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The Merchant Magazine (ISSN 7399723) (USPS 796560) is published monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660.1872 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Periodicals Postage paid at Newport Beach, Ca., and additional post offices. lt is an independently-owned publication for the retail, wholesale and distribution levels of the lumber and building products markets in 13 western states. Copyright@2O14 by Cutler Publishing, Inc, Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. lt reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

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Letts talk!

[rrnsr. I ueve had a great month criss-crossing the country visiting four events in l0 I'days and covering about 12,000 miles. It was great to visit with so many industry friends, hearing about all the good news out there. It will be interesting to see what happens when the long winter finally goes away. There must be some pent-up demand, which augers well for a great spring. Now to get the 8 lbs. of weight off!

As the industry warms up again, let me tell you a secret. When someone leaves you a message saying they want to talk, do you know that only about 607o actually get back to you when you return their call? On top of that, even when you set a date and time to connect, only about one out ofthree are available when you call. Combining those statistics reveals that three-quarters of people who tell you that they want to speak with you will never contact you agaln.

For me, that's a very sad statistic. In truth, it's indefensible, since it suggests you do not value the other person's time, either. Yes, I know we are all busy, but I wouldn't dream of not returning a call as soon as I can (except cold calls who have no interest).

Now, I expect you may want to take this rejection personally. I used to think it was me, but I have long learned it is not my bad breath or lousy people skills (hopefully!), it is just the way it is. I am not only calling and leaving time for the call, but I am also spending and saving time pre-call so that no one calls me for perhaps l5 minutes before or after the expected end of a call. That's a lot of time lost and wasted. Of course, it is always easy to imagine the worst. I always figured that they knew that it was me, and they were either hiding under their desk or running as fast as they could into the yard or heading offfor an early lunch. It used to bother me, birt again this is business life today. You need a thick skin for rejection.

When you do get the chance to talk with someone, how do you make the most of it? Most of us are in sales of some type. We have all been trained to listen. But even the most experienced of us break that rule over and over again. It takes time and patience. I try to learn everything I can about a person, as every call and customer are different and require a different tactic. It takes effort to understand what the other person is dealing with. I am sure every one of us has been frustrated when someone ducks us or doesn't reply to our three voicemail messages or 10 emails. Yet, you never know everything that's going on in a contact's business or personal life, so they may not feel comfortable giving the real reason for not replying.

That is all well and good, but when do you give up on someone? I have written good business from accounts that I mentally might have given up on. Just recently, an account I have worked on for 12 years came in. During that time, they moved up and down my tickler list and sales funnel in priority. I do not suggest wasting time with dead losses, but things change at companies. Our "Movers and Shakers" column is testament to that.

I have met many thousands of readers and customers over the years and just come away sometimes shaking my head when I learn what is going on, particularly in their business lives. So I guess the moral of the story is do not take rejection personally and have great empathy, as you never know why and where someone will end up. A few months ago, another prospect I had pursued for years finally came through when he moved to another company, and I leamed why he couldn't buy from me at his last company. If there had been no reasonable contact, this sale would never have happened.

Relationships are what this industry is about. Use every opportunity to speak with your peers. I find no better place to meet with customers, partners, readers, advertisers and potential advertisers than at industry trade shows and association events. Some have not paid their dues during the last tough years, and maybe it's time to get back out there attending events again and supporting your association. Unless you have been in other industries where there are not associations, you may not understand their value. I for one have great respect for them for what they do for this industry. This industry would not look the same without them.

Alan Oakes. Publisher

ajoakes@aol.com

A publication of Cutler Publishing 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan 0akes ajoakes@aol.com

Publisher Emeritus David Cutler

Director of Editorial & Production

David Koenig dkoenig@building-products.com

Editor Karen Debats kdebats@building-products.com

Conhibuting Editors

Dwight Cunan James Olsen Carla Waldemar

Advertising Sales Manager Chuck Casey ccasey@building-products.com

Administration Director/Secretary Marie Oakes mfpoakes@aol.com

Circulation Manager Heather Kelly hkelly@building-products.com

How to Advertise

Chuck Casey

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com

Alan Oakes www.building-products.com

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com

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David Koenig

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 dkoenig@building-products.com

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