It’s the shortest month in the year, even if this year is a leap year, yet, it seems to have raced by at frantic speed. It’s fair to say a sluggish January has been washed away and life most definitely returned to the industry during February. So here’s a brief look back at the bigger stories in the industry during February, as well as some of the larger talking points right here on DGB.
Fresh impetus
I really did get the feeling that by the end of January and into the beginning of February that the industry saw a tangible pickup in business activity. I don’t think many would disagree that the start of the year was very sluggish. But, as we neared the end of month one and entered month two, there was a definite switch.
We have definitely seen a pickup here at our family run business. So much so that we currently have a seven week lead time, which is reassuring. Anecdotally, after speaking with a few friends online, the wider trend is also more positive. Both sales and leads coming in in good numbers, lead times on the rise, and a nice range of products being sold too, not just a single product group.
March looks set to be another busy month. However, as we head into the Spring and nearer to June and the referendum date, what effects will the vote have? We have already seen Sterling drop as a result of the vote, and we’ve not even had a result yet.
The big story: the EU
Of course, February will be remembered by many of us as the month we finally got to know a referendum date, when we found out exactly what our Prime Minister managed to negotiate – which wasn’t much. When we found out how BoJo was going to campaign.
February marked the start of campaigning on the country’s biggest vote for decades. A vote to leave is going to affect every single aspect of life in this country, therefore, expect to see A LOT of press coverage on this, not just from the mainstream media, but from every type of publication until the vote and for weeks after.
A second look
Here are the top five most read and eye catching posts published on DGB over the previous month:
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After Cameron’s EU “Deal”, How Would You Vote Now?
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Can The Business Models Of The Nationals Work In A Modern Fenestration Industry?
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The Battle Against The Hard-Sell Will Be A Constant One
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Things You Don’t Want To Hear As An Installer
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Could The Solid Roof Market Be Just A Temporary Niche?
There were certainly some flash points within these posts, with comments posted by readers taking all sorts of turns. All are definitely worth a second read.
Three more DGB records broken!
Check out this chart:
The great start to 2016 for DGB continues, with new records for weekly and daily visitors, as well as a new all-time monthly unique visitor record. Just a shame it wasn’t a 31 day month!
I am making a huge effort to make sure that the daily content posted on DGB is worth taking a few minutes to read, is engaging and gets people talking and interacting with each other. I hope that these figures are a reflection of that effort. And of course, a big thanks goes to you lot for reading the content every day!
Here’s to a busy and prosperous March for everyone!
