Sales preiudices

pnrtuotce IS FEAR of the unknown. I different or difficult. We do not like change. We like and are comfortable with what we know and understand.

"Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't know" and "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" are idioms that express our attitude toward change. We would rather hang out with the devil or our enemies than risk a better life !

Gheck Your Prejudice

Your parents did not like salespeople. Prejudice is taught at the kitchen table. Your parents may have thought salespeople were pushy, slimy, greedy, lying, fast-talking confidence men. If you were brought up with this mentality, it will make it difficult for you to give your all at the moment(s) of truth in the sales process.

You think hard work wins the day. My parents taught me that hard work would overcome all. Hard work in sales is only the buy-in money. We have to work hard, and be charming and strategic in sales. We have to "work hard" on the "right things." If organization is your weakness, work on it. If being charming is your weakness, work on it.

You think fairness matters. The marketplace does not care about us... unless we care about it. And we will be doing all of the caring-read, bringing the energy-to the market and our relationships before we see a payback. If you're looking for 50/50 relationships, get out of sales! It will be 1007o our energy and caring when we start and will continue to be more of us giving than getting for our entire career.

You may have grown up in a family that is prejudiced against hard work and success (usually in that order). You may see work as the enemy. You may see authority as the enemy-thus working against your boss and your customer, who both are bosses. You may have grown up with the "Do as little as possible for as much as possible" mentality. Lose this attitude or lose (in sales) for life.

You may be smart and think being smart should count for more in business/sales. You got good grades. You are playing for money now; it's a lot more competitive. The crafty/quick kids who weren't competing for grades are competing in the sales world. The smart people in the sales game hustle, too, so you being smart without hustle is worthless.

You may be a great athlete who is frustrated by the nerd-balls around you who are doing better than you-"being me has always worked before, why do 1 have to change?" Glory days are over. Start acting like the team manager (actively nice), not the star-that's the customer.

You may be very attractive. Being attractive helps, a lot. You are frustrated not with the number of appointments, but with the lack of orders. Customers are not going to buy it from you, you have to sell it to them and ask for it-oh yeah-more than once.

You may be very congenial. People like you, always have. You are frustrated not with the number of meaningful conversations. but the lack of orders. Your secret prejudice is, "I could sell more if I wanted to be a pushy idiot like(fill in name of best salesperson on your team)." This kind of seller wants to be liked more than they want the business. It's push or die, Mr. Nice Guy. It's not even push, it's askfor the order.

You may be cool. Always have been. Never let them see you sweat. Some of this attitude is good in sales. Too much is way too much. Customers like to see us sweat. They want to see us hustle for the business. Desire and hustle are hard to say no to; nonchalance is the easiest.

You may be respectful. And expect to be treated in kind. I won't have him/her talk to me that wayl Feelings are not the luxury of the master seller. Deal with nasty buyers. They are doing our job for us. They are keeping the weak away. Kill them with kindness, be thorough and Johnny-on-the-spot ', with everything, and, if all else fails, bully a bully, but leave the Marquees-of-Queensberry attitude for playing Monopoly with your family.

When we embrace and overcome our prejudices, we sell more!

James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503\ 544-3572

Beebe's Lumber Co., Amarillo, Tx., has closed after 88 years, selling off buildings, land, equipment and remaining inventory in a live auction Dec. 6.

Campbell's Building Supply, Madison, Me., lost its lumber warehouse in a Nov. 20 fire, suspected to have originated with a flatbed truck inside.

Spahn & Rose closed its 86-year-old lumberyard in Tama. la.. Dec. 1.

Menards expects a spring opening for its replacement store in Kalamazoo, Mi., featuring a 158,400-sq. ft. main building, 27,648-sq. ft. garden center, 40,172-sq. ft. lumberyard, and 12,960-sq. ft. outside storage area.

Byron True Value Hardware, Byron, ll., is closing after 17 years.

Melvin's True Value Hardware, walled Lake, Mi., has closed after 50+ years, with the retirement of owners Bill and Daryl Ramsey.

Ace Hardware franchisee Tom Schmutz is opening a 5,000-sq. ft. store this month in Mcleansboro, ll.

Howard Bros. has ooened a True Value Hardware store in Oakwood, Ga.

Dell Rapids Ace Hardware, Dell Rapids, S.D., is building a 15,000-sq. ft. replacement store twice as big and five blocks away from its home of the last 16 years.

Owner John Niederauer said the larger, $1-million facility store will allow the company to stock a wider selection of merchandise and to increase the number of employees.

Niederauer, who bought the Dell Rapids store-then a True Value*in 1998, also operates Aces in Miller, Brandon, Tea and Redfield, S.D.

Habit for Humanity is relocating its ReStore discount outlet in Springfield, l[., to a former Furrow Building Materials site-four times the size of its current home.

McArthur Taking Over Weekes

Weekes Forest Products, St. Paul, Mn., has agreed to sell all of its stock to The MacArthur Co., St. Paul, which operates 35 branches nationwide specializing in insulation, roofing and HVAC.

As a subsidiary of MacArthur, Weekes and its Logan Lumber and North Star Forest Materials divisions will continue to operate under their current names.

Tom LeVere will serve as president of Weekes, succeeding Steve Weekes, who is retiring 36 years after he founded the wholesaler.

US LBM Buys into lowa, Connecticut

US LBM Holdings has acquired Lumber Specialties, Dyersville, Ia., days after purchasing American Masons & Building Supply Co., Hartford, Ct.

Lumber Specialties was purchased from majority shareholders Carl Schoenhard, Bob Lex, and Terry Bahl. Dennis Westhoff is now president of the new US LBM division, managing it with Lex, Bahl and their existing team.

Founded in 1983, Lumber Specialties is the largest independent truss and wall panel manufacturer in the Midwest, with facilities in Dyersville and Story City,Ia.

American Masons was acquired from owners Dave and Cindy Westerman and will become part of US LBM's East Haven Builders Supply division.

Founded in 1933, it will continue to be led by Dave Westerman, who purchased the business in 20 ll and expanded it into a full-service provider of wallboard, steel framing, insulation, acoustical and masonry supplies.

Penn Dealer Moves Newest Yard

Six-unit Tague Lumber relocated its Doylestown, Pa., store a few miles away, to a larger 35000-sq. ft. facility in Plumsteadville, Pa., Jan. 1.

Tague acquired the prior Doylestown operation in June in a merger with Doylestown Lumber & Millwork. According to Tague, the merger expanded the combined companies' product lines, creating "the need for a much larger facility-a facility better equipped to provide our customers with the state-of-the-art, drive-thru warehouses and fast, dependable delivery service."

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Norbord, Ainsworth Merging

Norbord Inc., Toronto, Ont., and Ainsworth Lumber, Vancouver, B.C., have agreed to merge. surpassing Louisiana-Pacific as the world's largest OSB producer.

The combined company will operate l5 OSB plants-13 of them in North America-generating $ I .6 billion in annual sales. It will retain the Norbord name, under current c.e.o. Peter Wijnbergen. Its board will have an equal number of independent directors from the current Norbord and Ainworth boards.

Ainsworth c.e.o. Jim Lake will stay on in an advisory position for six months, and the combined company will retain an office in Vancouver, to better serve increasing exports to Asia.

The deal stipulates Norbord will acquire all outstanding common shares of Ainsworth at a l5Vo premium, equating to a value of $759 million. Fifteen months ago, L-P agreed to pay $869 million for Ainsworth, but backed out after eight months of dealing with anti-trust concerns.

ABC Supply has acquired fiveunit roofing diitr'ioutor The Standard Group, Trenton, N.J., and 40year-old siding distributor Siding World, which operates 14 branches in Michigan, two in Indiana, and one in 0hio.

Alside opened a 30,000-sq. ft. branch in Fayetteville, N.C., Dec. 1.

Weyerhaeuser Distribution, Jacksonville, Fl., has become the company's gth DC to carry Ply Gem trim and moulding products.

WOLF, York, Ca., begins distribut ing aluminum railings, columns and other special-order products from Digger Specialties, Bremen, In., on Jan. 5.

Forest Products Supplv nas expanded distribution oi'Bbral Composites' Boral TruExterior trim to its DCs in Oklahoma City, Ok., and St. Louis, Mo.

Its Newton and Kansas City, Ks., warehouses began stocking the line last summer.

Boral TruExterior poly-ash siding received Cradle to Cradle Certified TM1 distinction by the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program.

Anniversaries: Laffertv & Co..

Lemoyne, Pa., 100th Oonghia Lumber Co., Vandergrift, Pa., glttr.

Nebraska Chain Cuts lst Yard

Chicago Lumber Co., Omaha, Ne., closed its flagship Nebraska City, Ne., Century Lumber Center yard Dec. 31, due to big box competition.

Chicago Lumber began in Nebraska City in 1876, but in 1976 renamed the retail stores Century Lumber. Six other Nebraska locations and one in Wyoming remain open.

G-P Expanding LVL Plant

Georgia-Pacific will invest $6 million at its Thorsby, Al., engineered lumber complex to expand its LVL capacity.

Expected for completion by second quarter 2015, improvements include upgrading the press system's lay-up line and veneer sheet feeders, as well as increasing overall veneer dryer capacity and efficiency.

"As the housing market continues a slow, but steady improvement, we are investing in our building products division to ensure our ability to meet growing customer needs," said Paul Watterson, general manager for G-P's engineered lumber business.

BSF Expands in Texas

Builders FirstSource, Dallas, Tx., is opening a new distribution center in Conroe. Tx.. and relocated its San Antonio DC to nearby Schertz, Tx. Located on the I-45 corridor about 40 miles north of downtown Houston. the Conroe facility is an 11.5-acre former Stock Building Supply site that includes 60,000 sq. ft. of warehouse, showroom and office space. Slated to open early this year, its product offerings will include dimensional lumber and lumber sheet goods, interior and exterior doors, millwork and other distributed building products.

It will complement the former Slone Lumber, Santa Fe, Tx., facility BFS bought in June.

The San Antonio facility sits on 15 rail-served acres, with approximately 90,000 sq. ft. of warehouse and office space, and multiple outside storage sheds. Products initially distributed from this location will include dimensional lumber and lumber sheet goods, but will eventually include interior and exterior doors, as well as millwork.

"The lease on our existing distribution facility, located on the northwest side of the market. was soon expiring," explained c.e.o. Floyd Sherman. "San Antonio is a very important market for us, and the Schertz facility is an excellent one, located in the heart of this expanding market. We feel very fortunate to have secured these prime facilities within two of the best housing markets in the United States."

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