LBM Mobile Selling materials on the go

the LBM industrY is now also embracing the world of mobile technology. Becoming more and more intrigued by what I was witnessing, I started to investigate notable key technologies that I found to be a growing trend.

Product Visualizers

Product visualizers have been around for years. TheY give You the ability to take a photo of your exterior, interior or landscape and see what certain products are going to look like when applied to your specific project' Typical applications for visualizers include paint, siding, roofing and landscape surfaces. They are easy to use by the general Public and sales professionals alike, and they serve a particular purPose well.

If InsN I wes first introduced to YV the LBM world, one of the things that originally struck me was how adaptive this market was to technology. I certainly expected the industry to have point-of-sale systems for conducting day-to-day business transactions, but was not exPecting the high rate of adoption of other technologies that I was seeing.

For examPle, a large number of dealers that I visited had both deck design and kitchen design kiosks, where customers could interact with a store associate to lay out their dream deck or kitchen. These digital projects in turn would calculate the entire material list and help with ordering'

As I toured through other facilities, some of which were so remote that I would classify them as being "outside of the boondocks." I was seeing cutting edge software to digitally design entire new model homes, Pole barns, and garages in vivid 3D, to assist with the sale from the customer and use the intelligent information to feed directly to point of sale system. This was not the archaic industry that I had expected. I was blown awaY at the forwardthinking and willingness to experiment with new technologies that I was seeing in owners and c.e.o's alike.

Fait forward a few Years later and

However, the use of Product visualizers seems to be on the rise. With the success of mobile applications over the Past few Years, several keY companies have expanded their visualizer applications to not only deliver an image for sales purposes, but also offer additional associated information used for lead tracking. This is key for the manufacturer and wholesaler who needs to know which Products are being viewed. SimPlY Put' the product visualizer now becomes an important marketing and lead generation platform, in addition to a sales tool.

Many Product manufacturers have their own online and mobile visualizers, particularly in the world of paint products with comPanies like benjamin Moore and Sherwin Wiliams. Both organizations offer online and mobile applications for the

TruWood' Eosy to insloll using normql woodworking tools 30-yeor limited tronsferoble worronly Creofe dislinciive homes with TruWood Siding ond Trim

Siding And Trim Specifications And Goverage

iPad, which are being embraced by consumers and dealers alike.

One company that is leading the charge in the area of product visualizers is Renoworks, a Canadian-based company that offers desktop, online and handheld solutions for both manufacturers, LBM dealers, and wholesalers. Renoworks allows customers to upload a photo of their own home to a company's website and showcase real-world manufacturers' products directly from their mobile device. Ideal for the remodeling market, the software helps visualize what your home will look like with new siding, trim, windows, doors and hundreds of other materials. Once the client is engaged in the experience, they feel more connected and are more likely to purchase from that business. All leads are tracked by local dealers for sales lead follow up.

"The clients that we like to work with are concerned about metrics" says Doug Vickerson, c.e.o. of Renoworks. "We are told by the companies that we work with that visitors that come to a website are four more times likely to convert to a customer."

The HomeWorks Designer tool used by national retailer Home Hardware is an example of an online and mobile application that is used on a national level. Powered bv Renoworks, HomeWorks showcases a huge inventory of real-world manufacturers' products offered by the Home Hardware chain.

Considering a picture is worth a thousand words, product visualizers are certainly a trend that will become even more popular as their use in the mobile world becomes more and more prominent.

fl_andllel{ Bidding & Material Takeoff

Another intriguing technology that is relatively new to the LBM market is mobile bidding and material takeoff. This emerging trend allows the dealer/estimator to be completelv mobile and is ideal for -o.kinn on site. Available for iphones. ip-aOs. Android and Windows devices, it allows sales representatives to turn around bids faster and easier than ever before. Operations are streamlined, saving valuable time and money.

One new application for the market is called Mobile Visual Pro (or MVp), developed by Luxwood Soltware. MVP is an application that runs on the iPhone or iPad and allows you to work directly from the jobsite and interact with your point-of-sale system. MVP is used by wholesale distributors, LBM retailers, and millwork dealers. It was originally developed for on-site door and millwork bids, but can be expanded to order any product from the field that you have in your POS system.

The MVP software also offers a complete graphical representation for every item that can be selected. Therefore, because an imaee is available to the builder ot J*n", during the process, the sales representative has the opportunity to up-sell additional products during his trme on slte.

Steve Linn, partner at Mainstreet Millwork, Denison, Tx., has been piloting this new product for several months now. Linn claims that after using the software in the field, his close rate has increased by 30Vo. He says, "What makes MVp unique is that this was designed from the field up for salespeople," meaning that the product was designed to be used the way a field salesperson actually operates.

"MVP is changing the way building supply companies do business," says Terry Davies, president of Luxwood Desisn Tools.

"Now you can walk through your job site and do a complete bid or adjust your current order right from the job site. By uploading the order directly to your point-of-sale system, we eliminate the re-keying of information that typically happens in the current process, saving hours of work and often days of delay due to repetition of data entry and misinformation."

Mobile bidding and rakeoff is srill in its infancy, but my belief is that this may be the single most important trend in the future for orderins and bidding for the LBM.

It is clear that as the economy continues to rebound. mobile applications will continue to emerge for a variety of purposes. The LBM industry is quickly embracing this new *o.ta. The products mentioned here only represent a fraction of what is rapidly becoming available. The mobile world, when used conectly, will continue to improve the sales of products and services as well as the speed and accuracy with which business is conducted between the jobsite and the lumberyard.

- Brad Finck is vice president of business development for Cadsoft Corp., a software solution provider for LBM dealers, builders, remodelers and desipners. Reach him ar bradfinck@cadsoft.com