What are your options?

By James Olsen

1|-\NE OF the biggest wastes of time

\-f for us as salespeople is chasing business we cannot get. If the information we possess about what a customer wants is not thorough and complete, what are our odds of getting the order?

What is the information we need to close? We need to find out all the information necessary to actually get the order, before we begin to work for our customers. When asking for this information we need to ask the customer about all the options they will consider.

Have you ever lost an order because you didn't ask one more question? I have. It's frustrating. To avoid this problem, we ask our customers aboil all the options possible.

Erample:

Us: "When do you need it to ship?"

Customer: "Two weeks or sooner."

Us: "Would one week shipment help?"

Customer: "Yes, it would. I am getting low."

Now we have more closing information. If we can find something quicker, it will be an advantage. Not a huge advantage. but in a competitive market it may be all the advantage we need.

In addition, we will discover other advantages throughout the inquiry process when we ask "what are the options?" questions on other specifics.

Continuing the example :

Customer: "No, I don't need it sooner. Two weeks is fine."

Us: "Can you live with three weeks?"

Customer: "You know, I probably can live with three weeks."

Another advantage. The seller who just takes the inquiry without asking probing (options?) questions is left in the dark. There may be only two suppliers who can ship our order in two weeks; there may be 20 who can ship it in three. Three weeks gives us more time to find a better deal, even if the market doesn't help us.

We ask the options question on each of the specifics of the inquiry: Shipment: one week, two weeks, four weeks?

Type of stocft.' Eastem, westem, high, low or medium reputation, reman? Item: lx4-could you use a lx3?

Grade: #3. 3&Btr.. 3&Btr. l0-157o #4,highlined #3?

Ial/y: Nobody buys "good random." Get an exact tally and all options.

Species: Can you live with Fir/larch? Does it have to be eastern?

Price: What are you thinking on price?

Many sellers are too intimidated to thoroughly question their customers about inquiry they get from them (especially on price). They feel the customer will get upset and say something like, "Why are you asking all these questions, just give me what I want!" If the customer gets upset we say, "John, the reason I'm asking you these questions is because I want to get you exactly what you want, not just come close."

(What we are really saying is, "I am serious about your business and mine. I want to get you exactly what you want, and I want you to get it from me. I'm not here just to quote.")

If the customer won't share information with us in the inquiry phase, will they all of a sudden open up at closing? Of course not. Our customer's attitude during the inquiry will give us plenty of clues on how to close. It will also give us an idea what the chances are of getting the order. (Thus telling us how much time to spend on it.)

The "We" Nlode

Our attitude from the second our customers tell us they are looking for something is that the order is ours. A good way to project this is to talk to our customers in the "we" mode.

Examples:

When do we need to bring this in? What kind of tally are we thinking on this one?

Speaking in the "we" mode will be uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. I have never had a customer say, "Hey, what's with all this we stuff." If we want our customers to treat us like partners, we must speak like partners.

Pre-Closing Off Inquiry

We pre-close our customers when we take inquiry correctly. We get them to engage and spend time with us. This by itself will tilt the odds in our favor. Asking probing questions helps us find the true need of our customers before closing.

Taking inquiry thoroughly will lead to more orders and less wasted time for us.

- James Olsen, Reality Sales Training, specializes in sales training for the lumber industry. Reach him at james@ r eality - sale straining.c om or ( 50 3 ) 544 - 3 572.

Osmose Acquires PhibroWood

Osmose, Griffin, Ga., has acquired the wood preservatives business of competing micronized copper/ACQ producer PhibroWood LLC, Ridgefield, N.J.

The acquisition includes the assets PhibroWood used in the business, such as patents, patent applications, trademarks and trade names, and certain manufacturing equipment and inventories. The deal also resolves ongoing intellectual property disputes

Scotch, Gulf CloseTo Merger

Scotch & Gulf Lumber LLC has been confirmed as the new name of the proposed merger of Scotch Lumber Co.'s sawmill in Fulton. Al.. and Gulf Lumber's sawmills, remanufacturing facility, and treating plants in Mobile and Jackson, Al. (see Oct., page l7).

Gulf's owners-the Stimpson family-will manage the new firm, which they will own in equal share with Scotch's principals, Dwight Harrigan and Tom O'Melia.

Sales and administration operations will continue in Gulf's Mobile offices.

between the companies.

Osmose president Paul Goydan called the acquisition "both timely and strategic. Specifically, it allows us to consolidate the intellectual properties and technologies involved in producing a wide range of micronized wood additive and wood-preservative products."

PhibroWood had marketed its wood preservatives under the Sustain brand.

with salesmen Lavoyd Hudson, Bob Anderson, and Gary Burch joined by 20-year Scotch veteran Dennis Drinkard. Darrell Pace, Bucky Adams, and Ramona Merritt will continue treated sales from Mobile. Specialty pattern, flooring and moulding products will be handled from the Blakely Island facility by Craig Gray and Clark Sudduth.

The new company hopes to bonow up to $3 million to re-equip the Fulton sawmill, which has been idle since April, to produce trusses and more lumber for export. Construction should last several months, with a restart anticipated for early next year, contingent on market conditions. Reviving the plant would add 100 jobs to Scotch & Gulf's current 296 employees.

Although Scotch's mill is closer to much of the region's timberlands, Gulf's mills have remained operational, in part because they produce a wider array of specialty, kiln dried, and treated products.

Bank Shuts Down Columbus

Columbus Lumber Co., Brookhaven, Ms., has shut down its sawmill and treating plant due to the housing downturn.

The 66-year-old southern pine mill's primary lender, Bank of America, ordered operations halted Sept.24.

With 100 employees now out of work, owners Jeff Grierson and Doug Boykin are scrambling to find a buyer. "Doug and I are not worried about ourselves, we're worried about finding a solution to keep Columbus Lumber running and putting our employees back to work," Grierson said. "This company plays an important part in Brookhaven, and for it to be shut down and sold off in pieces is not in the best interest of this community. We would love to stay here, but that's a secondary goal."

Optimistically, he added, "Hopefully before the holidays, CLC will once again be operating."

Gulfport Yard Fined $1 25,000

General Lumber & Millworks, Gulfport, Ms., is struggling to stay in business after being fined $125,000 for failing to comply with the city's fire code. According to authorities, the yard's sprinkler system is inoperable.

Prosecuting attorney James Halliday said the fire department tried to work with owner Kevin Lock and gave him months to correct the problem. When no progress was made, Judge Alvin Chase levied fines of $1,000 a day for each day the business operated without a sprinkler system, from April through the September court date. He also shut down the business and ordered Lock to begin paying a minimum of $100 a month on the fine, starting in October. If Lock fixes the sprinkler system, the money he spends will be deducted from the fine.

"I'm just talking with people and, hopefully, I will find someone who will work with me in bringing that sprinkler system up to code so I can open," he said. "I don't have $30000 and I don't have access to $30,000. They were very unsympathetic to me. It just doesn't seem right to come in here and close my business."

Attorney Halliday said that a fire at the yard could cause "catastrophic" damage-especially since a medical company next door deals in oxygen tanks that could explode.

Owner Accused Of Mail Fraud

A federal grand jury indicted the owner of a timber company on 65 counts of mail fraud connected with the alleged theft of logs worth $350,000 from Deltic Timber Corp., El Dorado, Ar., from 2OO5 to 2OO7

Each count carries a penalty of up to 20 years and a $250O00 fine.

Tracy Clemons,44, owns Clemons Timber, Quitman, Ar., which contracted to harvest logs for Deltic and haul them to a mill in Ola, Ar. According to the indictment. Clemons directed drivers to take some of the pine logs to a mill in Menifee and tell them that the logs had been brokered through North Arkansas Wood, a company owned by his mother. The mill then sent Clemson 65 separate checks for the logs, for a total of $417,000.

Russ Kimbell, ex-U.S. Timber, has joined Anthony Forest Products Co., El Dorado, Ar., to lead its lumber sales organization. Robert Garland has retired after 47 years with Anthony.

Mack Singleton, c.e.o., New South Cos., Myrtle Beach, S.C., has retired after 37 years with the company, but will remain on the board of parent Canfor.

Chuck Juell, PAL, Grand Rapids, Mi., has retired as building materials department mgr. after 23 years with the co-op.

James Diemel has been named general mgr. of Rommel's Ace Hardware. Exmore. Va.

Brian Herndon, ex-Cassity Jones, has been named general mgr. of Klumb Forest Products, Tyler, Tx.

Bill Hoffeld, ex-Bluelinx, is the new general mgr. at Vail's True Value Hardware, Scottsburg, In.

Chuck Knapp, ex-Alexander Lumber, has been named mgr. at Hundman Lumber, Springfield, Il. Fred Ervin has been promoted to contractor sales.

Scott B. Wetherell, ex-Culpeper Wood Preservers, has joined FLW Wood Products, Princeton, N.J., overseeing its fence division.

Bob Harden, Dow Building Solutions, Midland, Mi., was promoted to v.p. of sales in eastern North America, overseeing east of the Mississippi River. Pete Pendergast is now vp. of sales for the West. They succeed v.p. of sales John A. Somerville Jr., who has retired after 35 years with Dow.

Rob Scoble has been named executive v.p. & chief operating officer for Hyde Tools, overseeing its professional products and industrial blade divisions, both based in Southbridge, Ma.