soles Action: The attitude that sells

By James Olsen

f USED to work with a guy who lmade fun of the "positive attitude" people. "Oh, so all I have to do is have a positive attitude and I will sell everything I need to sell. I'd like those positive attitude idiots to come in here and try to sell some lumber in this market!"

I admit, I am one of those positive attitude proponents. But to me attitude is more than a state of mind; it is also a state of action.

Sellers often give all the power to the customer and then complain that the customer doesn't treat them with any respect. How do sellers give customers all the power?

Giving up the Power

When we enter conversations with customers saying, "What do you want to pay?" and "What do you want to buy?," we send these messages:

. I don't know anything. You tell me.

. I am too lazy to work for you, ' Mr. Customer. Please do all the work. Tell me how to price my product. I am too lazy to even work up a price.

. Pay me as little as possible.

. Counter my price. (If I have even given one.)

. Go for the jugular vein. (I don't know anything. Take advantage of me.)

I am lazy. Just give me a cheap price.

It's amazing that these sellers continue to get mad at customers that give them no respect and bad prices. When we call a customer and say, "What do you need?," what we are really saying is.

"Mr. Customer, I'm too lazy to do any work for you, will you work for me? Will you tell me what you want to buy, when you want it to ship, and what you want to pay for it?"

This is not the attitude/action of the professional seller/partner. This is an employee attitude. Professional sellers share power with customers. The seller's power is promotion. Offering product, solutions, and proposals to our customers is sharing power. We must do our part.

If we want our customers to treat us like partners, we have to bring value. If we come to our customers with a "What do I do now?" or "What do I do next?" attitude/action, our customers will treat us as employees rather than partners.

If we have a business partner who starts each day by saying, "What do I do next?," it won't take us long to buy this partner out. Why? Because this partner is not bringing value, or at least not partnership value. Our customers think and feel the same way. Our customers need and want partnerq, not another employee (salesperson) asking them what they need. Why are we asking our customers what they need? Didn't we find that out when we prospected them? (I detail how to make a great prospect call in my book, Selling Lumber: Sales Secrets of a Lumber Broker.) If we did give a good prospect call and we know what our customer uses, we offer those specific products on every call after the prospect call.

The Secret Benefit

When we promote product on every call we are doing what I call playing offense. We are acting and pro-acting. When we come to customers with the "What do I do next?" attitude, we are playing defense; we are reacting. Acting instead of reacting, playing offense instead of playing defense, when we promote product, we will feel better at the end of the day.

Yes, but does a good feeling get me the order? In the short- (not immediate) and long-term, my answer is: yes and yes. Remember, in tough markets our customers are struggling also. They don't need another whining salesperson telling them how tough it is. What they need and want is a positive force to come in the door or over the phone and tell them why something is a good deal for them!

Positive attitudes alone will not save us. We must hustle. (Action) We must prepare (Action). We must promote products, deals and proposals that benefit customers in a financial or business way (Action). But we also bring with us a spirit and attitude of positiveness. Our customers want to buy from positive, pro-active promoters of product.

R:rm:rs

Central Valley Supply & Hardware has opened in Riverbank, Ca., in the 3,200-sq. ft. building formerly occupied by Oakdale Building Supply; John Yanez, owner ...

Parr Lumber Co.has acquired a larger site in west Redmond, Or., to eventually relocate its downtown Redmond yard ...

Homewood Lumber won planning commission approval to build a new facility in Loomis, Ca. ...

Gust Ace Hardware, Longmont, Co., will add 1,100 sq. ft.of retail space and nearly 2,O0O sq. ft. of warehouse room to its 23,000-sq. ft. store

Willow Glen Ace Hardware.San Jose, Ca., is opening its 8,900-sq. ft. store in May; owners Eric, Richard and Larry Hassett also operate Palo Alto Hardware, Palo Alto, Ca.

Lowe's Cos. opened new stores Jan.25 in Show Low, Az., and Redmond, Or.; Jan. 12 in N. Apple Vallev and W. Sacramento. Ca.. and Jan. 5 in City of Industry, Ca. (Robert Dominguez, mgr) ...

Lowe's expects new store openings in 2nd quarter 2008 in E. Santa Clarita, Ca., and in 3rd quarter 2008 in Menifee, Ca.; is placing the finishing touches on a 102,000sq. ft. store with 27,000-sq. ft. garden center in Bend, Or.; received approval to build a long-delayed 111,196-sq. ft. store in Sonora, Ca., and will anchor new shopping centers in Springfield, Or., and Paso Robles, Ca., its first in San Luis Obispo County

Home Depot has applied to begin construction in June on a 50acre site in Battle Ground, Wa.; was denied permission to build in Long Beach, Ca., due to an inade- quate environmental impact report, and is awaiting zoning approval to build on property in Grant Pass, Or., owned by Timber Products ...

Home Depot will not build on 11 acres in Springfield, Or., due to voter disapproval of the project; is negotiating to build in Azusa, Ca., and will anchor a new retail center in Atwater, Ca.

Wrorrsnuns/ff rrurrcrun:ns

Umpqua Lumber, Dillard, Or., shut down early this month for at least six months ...

RY Timber restarted its mills in Townsend and Livingston, Mt., Jan.28 after a two-week layoff

Sierra-Pacific Industries has opened a new forestry office in Ryderwood (Centralia), Wa.; staffers include Tom Nelson. Andrew Wodnik, Jim Hansen, Bill Langlois, Josh Misenar, Jack Stover, Barry Armstrong, Matt Moses, and Patrick Allen ...

Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wa., agreed to sell its European ilevel engineered wood products operations to Finland-based Finnforest...

Silvaris Corp., Bellevue, Wa., has expanded its OSBMarket electronic marketplace to two additional regions, Southern California and West Texas ...

Smith & Fong Co. has added a warehouse in Seattle, Wa., to supply bamboo flooring and plywood to the Pacific Northwest ...

Arizona Railroad Group has added a transload facilitv in Benson. Az.

Interpan North America, Coppell, Tx., which operates as Finnforest USA Lumber & Panel Division, has been purchased by

UCM Timber, London, Eng.;Frank Ferguson will continue as managing director ...

Bonneville Transloaders. Inc. is consolidating its transloading operations in Moorcroft, Wy., and near Upton, Wy., to a larger facility in Upton ...

Pacific Lumber Co. wants to sell an elementary school and recreation center in Scotia. Ca., for $3.13 million to the local school district ...

Ainsworth, Vancouver, B.C., temporarily curtailed operations Jan. 19 at irs OSB mill in Cook, Mn.

Bosch has acquired the assets of Hong Kong-based leveling-laser manufacturer RoboToolz Ltd.

Railing Dynamics is rolling out a new marketing motto: "For home, for life"

Anniversaries: W.H. Maze, Peru, Il., 160th ... Cut & Dried Hardwood, Solana Beach, Ca., 30th ...

Housing starts in December dropped I4.2Vo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.006 million ... single-family starts slipped 2.9Vo ... regionally, starts fell l9.6Vo in the West permits slid lO.lVo.

Send us your newsl

Have your recent expansion, promotions or other company changes published in the next issue of The Merchant Magazine.

Just Fax your news to 949-8520231 or send by email to kdebats@ building-products.com. (a lree

Listings are often submitted months in advance. Alway-s verifi dates and locations with sponsor before making plans to attend.

Jrsnumv

Western Building Material Association - Feb. 13, human resources workshop, Olympia, Wa.; (360) 943-3054.

lnternational Builders Show - Feb. 13-16, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fl.; (800) 368-5242.

Winema Hoo-Hoo Club - Feb. L6, Valentine's dinner, Klamath Falls, Or.; (541) 882-7559.

Western Building Material Association - Feb. 19-20, estimating seminar, Grove Hotel, Boise, Id.; (360) 943-3054.

International Roofing Expo - Feb. 2l-23, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.; (847) 299-90'70.

Oregon Logging Conference - Feb. 2l-23, Lane County Fairgrounds and Eugene Hilton, Eugene, Or.; (541) 686-9191.

Remodeling & Decorating Show - Feb.22-24, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, Ca.; (818) 55'7-2950.

Lhmcn

Deck Expo - March 5-6, Orlando, Fl.; (678) 344-6283.

International Wood Products Association - March 5-7, annual convention, Orlando, Fl.; (703) 820-6696.

Lumber Association of California & Nevada - March 6, 2nd Growth meeting, Buena Park, Ca.; (800) 266-4344.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association - March 6-7, products expo, Denver Merchandise Mart, Denver, Co.; (800) 365-0919.

Ace Hardware Corp. - March 7-10, spring market, Dallas, Tx.; (630\ 990-7662.

Western Wood Products Association - March 8-11, annual meeting, Doubletree Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Az.; (503) 224-3930.

Wood Moulding & Millwork Producers Association - March 10-15, winter business meeting, Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa, Palm Desert, Ca.; (800) 550-7889.

California Forestry Association - March 11, joint legislative reception with LACN, Sutter Club, Sacramento, Ca.; (916) 444-6592.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association - March ll, regional meeting, Portland, Or.; (800) 527-8258.

Wood Products Council - March 1L, green building seminars. San Diego, Ca.t March 12, Costa Mesa, Ca.; March 13, Los Angeles, Ca. ; www.woodworks.org.

Wood Technology Clinic & Show - March 12-14, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Or.; ('770) 291-5432.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club - March 13, golf, Black Gold Golf Club, Yorba Linda, Ca.: (626) 445-8556.

Greenprints - March 13-14, Atlanta, Ga.; (404) 872-3549.

True Value Co. - March 14-16, spring market, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fl.; (773) 695-5000.

International Home & Housewares Show - March 16-18, McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (847) 292-4200.

Western Building Material Association - March 18-19, estimating seminar, Bozeman, Mt.; (360) 943-3054.

Wood Products Council - March l9,"Wood Works for Building Design" seminars,Sacramento, Ca.; March 20, San Francisco, Ca. ; www.woodworks.org.

Redwood Region Logging Conference - March 20-22, tairgrounds, Ukiah, Ca.; (70'7) 443-4091.

North Cascade Hoo-Hoo Club - March 25, past presidents' night, Cranberry Tree Restaurant, Mount Vernon, Wa.; (360) 391-1860.

National Lumber & Building Material Dealers AssociationMarch 3l-April 2, legislative conference, Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.; (800) 634-8645.

It's all about freedom of choice. Novaliner' is the first railing system in ilre industry that has endless possibilities for designing a look that fits your honre or lifeslyle. Novaline is available in a durable, factory white finish or a natural styie that can be painted or stained any color combination you clroose. [:or a rytore lavish look top it off with metal accents or round balusters. Novaline assembles in mini:tes rvith no special tools and rninimal hardware.

Build the dream look you've always wanted i,vith Novaline.

rdi,,,

RAILING DYNAMICS, INC,

Mainlenance-Free Building Solutions

Tel: (877.) 420-7245

Email: cse)rdirail.com

URL: www.rdirail.com/'novaline

Pa-

Q, x-t/<l-2aa<q'2

Big Creek

B B

Design Engineer Supply Install

For ower 20 years Sunbelt has focused on the Lurnber and Building Supply industries. See how Sunbelt has helped the following lumber yards and how \, we can help you.