A counter offer they cantt refuse

By Mike Dandridge

doors the customers use. Stop. Look around. What's your first impression?

Full warehouse or do you need to post "Going out of Business" signs on those empty shelves? Slowly walk by the displays. Even if you don't have enough material to fill your shelves and walls you can borrow a technique from thc grocery industry called "fronting the shelves." Move the products you do have to the front of the shelf or wall hook, making the display look fuller. This sounds absurdly simple, but most dealers don't do it.

THE building supply industry is I changing with lightning speed. Good. old-fashioned customer service just isn't enough to win you a Supplier of Choice Award anymore. Why? Because today's savvy and informed customer e.xpects great service.

A new means for providing a higher level of service is emerging that could put a company years ahead of its competition. It's called Customer Experience Architecture, and it's a process for evaluating all of a merchant's points of contact with a buyer and then improving key indicators to provide enhanced performance.

In Customer Experience Architecture, everything matters, from the way you answer your phone to the striping on your parking lot to the toilet paper in your restrooms. The place to begin is at your sales counter or showroom.

Now some may be thinking, "Oh, not our customers. These are working folks, and they don't expect anything special from us." Maybe not, but just know that the contractor picking up hardware or lumber from your store today will buy from retailers who do provide something "special." He'll take his son for ice cream where the server turns a double-dip cone into performance art. He'll take his truck for an oil change and be served cookies and coffee while he's waiting. He'll stop for donuts at a bakery that offers free WiFi. These vendors and others like them have raised the standards of service-for everyone.

It's a matter of perception. When a customer walks up to a well-lit sales counter filled with a wide assortment of merchandise, he assumes the warehouse, too, must be full. On the other hand, when he enters a showroom with dusty shelves and empty wall hooks. he wonders if this business has the inventory to fill his needs.

When I was an outside salesman, I would invite customers to "drop by and see the store." Invariably, when they would visit, they wouldn't want to linger at my cluttered desk or walk through the warehouse. They wanted to see the sales counter, so they could touch and hold the tools of their trade. They wanted to feel the weight of a new hammer drill and explore the features on the latest hand-held test instruments. They wanted to sip strong coffee and swap stories with other contractors. In other words, it was through the sales counter that the customer "experienced" our branch and it could be a positive or a negative influence on his perception of our entire operation.

In fact, one of the fastest ways for a business to improve its image and separate itself from the competition is to focus on designing a better customer experience. The initial steps may seem simple and basic, but as the process evolves, it will become more complex -and increasingly difficult for competitors to imitate.

1. See through their eyes. Enter the store throush the same

Rather than randomly display products just to fill up shelf and wall space, build a consistency to your merchandising. Design your own plan-o-grams for every display in your store. This creates uniformity in your merchandising and simplifies reordering inventory. Think customer-centered rather than product-focused. Examine displays each day, preferably before you open. Good merchandising provides a competitive edge.

2. Merchandising begins at your door.

Manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing attractive packaging designed to sell the product inside. The world inside your door serves as the packaging for your place of business. Floors with cracks, ceiling tiles with water stains, burned out lights, stopped-up plumbing in dirty bathrooms, all contribute to the message you're sending your customers.

The days when these things didn't seem to matter are gone and they're not coming back. Replacing fluorescent lights and throwing on a fresh coat of paint can transform a dungeon into a showroom over a weekend. Washing windows and removing excess vendor decals from the door makes it seem less cluttered inside. A clean parking lot and a legible sign make a storefront more invitins.

3. S"t yourself apart.

If your store interior looks like every other store in town, it will be "invisible" to your customers. Learn from a mistake I made when I doubleordered a quantity of expensive flashlights. Displaying them side-by-side in neat little rows on three shelves of a prominent display sold two in four weeks. No one noticed them. So, I took the flashlights off the shelves, piled them into a wheelbarrow intending to pay the restocking charge for

(Please turn to page 29)

Rrrllrrrs

Miner & Alexander Lumber Co., New London. Ct.. has closed after 95 years due to big box competition

Mt. Vernon Home Center & Lumber Yard,ML Vernon, In., was destroyed by a Sept. 4fire ...

84 Lumber Co. opened its first yard in Wisconsin- a7-acre facility with rail access in Wrightstown-Sept. 5 (Mike Wolfe, store mgr.)...

McCoy's Building Supply remodeled in Edinburg, Tx. ...

Strober Building Supply opened a new yard Aug. 28 in New Hyde Park, N.Y; the facility includes a 5,500-sq. ft. showroom

Madden's Ace Hardware, South Daytona, Fl., plans a Nov. 1 opening for its 3rd location*an 11,000sq. ft. store in Holly Hill, Fl. ...

Wolohan Lumber t Gavlord. Mi., location has been acquired by Wally Drzewiecki, owner of Gaylord Feed & Grain and an Ace Hardware in Posen, Mi., to open a second Ace unit in November

Rozman's True Value Hardware Store,West Allis, Wi., is liquidating after 37 years with the retirement of owner Jim Rozman ...

Ace Hardware was opened in Albion, N.Y., by Jeny Ulrich and Molly Jones (Paul Ulrich, mgr.)

Marv's Do It Best Hardware, Mandan, N.D., is closing in January after 45 years

Ace Hardware opens this fall in Barrington, R.I.

W.L. Zimmerman True Value, Intercourse, Pa., moved from a 1,500-sq. ft. warehouse that has housed the business since 1928, into a new 15,000-sq. ft. space

Ace Hardware received rezoning to open a 17,500-sq. ft. store in Rock Island, Il. ...

Lowe's Cos. opens new stores Oct. 17 in Presque Isle, Me.; Brookings, S.D.; Hibbing, Mn.; S. Saint Louis and Lake Saint Louis. Mo.; Farmingdale, N.X and Spring Hill, Tn.; Oct. 10 in W. Jefferson. N.C., and Papillion (Omaha), Ne., and Oct. 3 in Wauwatosa, Wi.

Lowe's expects openings in spring 2007 in Blaine, Mn.; Madison Heights, Mi.; Bridgeton, Mo., and Maysville, Ky.; in late summer 2007 in Rochester. Mn.. and in fall2007 in Fort Mill. S.C.. and S. Winston-Salem, N.C.

Home Depot opened new stores Aug. 31 in Lake City, Fl.; Commack (Smithtown), N.Y., and central Plano, Tx.; Aug. 17 in S. Cape Coral, Fl., and Aug. 3 in Powder Springs, Ga. ...

Home Depot will spend an additional $3.5 billion to repurchase outstanding shares, bringing the buyback total ro $17.5 billion; is reviewing the compensation package for president, chairman and c.e.o. Bob Nardelli, following complaints by shareholders; cut 300 jobs at Atlanta, Ga., Hq. to offset costs for customer service and store improvements, and plans to hire 1,000 new store associates with specialty, skilled trade, and pro contractor backgrounds

Menards is building 240,000-sq. ft. stores in Celina and Marion, Oh., and a $5O-million DC and manufacturing plant in Holiday City, Oh.; is scouting sites in the Columbus, Oh., area. and was fined $20,000 by OSHA for nine safety violations at its DC in Eau Claire, Wi.

Wrorrslr:ns/tlrurrcrurrns

Holme s Lumber, Millersburg, Oh., opened a 42,OO0-sq. ft. millwork plant and design center

Sterling Group, lP, Houston, Tx., acquired a majority interest in 55-branch distributor Roofing Supply Group, Dallas, Tx.

Foulk Ware housing, Bethlehem, Pa., removed 40-ft. sections of its walls at its current facility to comply with local fire code, as it prepares to relocate to a new $l million distribution center ...

James W. Sewall Co.,Old Town, Me., has acquired Forest Technology Group, N. Charleston, S.C., from MeadWesvaco

Allard Lumber, Dummerston, Vt., sustained a fire Sept. 17 that damaged a dry kiln and electrical equipment ...

Potlatch planned to resume operations last month at its mills in Prescott and Warren, Ar.

Midland Partners, Davenport, Mo., has acquired Triple B Doors 1nc., Columbia, Mo., which provides doors and hardware for contractors in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska ...

Benjamin Obdyke, Horsham, Pa., has opened a new warehouse in Atlanta, Ga.; Chuck Steiner, exRGM Products, is the new sales mgr. for the Southern region ...

Millwork Distributors, Hamburg, N.Y., added a state-of-the-art moulding machine ...

Universal Forest Products, Grand Rapids, Mi., has acquired the assets and some liabilities of GeoMatrix, Troy, Mi., which makes plastic lattice and other plastic products

Beacon Roofing Supply, Peabody, Ma., has acquired distributor Roof Depot, Inc.,Minneapolis and Stillwater. Mn. ...

Annniversaries: Manufac ture r s Reserve Supply, Irvington, N.J., 7sth ... Town & Country True Value,Benton, Il., 40th

Housing starts inAug. fell 6.07o to a seaonally adjusted annual rate of 1.665 million ... single family starts were down 5.9Vo to a 1.36(Please turn to page 36)

Boston Pacific specializes in fingerioint products

Species: Radiata Pine

Western Red Cedar Paulownia Chinese fir

Products: S4S Boards Millwork Patterns

Boston Pacific carries a complete inventory of Radiata Pine Boards in Baltimore, both raw and two-coat primed

Contact: Rich Stolz. Bill Berry Ken Osborn 888.748.2111

Listings are often submitted months in advance. Always verifi dates and loccttions with sponsor before making pluns to attend.

Ocroern

Home Improvement Research Institute - Oct. ll, conference. Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, Chicago, Il.; (813) 627 -6750.

Midwest Roofing Contractors Association - Oct. ll-120 annual convention & show, Schaumburg, Il.; (800) 497-6722.

House Hasson Hardware - Oct. 13-15, market, Chattanooga Convention Center, Chatanooga, Tn.; (865) 525-0471.

Do It Best Corp. - Oct. 14-17, market, Indianapolis, In.; (260) 748-5300.

Association of Millwork Distributors - Oct. 15-19, annual convention, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, Tx.; (121\ 372-3665.

Southern Building Material Association - Oct. 18-19, fall meeting, Nashville, Tn.; (704) 3'76-1503.

Remodefing Show - Oct.19-21, Chicago, Il.; (800) 681-6970.

Virginia Tech Center for Forest Products Marketing & Management - Oct.25-26, marketing workshop, Blacksburg, Va.; (s40) 23r-sr82.

National Lumber & Building Material Dealers AssociationOct. 26-28, industry summit, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Az.; (800) 634-8645.

Texas Home & Garden Show - Oct. 27-29. Reliant Event Center, Houston, Tx.; (800) 654-148O.

Hong Kong Hardware & Home Improvement Show - Oct.2730, Hong Kong; (212) 838-8688.

Window & Door Manufacturers Association - Oct.27-31, technical meeting, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 223-2301.

APA-The Engineered Wood Association - Oct. 28-31, annual meeting, Hyatt Regency Hill Country Spa & Resort, San Antonio, Tx.; (253) 565-6600.

American Architectural Manufacturers Assn. - Oct. 29-Nov. l, fall meeting, JW Marriott, Las Vegas, Nv.; (847) 303-5664.

Indiana Lumber & Builders Supply Assn. - Oct. 3l-Nov. 1, estimating seminar; Nov. 2, sales workshop, Holiday Inn N. Select at the Pyramids, Indianapolis, In.; (317) 8'75-3'73'7.

llov:mrrn

North American Building Material Distribution AssociationNov.3-4, annual convention, Orlando, Fl.; (888) 747-7862.

Mid-America Lumbermen's Association - Nov. 2-3, annual meeting, Harrah's Conference Center & Casino, N. Kansas city, Mo.; (816) 561-5323.

Southern Forest Products Association - Nov. 4-8, annual meeting, The Homestead, Hot Springs, Va.; (504) 443-6612.

McCoy's Building Supply Centers - Nov. 7, vendor show, Galveston, Tx.; (512) 395-6644.

U.S. Green Building Council - Nov. 8-10, green building expo, Denver, Co.: (202) 828-1144.

China Wood Flooring Export & Import Conference - Nov. 811, Shanghai, China; woodmgz@chinawood.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association - Nov. 9-11, Traders Market, Wyndham Anatole Hotel, Dallas, Tx.; (800) 527-8258.

Distribution America - Nov. 12-14, executive planning conference, La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, Ca.; (847) 294-1540.

Specialty Tool & Fasteners Distributors Association - Nov. 13-15, convention & show, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 352-2981.

Florida Building Material Association - Nov. 16, golf tournament, Mystic Dunes Golf & Country Club, Kissimmee, Fl.; (3s2) 383-0366.

Wallace Hardware - Nov. 28-30, fall buying market, Gatlinburg Convention Center. Gatlinburg, Tn.; (423) 586-5650.