(ounlel The moment of truth

By Mike Dandridge

up this morning and decide you had to have this part? What do you think we are-magicians? Are we supPosed trt drop what we're doing because you're in a hurry?"

"Well, yes. Yes, you are."

Soft Is Hard

fT WAS a joke. really. A sheet of l8.Sxt I paper. probably a photocopy made at a customer's otfice, that hung behind our counter for years. You've probably seen it. It's a drawing of three generic cartoon characters, their mouths wide open, doubled over, expressing hysterical comic-bookstyle laughter. Below the sketch the caption reads, You want it when?

Then one day, a casual remark made by a contractor waiting for his order changed everything. He said, to anyone listening, "Did you ever notice, the places that have those signs that joke about the service, are the same places where the service is a joke?"

I took the sign down, crumPled it up, and threw it in the trash. MaYbe that sounds extreme. I mean I know that a comment by one contractor doesn't speak for all customers. And I also know those so-called jokes are supposed to be a light-hearted jab at procrastinating customers, a figurative wink and a nod to over-demanding contractors who expect a distributor to have everything in stock. After all, failure to plan on their part doesn't constitute an emergency on our part.

Yes, I get it. It's funnY. But the implications run much deeper. It's as if we're saying to the customer, You want us to do what? Did you just wake

In the world of ROI's and metrics, the corporate consultants call it the "soft stuff," as in warm and fuzzy. lt's refers to elements of selling that are difficult to quantify, like relationship and personal touch. There's a dangerous fallacy that runs deeP in the American business politic, which implies if something can't be measured, it must lack value.

But, as Apple's Steve Jobs Points out, the soft stuff is really the hard stuff. It's interwoven into the "personal experience factor" of the business transaction. It includes the words we speak, the actions we take, and the manner in which we serve our customers.

The Words We Speak

Words are units of energY. TheY can inspire or they can incite. While some counter salespeople insist that certain customers "like to be joked around with," remember you are straddling a dangerously fragile line. Catch a customer in a bad mood one morning and yesterday's good-natured kidding becomes a personal offense today. Choose your words wiselY. Consider recent headlines about a talk show host who was fired over a Poor choice of words.

The key is to fill your sPeech with words of high energy and oPtimism. Customers don't really want to know if you're having a bad daY, so don't begin your conversations by telling them what a rotten day you're having. Greet your customer in a cheerful and professional manner. Use your words to create an attitude that makes the customer feel good about doing business with you.

The Actions We Take

There's a popular social game that's sweeping sales counters across the country. It's called "Ain't it awful." Participants gather around the sales counter and start complaining about the economy, inventorY, jobs, the weather, or whatever else comes to mind. Complaining begets complaining, until the mood deteriorates into a state of joyful gloominess. To end the game, someone finallY declares, "Ain't it awful," and everyone goes back to work with a new contempt for the workdaY ahead.

Complaining is the byproduct of negative thinking. There's a book entitled You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought. That's especially true on the counter where daily contact with customers shaPes the long-term perception of the service level of the branch. "Negative employees destroy morale and turn off customers by talking negatively," says author Dr. Alan Zimmerman, business consultant for clients such as 3M and IBM. Dr. Zimmerman cites an example of 3M's decision to laY off the bottom 107o, the poorest performers, at one of their facilities and how it impacted the bottom line. Productivity jumped I 87o.

It's not a perfect world. It's easy to find reasons for declaring the pessimist's view realistic. However, focusing on the negative is toxic. It adds to stress levels, decreases efficiency, and generally makes one unpleasant to be around. Overcoming a negative mind-set begins by chang-

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Rrullrns

Stock Building SuPPIY will close 24 branches and eliminate 370 jobs, in addition to the 22 branches closed and 4,500 jobs eliminated earlier this Year and late in 20A6 ...

Friedman Brothers Hardware, Sonoma, Ca., received aPProval for remodeling and exPanding its facility, including an added 12,459 sq. ft. of retail sPace, 1,388 sq. ft' of administrative office space, a 32,670-sq. ft. covered shed, and 93 new parking spaces ..'

Ace Hardware, Colorado Springs, Co., held a grand oPening f uty - 19-21; Kirby & Nick Kuklenski, owners

84 Lumber Co. oPens a new 84,000-sq. ft. location this month in Hesperia, Ca. ...

Home Depot opened new stores June 28 in Morrison, Co'; Juneau, Ak.;E. Sandy, Ut., and a 115,000rq. ft. relocation with 35,000-sq. ft. garden center in Salinas, Ca' (Willy Nelson, mgr.)

Home DePot anticiPates an Aug. 23. opening of a new twostory home center in Soquel, Ca. (Loretta Souza, store mgr'); is awaiting approval to build in Dixon, Ca.; was rebuffed bY the city of Pleasanton, Ca., and is negotiating to continue construction on a 190-acre SuPerfund site in Monterey Park, Ca. ...

Lowe's Cos. oPened a new store July 31 in Mira Loma, Ca', and expects new store openings at th9 end of 2007 in S. LaceY, Wa., and in lst quarter 2008 in N. Peoria, Az.. andRedmond, Or.

Lowe's will construct a 117,000-sq. ft. store with 31,000sq. ft. garden center in Boise, Id.; wants to demolish two buildings on a l}-acre site in Eugene, Or., to make way for a 138,000-sq. ft' store with 31,000-sq. ft. garden center; received the go-ahead to build a 170,000-sq. ft. store in Springfield, Or.; is.fighting.a. citizen's group appealing its right to build a 111,000-sq. ft. store on 11 acres in Sonora, Ca.; has started construction in a new center in W Sacramento, Ca., and won approval for additional roadwork foi a new store on 17.7 acres in Tacoma, Wa. ...

Lowe's signed a license agreement with Financial SYstems Innovation LLC for credit card fraud protection technology

Wnorrslrrrs/trrurrtrunrrr

Weyerhaeuser, Federal WaY, Wa., has acquired a plywood mill in Los Piques, UruguaY, from Global Forest Partners, Lebanon, N.H.

Shelter Products, Portland, Or', moved its Gulf Coast Shelter Southern sales office from Fairhope to Daphne, Al.

Owens Corning, Toledo, Oh', has agreed to sell its Siding Solutions business to SaintGobain for $371 million, includine 153 Norandex/Reynolds distribulion centers in 38 states and three vinyl siding plants

Masonite's facilities in Ukiah, Ca., vacant since 2001, are being torn down in hopes of building a 700,000-sq. ft. shopping mall

D.R. Johnson Lumber Co', Bend. Or.. closed down all five of its timber mills for at least two weeks, effective July 25 ...

Simpson Timber Co. temPorarily curtailed mills JulY 30 in Shelton and Commencement BaY, Wa., due to market conditions; its Longview, Wa., mill continues operations...

Mason County Forest Products, Shelton, Wa., temporarilY eliminated its second shift

The Chamberlain GrouP, Inc', Elmhurst, Il., acquired access controls manufacturer International Electronics, Vancouver, Wa.

Columbia Forest Products, Portland, Or., has agreed to sell its wood flooring plants, including one engineered wood and two Prefinished solid facilities in the U.S. and an engineered wood Plant in Malaysia, to Mohawk Industries, Calhoun, Ga.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade have merged into CME GrouP Inc.,Chicago,Il.

Arch Chemicals, Inc. Purchased the remaining 5IVo of Australian joint venture Koppers'Arch ftom partner Koppers Holdings Inc.,for $19 million

Timber Products Co. s Particleboard plant in Medford, Or', earned Environmentally Preferred Product certification from the Composite Panel Association TP is also applying for certification with the Forest StewardshiP Council and expects audits to be completed in the fall ...

Visions Windows & Doors has earned third-party certification from Scientific Certification Systems for the recycled material content of its Visian 3000 vinYl windows and patio doors ...

Atlas Lumber Co., Chino, Ca., has partnered with the Rainforest Alliance's Smartwood Program to offer wood products certified bY the Forest Stewardship Council member of the Swanson Grouo. Inc. family of companies

Anniversaries: White Brothers, Oakland, Ca., 135th Morgan Creek Forest Products, Healdsburg, Ca., 15th ...

Housing starts in June increased 2.3Vo to a seasonallY adiusted annual rate of 1.467 m\llidn, thanks to a 12.SVa jumP in the multifamily sector ... singlefamily starts slippedO.ZVo '.. permits dropped 7 .57o regionallY, starts climbed9Vo in the West.

Spe.cial.ty (spesh'el te).,., odj. -n. 1. a special line of work, skill, or rhe like on which one is dedicated, such as outstanding service in selling and clelivering plywood. 2. an article or servicc particularly dealt in. manufactured, and rendered, such as tnanufacturing mariner plywood. -artj .3. producing or oflering an unusual or specil'ic product, such as concrete forrn panels.

Listirtg.s orc olien ,subntitted mttnths in udvurtce Alv'ar:; t'er|t'1' tlatc.s arul lot'ations n'ith spott.sor befltre nnkittg plttrts ttt ttttctttl.

Aucusr

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club - Aug' 10, mccting. Steven's Stcakhousc. Commcrce. Ca.: (323) 723-91t56.

Paulina Hoo-Htttt Club - Aug. 10, annual -eolf scramble. Meador.v Lakes Goll'Course, Prinevillc, Or.; (-541 ) 147 5962.

Home Remodeling & Decorating Show - Aug. l0-12' L.A. Convention Centcr. Los Angeles. Ca.: (818) 557-2950.

Wood Truss Council of America - Aug. l5-17' open quarterly meeting, San Francisco. Ca.: (608) 271-4849

Orgill Inc. - Aug. 16-18. fall dealer market, Las Vegas' Nv.: (901) 754-8850.

Atlas Lumber Co. - Aug. 17. fbrest products careers open housc' Chino. Ca.: (909) 591-9442.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association - Aug. 18. golf tournarnent, Rochelle Ranch Golf Course. Rarvlins. Wy.: (800) 365-0919.

Home Remodeling & Decorating Shows - Aug. 24-26' South Town Expo Centcr. Sandy. Ut.. and Pasadena Conf'crence Center. Pasadena. Ca.l (8113) 557-2950.

Old Time Lumberman's BBQ - Aug.25, Simpson Timber Co.. Korbel, Ca.; (800) 637 -7017

Srprrmrrn

Hoo-Hoo lnternational - Sept. 3'9, annual convcntion. Pier Resort, Qucensland. Australia: (800) 979-9950.

Horizon Distribution Inc. - Sept. 7-9, annual market. Yakima Convention Centcr. Yakima. Wa.: (800) 541-13164.

South Bay Spring Home & Garden Show - Sept. 7-9, Santa Clara Convcntion Ccnter, Santa Clara' Ca.; (800) 321- 121 3.

Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association - Sept. 9-11' fall conference. Salt Lake City Marriott Dorvntorvn , Salt Lake City, Ut.: (703) 43-5-2900.

National Hardwood Lumber Association - Sept. 12-15, annual convention. Washington. D.C.: (800) 933-03 18.

BC Wood - Sept. 13-15, global bLryer's mission. Whistler Conf'crence Ccnter. Whistlcr. B.C.: (81'7) 422-9663.

Yuba City Home, Garden & Recreation Show - Sept' 15-16, Yuba-sutter Fairgrounds. Yuba City' Ca.; (530) 671-9600.

International Garden & Leisure Exhibition - Sept. l6-18' National Exhibition Centrc. Birmingharn, England: (201) 6-590134.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club - Sept. 16, day at Disneyland /Califbrnia Adventurc, Anahcirn. Ca.: (323) 12398-56.

National Retail Federation - Sept. l7-19' annual summit. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vcgas. Nv.l (2t)2) 78379't l.

American Wood Preservers' Association - Sept. 17-21, fall tecl"rnical comrrittec mccting, Hyatt Regency Crorvn Center. Kansas City. Mo.; (ti00) 3-56-1974.

Willamette Valley Hoo-Hoo Club - Sept. 19, trap shoot. Sportsman Club. Cottage Grovc. Or.; (54 l) 485-5979.

Jensen Distribution Services - Sept. 2l-22, fall marke t. Spokanc Convcntion Ccnter. Spokanc, Wa.; (-509) 624-1321

Blish-Mize Co, - Sept. 2l-23, fall markct. Convcntion Center. Overland Park. Ks.: (800) 995-0525.

Home Remodeling & Decorating Show - Sept. 2l-23' Davis Conf'crence Center. Layton, Ut.; (80 1) 571-9012

Ace Hardware Corp. - Sept. 2ti'Oct. l, fall rnarkct' Denver, Co.: (630) 990-1662.

Material Handling Industry of America - Sept. 29-Oct. 3' lnnual rnentbership meeting. Hyatt Rcgency Savannah. Savannah. Ga.: (704) 676-l 190.

Yealf ureh difisent

We ieally are out there. Door people" people who've devoted our entire careers to mastering the craft of designing and manufacturing only premium quality interior doors. To us, doors aren't just an occupation. They're a preoccupation.

We're door p*ople.