WHAT DECK BUILDERS WANT

MOST DECK builders aren’t shopping every job—they have a favorite lumberyard they turn to whom they trust to give them a fair price. There are more important criteria for selecting their favorite.

What deck builders want from their go-to supplier

Priorities change in the age of COVID

T“Availability is the best ability” has never been more true for decking suppliers, at least according to their builder customers looking to navigate recent material shortages. aving what a deck builder wants in stock—or being able to quickly get it—has become the most important criteria in selecting a supplier, according to a recent Instagram poll of deck builders by our sister publication Deck Specialist.

Availability was deemed most important by . % of respondents, besting Service ( 0. %), Selection (1 %), Price (11. %), and Product nowledge ( 0. %). Other factors, including Location, Credit Terms, and Loyalty Program, totaled 0. %.

“ uring CO I , availability is now 1 and all else is secondary as we just can’t get product,” said Pete Ciraldi, Professional Building Services, Salem, N. . “We spend four times the administrative time trying to acquire stock, usually have to get from multiple suppliers, and they are short on stock, as well.”

The change is a recent one, according to Ciraldi. “PreCO I , we never had availability issues we weren’t able to work around, so we would always look for multiple factors. Never just one. Price and service were equal in our book—it didn’t matter how cheap the products were if they came in damaged, wrong, short count, etc. If I had to send a truck and an hourly employee, the lost additional productivity of pulling someone off the crew would be a chaser. Because of the volume we would do during our busy season, we’d use multiple suppliers that carried a wide selection instead of just one with a larger footprint. Most of the larger companies do not stock all product lines and would have to bring things in anyway.”

oe agen, All ecked Out, Cincinnati, Oh., proposed that the top two criteria are related. “The main reason we use our supplier is customer service and product availability,” agen said. “Not having products on the ground results in special order items that can result in major job delays. We also get free deliveries and pick-ups due to our large volume we do with them. Suppliers that off er perks like that for their loyal customer base will always be successful in my opinion. Even though they are a bit more expensive, I would rather use them than shop around. With a busy schedule, we don’t have time to clip coupons for materials, so using a company that values us like a partner is very important.”

As an added benefi t, agen said, “we also have our clients use their showroom when selecting materials and have an outside sales rep that deals directly with our clients. This helps in the event the guys at the counter that work there make commission and we could lose a job if a client went in there and then they recommend another builder that buys directly from them.”

A good supplier is understanding when things don’t go according to plan. agen explained, “There have been many times that we were short on materials due to errors in estimating on my end or even from our sales rep accidentally keying in the list incorrectly but they always step up and make it a priority to get us what we need right away to keep the projects moving forward. We also like the fact that they stock the full line of our favorite decking brand, eckorators oyage, and they have a large selection of other quality products, as well.”

Looking for a Partner

Tom acques, ickory ickory ecks, undas, Ont., has also found that nothing is more valuable than nurturing a partnership between supplier and customer. “Most important is having a good relationship with the supplier,” acques said. “We realize they have to make money, too, so they have skin in the game. When issues arose this summer, we were the ones that still got product. We look long-term, rather than squeezing them for a penny or two.” is company, the largest deck building franchise in Canada, rarely changes suppliers because they work so hard to provide everything he needs from them. “We have a fairly complicated formula for whom we choose as suppliers,” acques said. “Of course, price is important, and service. They must off er a good warranty, and a manufacturer’s labor warranty. There must be a good color selection; the product easy to work with, but not easy to scratch. So it’s a combination of factors, some weighing more than others.”

Favorite suppliers can be relied upon not only to have product, but to have answers. “What I value the most—and it seems like a dying art—is the supplier’s knowledge of what they’re selling,” shared Lance Sniatkowski, eck Innovators, Midlothian, a. “I have found that in my market people just don’t know the product, which leads to mis-ordering and timely mistakes that have been a problem lately.” eck builders are construction professionals and they expect their suppliers to be experts in what they do. “In my line of business time is money,” said Tim uigley, uigley ecks, Madison, Wi. “When I have a question on a particular product and when I call the lumberyard, the salesperson has the answer. When we need materials delivered on short notice, in most cases the lumberyard can get it out to us. The lumberyards have an ongoing relationship with manufactur-

What Niagara Falls deck-building franchisee Peter Secord most appreciates about buying through ickory ickory ecks’ lumberyard is “they do an excellent job of keeping us informed on pricing and supply issues prior to changes and shortages.” eith Fry, Amazing ecks, Ambler, Pa., echoed a familiar refrain: “One-hundred-percent service is fi rst. They must be able to handle a few fi re drills throughout the year. Product availability is second—they need to be able to supply material with a day or two notice.”

Lumberyards that can check all the boxes will have customers for life.

ers reps, where the rep calls on the lumberyards on a regular basis and keeps the lumberyard personnel up to date on new or upcoming products. It’s a whole relationship thing where it’s equally as important to the local supplier that my business survives and remains profi table, as it is to their business surviving and remaining profi table.”

A Two-Way Street

Builders are willing to go the extra mile if they feel their lumberyard will do the same. “We try to keep it a one-stop shop as much as we can,” said Michael Scott, Simcoe ecks, Barrie, Ont. “We work with a lumberyard that is roughly one hour away, because we receive the best service from them. Our contractor manager goes above and beyond to keep everything organized. Not everything is perfect, but if something isn’t right, it’s dealt with quickly. We price-check a couple times a year just to make sure we are paying comparable prices. Most of the time pricing is on point, but the odd time we will have to adjust things.”

Deck Builders’ #1 Reason for Choosing a Supplier

Product Knowledge Service Price

Selection Other

Availability

– Courtesy Deck Specialist