is an historical fact. Our industry was “born and bred” during the latter part of The Great Depression. It was stimulated by the unheralded growth of the housing market. The population has almost tripled and COVID-19 is but one example of disruption. As to the innovation, that largely depends on the individual’s attitude and the willingness to modify.
Q: Our attorney says, we don’t have to give rescission, if we sell a contract virtually, since we are not in their home when we sell.
A: Rescission is a federal statute. Utilization is broadened by varying state laws. I thoroughly disagree with your lawyer. If you are still in doubt, I suggest you call the local attorney general and get an “opinion”.
Q: Do you contend that if you receive a rescission, you should call the customer?
A: Why not? There is a possibility that the customer still is interested in the “project”, but may have disliked the presentation, or misinterpreted words and actions of the presenter. It has to be done with a script, which is “customer satisfaction” oriented. But I not only contend, we have hundreds of case studies that prove its effectiveness in some cases – you lose nothing by trying.
Q: Several of your presenters advocate an “inspection” preceding a presentation. Is there a special form for this and would people actually let you in their attic, go on their roof?
A: The presenters advocate the system because they perceive it as “customer care oriented”. They have kits, which contain moisture meters, smoke pens, and other measuring devices, which enable them to present empirical data to the customers. We see it as a case study in working with the prospect to establish a collaborative analysis of their needs.
Q: I was originally reluctant to have my sales manager end up spending almost two days on your virtual program. It has been an absolute game changer. Both of us who experienced this have converted to training programs for our sales and customer service needs.
A: This wasn’t really a question, but I do concur. It will be a game changer if management exerts the discipline to keep training and retraining on a methodology, which is called, “Customer Satisfaction Presentation”.
Q: Where can I get more in depth information about your company, methods, and processes?
A: Check out our YouTube channel. There are also numerous “white papers” available on our website and you can receive abundant information from past webinars and virtual presentations by looking at our archives.
Also, we highly recommend that you check out a preview of the Virtual Summit Recordings.
