How to upsell to western red cedar

IEALERS and wholesalers tired of selling commodities

Llfor decking and fencing can increase their margins by instead selling western red cedar. Experts at the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association are willing to come to your yard and tell your salespeople how. At their cost.

So far, WRCLA reps have conducted seminars at 236 yards in the East, 7l in the Midwest, and 45 in the West.

Most dealers stage the program in the evening for their outside and inside sales personnel, their yard foreman and managers. Other dealers have held the training as part of a special contractor night, in conjunction with a local builder show, or as a presentation at an American Institute of Architects chapter meeting. Large distributors have gathered their dealer customers and run the program in conjunction with a sales promotion for western red cedar.

The Certified Cedar Dealer Training Program is an instore training program for cedar retailers, wholesalers and their sales staff. The association, funded by cedar producer members, picks up the tab. "We don't charge for these," explains Paul Mackie, WRCLA's western area manager, based in Seattle, Wa. "The more the dealers and distributors know about western red cedar, the more of it they can sell. We encourage people not to leave money on the table. These are not studs."

The user-friendly training session covers cedar quality and product knowledge, grades and uses as well as how to specify, install and finish cedar products such as siding and decking. It also outlines the retail merchandising and sales aids that are available to support cedar in the marketplace. Participants "graduate" with a WRCLA diploma, and the WRCLA Guide to Selling Cedar. Stores whose employees complete the program receive special signage that identify them as WRCLA Certified Cedar Dealers. Plus, having the WRCLA Guide To Selling Cedar as an in-store resource is a useful reference to cedar products, their grades and sizes.

Graduates report that customers appreciate the information and service that comes from dealing with a knowledgeable sales staff. "I think the program has been highly beneficial to our salespeople," said Bill Rehm, president, Specialty Wood Products, Aurora, Co. "It gives us a little more experience and brings us a lot of credibility."

Another owner was impressed to hear his employees using what they'd learned at the seminar on sales calls the next morning.

The content is usually covered in about 90 minutes, but questions-and-answers can take the session to two or three hours. Trainers are WRCLA area managers, all experienced educators as well as cedar specialists.

"A number of folks who attend think they know a lot already," says Tony Bonura, eastern area manager. "They're surprised to see us providing them with valid information. They better understand the market, the species, its value, its uses-and how to sell it."

The sessions are a companion program to WRCLA's popular Cedar School, held each year in Vancouver, B.C. The five-day educational program for sales professionals covers all aspects of the modern cedar industry, including cedar mill and forest tours as well as presentations on environmental and industry issues, cedar growth and fiber characteristics, manufacturing, grading and product knowledge. There are sales and marketing seminars as well as workshops on finishing and hands-on sessions on the installation ofcedar siding and decking.

For more information on the Certified Cedar Dealer Training Program, visit www.wrcla.org. To arrange their own session, dealers on the East Coast should call Tony Bonura, (631) 643-9725. Dealers in Texas and surrounding states should contact Arnie Nebelsick, (630) 369-2828.