The DAB Digest is IAM’s monthly newsletter with an exclusive focus on news for U.S. asset-based movers, including independents and van line agents.

This month’s topics include:

• Forget Resolutions, Let’s Take a Deep Dive Into 2024! - Brittany Brooks, DAB Chair
• 2024 Dispatchers Convention – Early Bird Rate Ends Jan. 31
• IAM Membership Renewals are Due!
• Upcoming U.S. DAB Hour Webcast
• Welcome New DAB Members
• U.S. DAB After Party Donation Update – StreetLine Percussion
• My Word for 2024: Collaboration - Emily Leonard, U.S. DAB Outreach Task Force
• CMMC Program Guidance Comments Due by February 26, 2023
• Newly Revised Alan F. Wohlstetter Educational Scholarship Application Open Now
• DOJ Settles with NC Towing Company Over SCRA Violations
• The Magic of "We": Unlocking the Power of Collaboration – Sandra Clary, EDC

Toss aside those flimsy lists – this year, we're ditching surface-level aspirations and plunging into the ocean of potential. Join me for a deep dive into crafting a New Year business plan that packs a punch. We'll dissect goals, navigate tech trenches, and surface with strategies that leave the competition gasping for air. Forget treading water – this year, we're making waves.

Dive in with me and discover how to:

• Uncover hidden currents: Analyze the past, chart market trends, and identify hidden opportunities.
• Build an underwater fortress: Fortify your technology, refine your processes, and empower your team.
• Swim with the sharks: Craft marketing strategies that leave the competition in your wake.
• Ride the green wave: Navigate sustainability's rising tide and attract eco-conscious consumers.
• Weather any storm: Prepare for emergencies, optimize safety, and reinforce resilience.

Ready to transform your New Year's resolutions into actionable blueprints for success? Grab your snorkel, adjust your fins, and let's dive deep!

Yearly Planning and Review

• Get granular: Go beyond just successes and areas for improvement. Analyze specific data points, customer trends, and competitor activity to inform future decisions.
• Embrace the SWOT: Conduct a formal SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to gain a comprehensive picture of your internal and external landscape.
• Benchmarking: Compare your performance to industry standards and high-performing competitors to identify gaps and potential advantages.

Goal Setting

• SMART goals: Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound for successful execution and evaluation.
• Balance ambition and realism: Be ambitious but avoid getting overwhelmed. Prioritize a few key goals and break them down into smaller, actionable steps.
• Consider alignment: Ensure individual employee goals align with overall company goals for synchronized progress.

Technology and Equipment

• Invest strategically: Don't just chase the latest trends. Assess your specific needs and invest in technology and equipment that directly address pain points and improve efficiency.
• Embrace digitalization: Consider automation solutions that reduce repetitive tasks and explore cloud-based software for better data management and accessibility.
• Maintenance and training: Don't neglect existing equipment. Schedule regular maintenance and provide adequate training for employees to utilize technology effectively.

Employee Training and Development

• Identify skills gaps: Conduct assessments to pinpoint areas where employees need development.
• Tailored training: Create training programs that cater to different levels and positions within the company.
• Mentorship and coaching: Implement mentorship programs for junior employees and encourage knowledge sharing among colleagues.

Marketing and Promotion Strategies

• Know your audience: Define your target customer demographics and tailor your marketing messages accordingly.
• Multi-channel approach: Utilize a mix of digital and traditional marketing channels to reach a wider audience.
• Track and analyze: Monitor the performance of your marketing campaigns and adjust your strategies based on data-driven insights.

Customer Feedback and Satisfaction

• Go beyond surveys: Implement diverse feedback mechanisms like focus groups, interviews, and social media monitoring to gather more meaningful customer insights.
• Respond promptly: Acknowledge and address customer feedback promptly, both positive and negative, demonstrating your ongoing commitment to improvement.
• Personalize the experience: Leverage customer data to personalize interactions and offer relevant recommendations, which fosters client loyalty and satisfaction.

Safety and Compliance

• Regular audits and inspections: Conduct regular safety audits and inspections to identify and address potential hazards proactively.
• Proactive communication: Stay updated on new regulations and compliance requirements and communicate them clearly to employees.
• Invest in safety training: Provide ongoing safety training to ensure employees understand and follow safe work practices.

Financial Planning

• Seek expert advice: If needed, consult financial professionals to review your financial health and develop a sound budget for the year.
• Explore cost-saving opportunities: Identify areas where you can cut unnecessary expenses without compromising quality or efficiency.
• Consider alternative funding sources: Research opportunities for grants, loans, or partnerships to invest in growth initiatives.

Community Engagement and Green Initiatives

• Align with local needs: Tailor your community outreach efforts to address specific needs and interests of your local community or communities.
• Build partnerships: Collaborate with other businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or government agencies to amplify your impact and build stronger relationships.
• Communicate your efforts: Share your green initiatives and contributions with customers and the community to attract eco-conscious consumers.

Emergency Preparedness

• Conduct drills and simulations: Regularly test your emergency response plans through drills and simulations to identify areas for improvement.
• Maintain emergency supplies: Ensure you have essential supplies readily available in case of a natural disaster or other emergency.
• Communicate with stakeholders: Establish clear protocols and communication plans to inform employees, customers, and the community in case of an emergency.

By expanding on these areas and actively implementing your well-structured plan, you can position your business for a truly successful and impactful New Year. Remember, it's not just about setting goals, but about taking consistent, actionable steps towards achieving them. Good luck!

Save $50.00 when you register today! The 2024 Dispatchers Convention Early Bird rate expires on Jan. 31. This year’s event is at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, March 20-24. It promises to be a great time for networking, building and strengthening relationships and pre-season fun!

IAM’s U.S. Domestic Asset-Based (DAB) Mover Group is helping to organize this event for the first time and will host optional interactive learning sessions starting Wednesday, March 20. These sessions will cover AI advancements, social media marketing tips, and cost accounting tips to know (and grow) your margins. Sign up early, as these limited spots will fill up fast!

Thanks to our sponsors: Apple Moving, N&N Moving Supplies, Shur-Way Movers, Gateways International and The Dewitt Companies. There are still plenty of opportunities to sponsor at all levels. Learn more here.

Special thanks to the steering committee, as well as this year’s hosts:

Conser Group (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Cornerstone Moving & Storage (Fredericksburg, Va.).

On December 4, the renewal invoice communication was sent to your company's billing point of contact on file. A green checkmark next to the IAM designation in the IAM Mobility Exchange (IAMX) directory will signify that a company is in good standing. An orange checkmark will mean that the membership renewal is past due. If you still need to renew your IAM membership, company admins can log in to the company profile and go to the IAM Billing section to renew.

Is your company a U.S. Domestic Asset Based Mover (DAB), an independent mover, or a van line agent with trucks, crews, and warehouses yet needing the DAB designation on your IAMX profile? Should this be the case, contact membership@iamovers.org to secure your DAB status; enhancing your visibility within IAM network, as USDAB Member Company is a searchable term within the IAMX directory.

The entire team at IAM is eager to work with you throughout the upcoming year of membership. Should you have any requests or need assistance, please know that we are readily available to ensure your experience is both rewarding and seamless. We're here to support you every step of the way!

Join the U.S. DAB on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern for a discussion with state moving association leaders as they discuss their roles, issues and challenges managing their state associations. Learn why these leaders serve a critical role for movers in their states; how they engage and participate in other associations such as IAM. And why it’s important for you to join and support your state moving association. Register Now

Arnoff Moving & Storage, Inc.

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

EMME Moving Inc.

Sterling, Va.

On behalf of the U.S. DAB, IAM donated $5,400.00 to StreetLine Percussion. The DAB network was introduced to this youth program during the 47^th Annual Dispatchers Convention in Macon, GA hosted by Cicero’s Moving and Storage. Streetline Percussion’s mission is to provide a diverse multicultural group of youth and young adults in the community with an opportunity to explore new avenues of living, learning, and self-expressions through music. They shared following thank you message:

“Greetings .... and thank you soooooo much for the monetary sponsorship. We are most appreciative of the consideration in supporting our Drumazing Organization. With the growing number of members in search of a positive experience, this donation came right on time. Again, thank you for choosing us!” Check out their Thanksgiving break workshop photos. Thank you to everyone who sponsored and attended the 2023 U.S. DAB After Party!

Collaboration - This word is the core of our industry. With 15 years and counting, I wouldn't be able to continue to grow and gain success without collaboration. When mentoring new talent, I always start out with, “You want to surround yourself and start conversations with people smarter than you.” I started doing this many years ago. Through asking questions and collaborating on hard tasks I was able to gain impactful knowledge that now I consider a gift to share with others.

The Four Collaboration Styles

• Communication-oriented collaboration: Focused on open and frequent communication, shared understanding, and transparency.
• Task-oriented collaboration: Emphasizes completing specific tasks efficiently with clear roles and processes.
• Network-oriented collaboration: Builds and leverages connections, seeking diverse expertise and fostering innovation.
• Community-oriented collaboration: Prioritizes collective well-being, shared ownership, trust, and long-term sustainability.

These aren't mutually exclusive, and teams often blend the elements of the different styles depending on the situation. Recognizing them and understanding their strengths and weaknesses can help you choose the most effective approach for collaboration in any context.

In the moving and storage industry, we collaborate every day when working with our clients, service members, vendors, and communities. Understanding how to effectively use each style will not only make you a stronger leader but will also enable you to better engage within your company, the industry, and your community to achieve common goals.

Effective leaders understand that strong collaboration builds high-performing teams and achieves outstanding results. By incorporating these principles into your leadership style – trust, willingness, empowerment, and effective communication – you can significantly improve how your team collaborates and drives success. Here's how you can apply these principles:

Build Trust

• Be transparent and consistent: Share information openly and honestly, and ensure your actions align with your words.
• Show genuine care and empathy: Invest in understanding your team members' needs and perspectives.
• Give and receive constructive feedback: Foster a culture where feedback is seen as an opportunity to learn and grow, not as a personal attack.
• Acknowledge and celebrate achievements: Recognize and reward individual and team successes to build confidence and motivation.

Foster Willingness

• Set clear goals and expectations: Define shared objectives and individual roles, ensure everyone understands that their contribution contributes to the team's success.
• Promote a sense of shared purpose: Connect individual tasks to the bigger picture and highlight the impact of their work.
• Create a safe and inclusive environment: Encourage diverse perspectives and celebrate differences. Make everyone feel valued and heard.
• Address conflict constructively: Facilitate respectful dialogue and collaboration to resolve disagreements productively.

Empower Your Team

• Delegate tasks and responsibilities: Trust your team members with meaningful work and ownership over their areas.
• Provide resources and support: Equip your team with the tools and training they need to succeed.
• Offer autonomy and decision-making power: Encourage initiative and creativity, allowing your team to solve problems and make decisions within their scope.
• Celebrate mistakes as learning opportunities: Foster a culture of experimentation and risk-taking, accepting that failures can be valuable learning experiences.

Master Effective Communication

• Communicate clearly and concisely: Tailor your communication to your audience, ensuring everyone understands the message.
• Listen actively and attentively: Pay close attention to your team members' verbal and nonverbal cues.
• Be open to feedback: Encourage questions and clarifications, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
• Provide regular updates and information: Keep your team informed about progress, changes, and decisions.

By actively incorporating these principles, you can cultivate a collaborative environment where trust, willingness, empowerment, and effective communication flourish. This fosters a more engaged, motivated, and ultimately, more successful team.

Remember, building and maintaining a strong collaborative environment is an ongoing process. By consistently investing in these principles and leading by example, you can become a catalyst for exceptional teamwork and drive incredible results.

The Department of Defense published for comment a proposed rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program. It includes information labeled, “Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).”

Items such as bills of lading et.al. will likely fall into this category and it has the potential to impact how commercial carriers both protect information as well as how such transportation related information is transferred and shared with other entities involved in the process (albeit another commercial, state, of federal/foreign country entity).

The Regulations.gov docket can be accessed here.

Comments must be received by February 26, 2024.

We are proud to announce the newly revised Alan F. Wohlstetter Educational Scholarship, sponsored by the Alan F. Wohlstetter Scholarship Fund, offering $5,000 USD to support the educational journey of IAM members, their dependents, and student members will opened for applications on January 1.

Scholarships are available to students in the U.S. and overseas.

New this year – we’ve expanded eligibility to ensure a broader range of aspiring scholars can seize this opportunity, simplified the application process to ensure a hassle-free experience for all applicants and now allow applicants to submit in other languages. Please visit the website for additional information on the revised application and eligibility details or contact scholarship@iamovers.org. Will you be the next scholarship recipient?

Applications accepted until May 1. 2024.

In December, the Justice Department announced that it secured a settlement against Billy Joe Goines, owner and operator of Goines Towing & Recovery, based near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, to resolve allegations that he violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by towing and then selling vehicles without disclosing to the court that they were owned by servicemembers. Read more

As we start transitioning to peak season, we’re looking around our facilities to organize, recruit, train, and prepare. It’s not uncommon to want to rid warehouses of customer belongings that are not paying their monthly storage fees. SCRA demands accountability on both sides. Executing the legal way, as we all know, takes more time and resources. That’s one of the costs of doing business with DoD.

• Storage Facilities - Must be knowledgeable on SCRA protection, and the documents required to legally prove adherence and due diligence; making sure they are disclosing the status of the property owner (military/branch). Once status is disclosed, a lawyer should be appointed to establish contact with the owners.
• Military Members - Service members have an obligation to respond, even if they can’t physically be in the location of the order/judgement. Burden of proof then shifts to the military member to prove hardship because of deployment or rotation.

For additional information, please go to: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and the SCRA website. Please also note that your state may have additional regulations. Your state moving association can assist with specific guidance.

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” Dalai Lama

“When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice.” Simon Sinek

“No man is an island.” John Donne

“…Nor is any company.” Moi

Collaboration has been defined as, “the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce something,” though in my mind, it means so much more.

Collaboration also takes into account that by working together, by listening to other perspectives, by being humble and unthreatened, and by inviting the value that others bring, the end result is better than if I’d tried to think of everything, be everything, and do everything without the insights of others.

This is never truer than when one’s business is about serving others or providing goods and services that strengthen others’ ability to be profitable while serving their own customers and clients.

So, whether you’re a small mover or a large forwarder; a new start-up or a longtime enterprise; a local company or an international endeavor; an industry association, such as IAM; or even if you’re an established software solutions company, such as our team at Enterprise Database Corporation (EDC), serving all the above – we’re all better when we ask questions to learn more about the challenges, goals, and passions of those we serve.

For a mover, that may mean collaborating with companies and members of the public to understand their own top needs and biggest challenges and frustrations when they engage moving services. It likely also means collaborating with your own team to learn what stands in the way of them being able to consistently deliver excellence in meeting your customers’ needs as you’ve learned them to be. And then it means finding collaborative partners who support you, your team, and your customers and clients in eliminating roadblocks to excellence and enhancing your ability to efficiently and reliably deliver wins in the eyes of your customers, clients, and your own teams.

How different our success and fulfillment are when we have the benefit of many perspectives and skill sets. And how much more stable that success is when we have a defined target that we’re driving toward in everything we do – that target determined and achieved through collaboration with knowledgeable and trustworthy customers, employees, and partners.

Here’s to a wonderful 2024 of COLLABORATION in support of all those we serve – whether on the job or at home with those we love!