Aty excuse for sluggtsh sales is... an excuse

By Bill Blades William Blades, LLC Scottsdale, Az.

R fl'ANY organizations blame the IYleconomy for sluggish sales. What a timely crutch they found.

Blaming the economy means that when revenues rise, we can also thank the economy. That's as idiotic as my opening sentence. Even during the Great Depression, I am sure there were some enterprising apple sellers who didn't just stand there hoping to "sell" an apple for a nickel. Maybe they provided a napkin with each apple or even gave a fiee shoeshine if someone bought six apples. Some just started the day earlier and stayed later. The message then is the same message today: What are you doing differently to grow your sales by 257o?

Recently, I was in the boardroom of a multi-billion dollar computer industry firm that had just experienced their first layoff in history. I asked what the sales department had done differently when they saw the slowdown coming. The answer? "Nothing." So they wanted me to provide them with a motivational speech. Sure, that would work. The successful outcome of a rain dance is determined solely by great timing.

This firm didn't change before the storm and their board would not let them "spend" the money to get out of the mess they were in. They did not understand that they needed to change f'aster than their industry was changing or face a more severe downturneven extinction. Sales practices and diapers have one thing in common: they should be changed regularly and for the same reason.

Another firm ran into tough times for their first time ever. I arrived with a standard proposal calling for me to consult with them four tofive days monthly. The president and executive v.p. boosted it to l3 to 15 days monthly. Folks, I'm talking serious money here. So were they. Within three months. they were setting all-time sales records. Why? They embraced change.

The University of Michigan conducted a study that said all construction knowledge is replaced every six years. My client is in that industry. They are on track to reinvent themselves in l8 months. They have the philosoPhY that in two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

I am a firm believer that for an organization to be very successful they must have an unconventional person at or near the top rung. Most innovation comes from those people who are never satisfied with things being pretty good. They don't have to blame the economy as their competitors do. Even during an economic slump they continue to do well while othersjust pull in their horns.

There must be passion at the top. A fire in the belly, if you will. Yearning to always get better is much more fun than doing the same boring stuff. I suggest you rate your group on a I to l0 in both passion and fun. Low scores will hurt your sales results. Guaranteed. Remember, a positive attitude doesn't always work, but a negative one does.

Another passion must include learning. Everyone shows up with raw talent, but that's only the entrance price. Every organization must invest in learning and fully expect individual growth. When people have a zest for self improvement, they simply become more talented than their competitors. Talent wins in sports-and business.

It's not the economy (stupid). It's the power of change, fun, learning, passion and being unconventional. Never be afraid of trying new things. It may help to remember that amateurs built the ark while professionals built the Titanic.

- Bill Blades, CMC, CPS, is a professional speaker and consultant specializing in sales and leadership issues. He can be reached at (480) 563'5355 or bill@ williamblades.com.

D)RICE and honesty are rhe mosr I important traits buyers look for in their engineered panel suppliers, according to Market Resource Associates' sixth biennial Plywood & OSB Industry Study.

MRA surveyed 1,00 I retailers (66Vo), wholesale distributors (26Vo), industrial buyers (47o), and office wholesalers (47o), asking them to rate their suppliers of softwood plywood and/or OSB against specific performance criteria.

The most important overall attribute was price (34.6Vo), followed by consistent product quality (26.9Eo), ship time (20.2Eo), and service (r8.3Vo).

Next, respondents ranked, on a scale of one to seven (one being "not important," seven being "very important"), the importance of each of l1 performance attributes. Honest negotiations (6.6) and Shipment arrives undamaged (6.5) were the two most important attributes to buyers of engineered wood panel products, followed by Shipment arrives as specified (6.5), On-time shipmenr (6.3), Handles claims well (6.3), Easy to order from (6.2), Contact is easy to reach by phone (6.1), Knowledgeable sales personnel (6.1), General appearance of the unit (6.0), Producer considers me important (5.8), and Unit contents clearly marked (5.7).

Few buyers are purchasing a significant amount of panels using online services.

Few buyers are purchasing a significant amount of panels using online services. Companies that are buying at least some product online did rise from 2.l%o in 2000 to 4.4Vo in 2OO2 for plywood, and from 1.67o to 4.27o for OSB-yet two-thirds of those buy less than l07o of their panels online.

In the next two years, 42.9Vo expect to increase their online purchases, 0.4Vo expect them to decrease, and 56.8%o predict they will remain the same. Two-thirds of those who anticipate rising in online purchases, though, expect the increase to be less than lo7o.

Finally, buyers were asked to rank three of their current plywood and

OSB suppliers on the I I perfbrmance attributes. Twenty-nine suppliers were included in the study, including both manufacturers and wholesalers.

The highest rankings fbr softwood plywood were, for:

Shipment arrives undamaged: Scotch Pl-vwood Co.

General appearance of the unit: Scotch Plywood Co.

Units contents clearly marked: Boise Cascade

Contact is easy to reach by phone; Woodford Plywood

Knowledgeable sales personnel: Woodford Plywood

Honest negotiations: Woodford Plyvvood

Easy to order from: WooclJbrd Plyu.,ood

Shipment arrives as specified: Amerhart Ltd.

On-time shipment: Scotch Plvw,ood

Handles claims well: Amerhart Ltd.

Producer considers me important: Woodford Plywood

Overall rating: Woodford Plywood

For OSB:

Shipment arrives undamaged: BMA Enterprises

General appearance of the unit: Dixie Plvwood Co.

Units contents clearly marked: Viking Forest Products, Irtt'. Contact is easy to reach by phone: Dixie Plywood Co.

Knowledgeable sales personnel : Dixie Ply-wood Co.

Honest negotiations: No rbord I ndust rie s I nc'.

Easy to order tiom:

Viking Forest Product.s, Inc'.

Shipment arrives as specified: Huber Engineered Woods

On-time shipment: Dirie Plywood Co.

Handles claims well: Dixie P\-wood Co.

Producer considers me important: Dixie Pltwood Co.

Overall rating: Dirie Plywood Co.

Although wholesalers received the highest scores in most categories, they typically were graded by fewer respondents; some wholesalers were named by as few as eight buyers. Conversely, larger manufacturers, such as Georgia-Pacific, LouisianaPacific, Weyerhaeuser and Boise Cascade, were each ranked by hundreds of buyers.

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Marco Building Supply, Marco Island, Fl., is building a 2nd location in Naples, Fl., expecting a fall operung...

Bailey Lumber & Supply Co., Gulfport, Ms., has acquired stores in Pearl, Pascagoula and Ocean Springs, Ms., and a door plant in Baton Rouge, La., from Wickes Lumber Co. ...

Bayside Lumber & Building Supply relocated its Port Saint Joe, FI., location to a larger facility .,.

Sutherlands recently opened a 60,000-sq. ft. store in Palestine, Tx.; Noel Tucker, store mgr. ...

Florida Hardware is the new name of Hastings Hardware, which opened ayear ago in Scotty's former Starke. Fl.. location

Downs Lumber & Supply Co., Hinesville, Ga., decided against closing and remains in business (see Jan. p. 16) ...

Builders FirstSource. Dallas, Tx., has sold its DCs in Elkwood, Va.; Norcross, Ga., and Cincinnati, Oh., to real estate investment banker W.P Carey, and will lease back the facilities for 15 years

Home Depot consolidated its Midsouth division, Atlanta, Ga., and Southern division, Tampa, Fl., into a new Atlanta-based Southeastern division, serving 260 stores and headed by Tom Taylor, senior v.p.-professional business ...

Home Depot this month opens a Pro Store in Mesquite, Tx., and new home centers in Blairsville, Ga.; Port Orange and Millenia (Orlando), Fl., and Boerne, Greenville and on Grand Pkwv. in Katy, Tx.

Home Depot is building a new store in Hunstville, Tx., with an April opening expected; has proposed building in Bastrop, Tx.; is finalizing an agreement with Kerrville, Tx., school officials to buy a Z0-acre tract of land from the district, and has submitted plans to build on 23 aqes in North Jacksonville, Fl. ...

Lowe's Cos. opens new stores the middle of this month in SW Mobile, Al. (John Kibby, mgr.); Spring Hill, Fl. (George Ferrd, mgr.); Rome, Ga. (Russell Spangler. mgr.); S. Louisville, Ky. (Jeff Magner, mgr.); Albemarle. N.C. (Delane Carter, mgr.); Beaufort. S.C. (Ronald Wotring, mgr.); Keller (Thomas Clark, mgr.) and The Woodlands, Tx. (Kerry Marsh, mgr.)

Lowe's, San Marcos, Tx., reports a 37-year-old suspect was arrested after reportedly tripping a burglarly alarm; he allegedly loaded a shopping cart in the garden center early that day with electric drills, cordless phones and other merchandise he planned to steal that night ...

Wolfe Nursery, San Antonio, Tx.-based 1l-unit chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Brooks Building Products, Greensboro, N.C., has been named bv the Triad Business News as one oi the 25 fastest growing businesses in the Triad area

Ace Hardware received 190 new member applications during 2001, up 23Vo over 2000; of those, 172 already have been converted to Ace stores, 8670 switching from TruServ..,

Anniversaries: Short & Paulk Supply Co., Tifton, Ga., 60th ...

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Cedar Creek, Inc., Tulsa, Ok., has opened a distribution center in Little Rock, Ar.; Mike Wilson, mgr.; Paulette Hathcock, Luke Harris, Don Boedecker, Paul Mamcyur, John Crockett and Parks O'Neil, sales; Cedar Creek also operates DCs in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Ok.; Kansas City and Springfield, Mo.

Builders Resource closed its New Orleans, La., sales office Jan. 31

Louisiana- P acific is closing indefinitely its Panama City, Fl., sawmill ...

U.S Plastic Lumber Co,, Boca Raton, Fl., agreed to sell its environmental services and recycling division, Clean Earth, to investment group New CEI

Robbins Wood Manufactu ring. Tampa. Fl.. has purchased a Waco Hydromat 30 planer/moulder to replace the Woods planer lost in a fire last Feb.

International Paper has sold 145,000 acres of east Tx. timberland to Molpus Woodlands Group, Jackson, Ms., for $101 million ...

Marion Mouldings, Marion, Va., won the 2001 Window and Door Crystal Achievement Award

Universal Forest Products has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the 400 best performing companies in the U.S.

Cat Lift Trucks & Equipment Depot, Houston, Tx., donated a 3,000-1b. lift truck and 12 months of maintenance to the American Red Cross, Austin, Tx.

Snavely Forest Producls, Browns Summit, N.C., is now distributing Paco Steel & Engineering Co.'s WoodSteel Beams

Pluswood Distributors is now distributing Geodeck composite decking...

Lighting ConcePts now rePresents Stingray Lighting products in S.C. and western N.C.

Housing starts in Dec. (latest figs.) slid 3Vo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.570 million single-family starts rose 4Vo to 1.293 million: multi-family was at a rate of 248.000 for 5+ units ... permits climbed 4Vo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.653 million.

Stay cooler. Saue energy.