VOLUME #37

A Message From the President

What an incredible year!

As we look back, if someone would have told me that an unknown virus would capture the world’s attention and over 300,000 Americans would not see 2021 because of it I could not, even in my wildest dreams, accept it. If you told me that MGroup™ as a company would do business from our associate’s homes around the world and call clients in their bedrooms, offices and kitchen counters, I would not have believed it. We’ve watched our country come to grips with the social injustices that we knew existed but did little to do anything about it – till now. We’ve watched the world economy grind to a slow down but yet, we have found a way to persevere. This has been the most difficult period that I have ever faced as an executive. The virus, social injustice, a change in the direction of the Administration, fairly and accurately brought about by an electoral system that did not break - even in a pandemic.

The will of the people was heard and our society and form of government will survive. Many of our clients, competitors, friends and neighbors have suffered immeasurably over the past year. Our hearts break for them and our prayers are heard for them.

Yet as a business and as a group of people, we are strong, we are resilient and we have found a way to not only survive, but to flourish.

Nothing in the world takes the place of persistence. Our MGroup™ team’s values, our drive and our spirit has provided the energy and determination to bring us through this crisis. Let’s not let our guard down, personally or professionally. We are not out of the woods yet.

We will enter a new year with new leadership – to be announced soon. I’ll stay on board a little longer than the announced end of year transition, but we plan on announcing a new President and a revamped management team that will be more of a committee than a strong central leader but rest assured, Patti and I are proud to be part of such a robust, resilient and persistent team.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! May our future remain as bright as our people.


- H. David Murray, President and CEO

Congratulations!

Kym Addison, Project Manager, is now Kym Addison Hartley. She got married this month to her husband, Matthew Hartley, in a private ceremony at Hillcrest Baptist Church on December 9th.

Brieanna Bailey also got married recently and is now Brieanna Horseman. Our Rug Program and Development Designer got married to her husband, David Horseman, last month on November 10th in a beautiful ceremony with family and friends.

Yolanda Dents, Accountant, is engaged! Her now fiance, Ricky Dozier, proposed to her the first weekend of Decemeber at the beach.

Congratulations to Kym, Brieanna and Yolanda. We wish you all the best!

Yolanda Dents and Ricky Dozier

Exemplary Performance in 2020

No one can argue that the year 2020 has been a most trying time for many of us. Few lives have not been touched by the pandemic. We all know people who have had the virus, even several at MGroup™, and most know people who have been seriously ill or worse, have passed. Since March, this has been a challenging time for all involved in MGroup’s™ core hospitality business. Many of our biggest clients, the international hotel brands, have furloughed a significant percentage of their associates. There are fewer renovation projects and new builds in the pipeline.

Yet . . . we are doing better as a company than most in our industry. The November 2020 sales numbers were actually ahead of 2019! In a very tough year, some of our sales superstars are continually out performing. They help ensure steady secure careers for many of our team.

Ted Murray, our Midwest Regional Sales Manager, is an example of how individuals can excel in periods of business disruption. This past quarter, MGroup™ recognized Ted as one of their top performaning sales reps. He has had an outstanding and impressive amount of sales this year.

In a period of time where some of our sales team is suffering from a significant loss of sales compared to 2019, it may be very worthwhile to examine how exemplary performers, like Ted, are consistently outperforming not only our team but the market in general. Not by percentage points but by quantum leaps!

Tim Kulikowski, National Sales Manager, and Dave Murray, President and CEO, spoke to Ted this week and asked him what he was doing to achieve this level of sales. Ted’s comments, while not surprising, shows just how important the basic “blocking and tackling” fundamentals of selling actually are. Here is what they found from talking to Ted and others in our organization:

  • Be Relentless - Ted is at his desk every day, 10 hours a day, digging, calling and following up. When Ted gets a lead from our team, he reaches out via phone or e-mail within a few hours. If a client does not answer an email, Ted calls them back and keeps calling until they are on the phone. He makes himself impossible to ignore. Ted has learned that “bias for action” is more than just words on paper!
  • Build Strong Client Relationships - Ted has been in his region for a number of years and has a large number of clients that call him first. They know Ted will not drop the ball, continue to follow through and help meet their needs and expectations. He also actively works to build new relationships by treating every lead and contact like they are his best customer.
  • Keep Meticulous Records - Ted has a file folder on each lead and opportunity. He keeps copies of emails, quotes, and notes in each file and they stay on his desk. If he does not hear from a client in a few days, he calls them back.
  • Don't Be Afraid of "No" - Ted is not afraid of a “no” or to ask the client if we are still being considered. If he gets a "no" on one bid, he ask about other products like LVT, public area and furniture. If the answer is still a “no”, he asks why and what else are they working on.
  • Be Proactive - Ted does not wait for the client to initiate the contact. He tracks them down. In today’s world, there are less general contractor and management staff trying to do more with less. If you were a Project Manager and had limited time to get your project done, wouldn’t you want someone that you know will keep the project moving? Ted is one of those guys.
  • Get Lots of At Bats (or Shots on Goal for the European team) – Ted’s success does not come from one giant order, but dozens of normal sized orders. He gets more business because he quotes more business. It is impossible to be a sales superstar if you do not bid on a lot of projects. Ted’s quotes are to qualified customers, not just taking a chance. If he bids to the same client a number of times without success, Ted calls them and respectfully asks why we are not getting the order. If he thinks we are wasting our time on a client, he stops bidding with them. But . . . it takes a lot of at bats to sell a lot of projects.

Ted acknowledges that our product quality helps him keep good clients loyal. The strong support that our Project and Product teams, led by Matthew Partin and Scott Murray, provides Ted the confidence of knowing that they can handle any issue the customer encounters. It is important to note that for the level of volume that our top salespeople have, they have a very low percentage of product issues. This is a fact that we need to constantly tell our customers.

There are no secrets, just insights: hard work, being relentless, consistent follow up, and keeping projects moving. Use these insights to help improve your sales.

We salute Ted and the others like him, who have used their skills, intuitions and talents to far exceed expectations. Our collective “hats off" to you!

Season of Giving

To show our appreciation for Dave and Patti Murray, CEO and CFO, for their tireless management and loyalty during these unsettling times, we are donating to foster care programs this holiday season. Regina Arnold, Executive Assistant to the President and CEO, has coordinated donation efforts for us.

  • A 16-year-old child with learning disabilities was sponsored because her father died last year, and her mother has had to stay home with her since she is restricted to virtual learning during COVID.
  • A college student was sponsored through a team member’s church who was touched by the story of the student’s family’s struggles.
  • A 6-year-old little girl who lives with a single dad was sponsored after her dad lost his job.
  • Two little girls named Lily and Rose have been blessed by a team member who discovered their need. They are from a broken home, their mom is addicted to drugs, and one of the sisters does not know her father. The sisters are very different. Rose is very smart and loves school and learning while Lily hates school, has little motivation and is “a tough one to crack”.
  • A 10-year-old girl was sponsored who only wanted “warm clothes” because her single mom is struggling to take care of ailing parents.
  • An young single woman was sponsored because her life is consumed with caring for a grandparent suffering from dementia.
  • Another teammate made a donation to a local family to help pay for the funeral costs for their 7 year old son who was killed this past weekend in a tragic four wheeler accident.

The LaGrange foster program MGroup™ will be donating to is Twin Cedars Youth & Family Services. We will be helping to throw a drive-up Santa party. There are six foster homes in LaGrange that foster 8 children. Our goal is to provide $50 toward gifts for each child and a pizza for them to take home and share with their family. We have $150 donated thus far, so if you can contribute, you may deliver checks written to Twin Cedars or cash to the Meridien House. Or you may Venmo Regina, @ReginaJones-Arnold.

Lastly, a team member volunteered to provide all 6 Troup County foster homes with a Christmas dinner in a box, including a ham, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, corn, stuffing mix, and Christmas cookies.

All are welcome to participate however you like in helping the underserved have a merrier Christmas. Please contact Regina if you have any questions at Regina.Arnold@mgroupcorp.com.

Dave and Patti are so impressed with your incredible outpouring of community support for those less fortunate than our team! They send their thanks to everyone for this unselfish act of kindness and community focused love and support.

Merry Christmas!

Kyndra McIntosh Sends Her Thanks!

I am so incredibly thankful and humbled to have been thought of. I still consider MGroup™ my family and it meant a lot to receive prayers and thoughts in this difficult time. I would also like to thank those who donated to funeral costs and flowers and food. I am constantly reminded of the faithfulness and generosity of the Lord through the people in my life. I know that your generosity was not transactional, but if there is ever anything that any of you need and I can return the favor, please don’t hesitate to ask.

I keep saying that the Lord is turning on “twinkly lights” because there is something about Christmas lights that feel magical. This has been an incredibly dark year for a lot of us for many different reasons, but the Lord has consistently turned on twinkly lights to remind me of His goodness and faithfulness when I feel like I can’t see in the dark. Y’all are a twinkly light (or two) for sure! I hope you all have a happy holiday season and a very Merry Christmas! So much love always!

- Kyndra McIntosh