Selling the builder your installation service

By Roy Burleson

about their product's features and benefits that they can become a little lackadaisical. And this can be tnre especially when the salesperson has a good relationship with the builder.

Why? Many times the salesperson didn't focus on the customer's business. He or she was so excited about his company's product or service, the entire focus of the presentation was inward. Sharing a plethora of features and benefits without knowing if they are relevant is very easy to do but is usually a mistake. Your offering's features and benefits should always take a back seat to the customer's real business needs. The sales process should always focus on the builder's business. Remember, your installed service should help the builder solve a business problem or achieve a goal.

T HE mission to sell builders installation services is freI quently conducted without the desired outcome. Has one of your salespeople ever provided a bid only to lose the business to a competitor? Of course they have.

How frustrating is it to see the competitor delivering material and/or installing products for a builder after spending valuable time and resources performing take-offs and providing estimates for him? When questioned, the builder simply indicates your salesperson's pencil wasn't sharp enough. This response is used to let the salesperson down easily without hurting his feelings while the real reason remains a mystery. Of course, the salesperson is eager to tell his manager that prices are too high.

This ugly scenario plays out way too often. The problem is not that this situation happened, but why. And what was the real reason for losing the job?

The reality is the builder was in need of the installation service, but didn't see the value of your company's offering. In his mind, there was little difference between what your company had to offer and what he ultimately bought from your competitor. When any buyer doesn't see a substantial difference between two or more similar products or service offerings, frequently he will ultimately make his buying decision based upon his experience with the salesperson. In this case, the salesperson did little to differentiate his service from the competitor's offering.

Unfortunately, many salespeople are so knowledgeable

When the salesperson fails to show the builder how your company's offering helps him solve problems, satisfy needs or achieve goals, in his eyes, the offering lacks value or he questions whether it really addresses a business issue. The builder doesn't really care that the product has the latest bells and whistles unless he can visualize how the feature is going to help him with his business. When a presentation doesn't convince him that the offering isn't faster, more efficient, or less costly than the guy down the street, it's unlikely he will switch from a proven partner to give you a try. He may perceive that your offering is not worth making any changes and lacks any potential gain.

Frequently, salespeople get so wrapped up in sharing details of their offerings, they get sidetracked and lose sight of their real objective, which is to discover a way to solve a builder's problem or help him achieve a goal. The single best way to stay on track is by asking relevant questions. Answers to properly worded questions provide salespeople with meaningful paths to follow. One that will stay focused on the builder's business issues and not on one that boasts about the superiority of your products and services.

Think about it. Almost every company that offers installed sales, whether it is a contractor or full service building material dealers says they provide bener service. Don't be another me-too.

To increase sales and improve closing rates, salespeople need to determine the builder's real needs, as perceived b;the builder, then offer meaningful, cost effective solutions.

Rlrrrt:ls

ABC Supply opened a I J00-sq. ft. showroom with 7,500-sq. ft. warehouse Sept. 15 in Salem, Or. (Scott Redding, mgr.) ...

Ace Hardware opened a 20,000sq. ft. store early last month in South Salem, Or.; the business, which incorporates Ace's Vision 2l design, occupies aformer Fred Meyer store

Best Windows & Doors, El Cajon, Ca., has doubled the size of its showroom to 4,102 sq. ft. and extended its lease by five years

Camp Verde Ace Lumber & Hardware, Camp Verde, Az., ev acuated Sept. 30 due to a propane leak caused by a broken copper line between a 50O-gallon tank and the regulator ....

Lowe's Cos. opened new stores Nov. 3 in Los Banos and Ontario. Ca., and Lake Havasu City, Az.; Oct. 31 in Casa Grande, Az.; Oct. 29 in Riverton,IJt., and Oct. 19 in Redding, Ca. (Kyla Oswald, store mgr.).'.

Lowe's is building a new store on 32 acres in Lafayette, Co.; broke ground last month in Lincoln, Ca., for a May 2007 opening; wants to build a 157,000sq. ft. store on a vacated Yardbirds site in Santa Rosa, Ca.; will add a third store in Chino, Ca.; will construct a 139,000-sq. ft. store with 32,000-sq. ft. garden center in Kenai, Ak., and may have abandoned plans for a site in west Eugene, Or., in favor of a new location in NE Springfield, Or.

Home Depot opened new stores Oct. 5 in Newark and Crescent City, Or. (Mark Decker, mgr.)

Home Depot will anchor a new 400,000-sq. ft. center in Palm Springs, Ca., to open next year; received approval to replace a closed Kmart in Huntinston

Beach, Ca., with a 130J36-sq. ft. store; is considering adding a third store in San Bernardino, Ca., on 17 acres slated for redevelopment, and began construction on a 140,000-sq. ft. store in Corvallis, Or., to open early next year

Home Depot has set a Jan. I I opening for a new store in Richland, Wa., which will replace a smaller, T-year-old unit in the city; is seeking to build a 103,000-sq. ft. store with 28,100-sq. ft. garden center in Redmond, Wa.; will coanchor the planned Skyline Ranch Marketplace in the Santan area of Pinal County, Az., and proposed replacing a vacant Secrs building in Mountain View, Ca., with a 129,000-sq. ft. home center

Wrortsn:rs/trrutrcurrrs

Product Sales Co. has closed its yard in Orange, Ca., consolidating operations with Anfinson Lumber Sc/es in Fontana, Ca.

Louisiana- Pacific C orp. has temporarily shuttered its composite decking plants in Meridian, Id., and Selma, Al., due to excess inventories; the company hopes to restart the facilities Feb. I

Jensen Distribution Services is building a $5-million, 120,000-sq. ft. addition to its Spokane, Wa., complex; the facility, expected to be completed by the end of February, will expand total warehouse space to 500,000 sq.ft. ...

Oregon-Canadian Forest Products of Califurnia, Orange, Ca., has closed with the death of owner Dennis Richardson (see p. 89) ...

Stora Enso Timber is closing its office in Portland, Or., by the end of the year and consolidating sales operations in Atlanta, Ga.; Kurt Schrammel, market area director; Brent Saunders, sales director; Pat Rains, sales assistant

Hampton Lumber has idled the fingerjoint stud plant at its Willamina, Or., sawmill complex until market conditions improve ...

Anerican Moulding & Millwork Co.'s former 60-acre millwork operation in Stoclton, Ca., is currently being demolished to make room for a residential neighborhood; the manufacturer declared bankruptcy and shuttered the plant last summer, selling it at auction six months ago for $8 million

Fox Lumber, Hamilton, Mt., is starting up a pallet cut stock facility this month in Midway, B.C.

Stimson Lumber is indefinitely shutting down its stud mill in St. Helens, Or.

Umpqua Lumber, Dillard, Or., and Southport Forest Products, Coos Bay, Or., have eliminated their second shifu

Potlatch Corp., Spokane, Wa., is withdrawing the listing of its common stock from NYSE Arca, Inc. (formerly Pacific Exchange) to streamline operations; its common stock will continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Goldenwest Plywood & Lumber, Bellflower, Ca., is now carrying Braided Accents millwork products ...

Anniversaries: Angeles Millwork & btmber Co.,Port Angeles, Wa., l00th ... Sine Hardware, Glendale, Ca., 95th ..- HPM Building Supply, Hilo, Hi.,85th ... Builders Supply, Palm Springs, Ca.. 80th ... Pete's Hardware. Castro Valley, Ca.,8oth ... Western Wood Preserving Co., Sumner, Wa.,35th ...

Housing starts rebounded in Sept., increasing 5.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.772 (Please turn to page 75)