Most Fascinating Thing in the World For Retail Buildin$ Material Agent

By Alberta Ruth

Possibly the title of my subject may have aroused some curiosity in your minds. The Most Fascinating Thing in the World for the Retail Building Material Mterchant' Have you ever stopped to think what the most fascinating thing is? Maybe to some it may seem as though it is seiling lumber-to others possibly collections, while to othgrs it may be ke,eping expenses down. That may seem fascinating to you, but I am here to tell you if you think any one of those things is fascinating-you really don't know what the word fascinating as applied to the Retail Lum'ber Business means. The Most Fascinating thing in the world for the Retail Building Material Merchant is-Modern Merchandising.

There are some ,of you who hav'e tried it and are firm,ly convinced that Nlodern Merchandising is the greatest, cleanest, most fascinating game a Retail Lttmber.man can play. But the field of Modern Merchandising is almost as unexolored as the continent of America was when Columbus discove'red it. I want you to take an exploring trip wit'h me this morning. Our first stop in this expl,orlng trip is at the Point called ADVERTISING.

How many of you Building Materia,l Merchants adrrertise your business in the newspapers other than to say in your ads. "See our Company for lumber, lath, lime, cement, doors, windows, etc? How many o'f you Building Material Merchants are complimented every time you go down town on your advertising? Do people in yottr town or your city look for your ads in the paper and tell you about them? If they don't, you aren't really Building Material Merchants. Possibly the newspaper advertising isn't the most important advertising in the world, but at least some one reads the paper every da1' and sofileone is going to read your ads.

These newspaper aclvertisments must be attractive. T'hey must have a cut whenever possible ; urust not say too much, must have a "punch" to use the venacular to "get over." They must be short and snappy, but with the fottr princiiples of advertising neler left out: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Don't think you car-r advertise in the paper one week and not the next. It must be every day and every week, the whole year roun<l. Never give the public a chance to forget you are there.

Direct by mail is one o'f the most effective and t.nost satisfactory ways to advertise. It reaches more peop'le than any other way, because most evervolte except the "Tired Business NIan" is interested in a letter. This is particularly true of the farmer, an<l nrost of our communities, large ,or small, are clependent on the fart.ner. The ma,n who cannot get to tbwn in fifteen or twenty minutes, certainly looks forward to getting the urail out of the box every day and mar.ry are the rlays when there is none, and so even the advertising letter is welcome.

Sign boards is another forr.n of advertising. Your name and your place of business before the passerby. An attractive home with lalvn and flowers and childreu shown in the foreground m.akes the most artistic and perhaps sets more people to wishing they had a home of their own like that, or possibly an addition or a pergola or something that you se.e, than any 'ot'her way.

Motion Picture Advertising is really geiting to be quite an interesting thing. Gone are the ads that just flash the name and the place of business on the. screen. In th,eir

Brey, Porterville

place are the attractive pictures that tell the story from tree to consumer, with an artistic home for the finale. lt is a wel'l known fact that people remem,ber'only 2A percent o'f what they read, 40 percent ,of what they hear, but 70 percent of what they see.

If an interesting picture is flashed for a few minutes on the screen ,every night, and the average person sees it at least once a week, he is certain to connectl your na'm€ immediately with the building business when he sees it on the outside, or thinks of anything in your line he may need.

In your advertising you should always make a direct appeui t'o w,omen. This can be done in newspaper advertising, in letters, in personal contact, in motion picture adveitisin'g and every other way you can think of' The women in the world are the buyers. They shop fpr everything else in the wor'lcl so why not for the things that go into the home. Some of these things are hardwood floors, built-in features, French Doors, Mirror Doors, and almost everything you have in your yard if you only knew"it.

But the very best advertising a business can have is the satisfied customer. A customer if he is dissatisfied can do more to harm a business, and a satisfied customer do more to help your business, than any other one thing in the world. lllhe best plan is never to argue with a customer. You all know the saying, "My Country, but right or wrong' lly Country." This can be easily ,made to say, "My Customer, but right or wrong, My Customer." Barker Brothers, of Los Angeles, who are without doubt the largest retailers of Furniture on the Pacific Coast, have always followed this plan. Last year the'ir sales were almost a million dollars a month. Twelve million dol'lars a year' Yet in a recent interview Mr. Barker told this incident. "A wonran bought a carpet from us in the Spring. It wasn't a very good carpet to begin with and a yeat later she came back to the store and said the carpet wasn't wearing well and thought she had not had her money's worth. o'I listened to her," said Mr. Barker, "and although I knew her claim rvas unjust in every way, the carpet was no earthly use to us and we could collect nothing from the factory, I told her I would see that she had a new carpet to' take th'e place of the 'old one." The woman went away satrisfied. The carpet was of collrse a total loss, but I knew that even with a business as large as otlrs we could r-rot affiord to have a disatisfied customer. That one particular woman might be a great talker and the clamage she could do just talking about us would be worse than the loss of the c,arpet. But if she was satisfied and still that great talker, the amount of free aclvertising would be something we could get no other way." And so if this policy works in a business rvhere the sales run uD toward twelve million dollars a )rear, why r,von't it help ybu to use the same method and make your sales the same some time, too. All you have to remember is, "My Customer, but right or wrong, My Customer." Of course, don't just remember it. Practice it. Possibly the best bit of advertising we 'have done in the past year has been a display booth we had at a "Trad,e at Home" exposition. We erected a one-room bungalow. It was finished on the outside with pine siding. Beneath the u'indows there were window boxes filled with flowers. Inside the walls were finished with wall-bo,afd and battens. The ceiling *"' o"t3;"1fit1-JlrSregon Pine clear' At one end of the bungalow was a buffet; two styles of front doors, a mirror door for dressing room, and a medicine chest with a wall seat underneath occuoiecl the back wa,ll. At the other end was a kitchen cabinef ancl two styles of ironing boards. French doors and Casement windows finished the bungalow. To get a real good mailing list, we gave away an ironing board and had every woman sign her name and h.er address to a card so that we could have it for future use. House plans ancl pictures of homes c,overed t'he remaining available space, and the plan books were always in evidence. It took one person in the afternoon and at least three or four at night to take care o[ the crowds. People not only came once but many times and brought their friends. Almost everyone said, "Wrhy, I didn't know you had these kind of things in a lumber yard." It gave the people of Porterv,ille and surrounding country an entirely different idea of a lumber yard ancl what it might be for.

Oi cours.e, everyone is interested in results. I know of two houses that were started ir-r about two weeks after this exposition. Both of these h.omes were built from our Plan Service and the people had se.en tl-re pictures of them at the bungalow. There have been other homes built also, but I mention these two iust to shorv vou that it oavs to advertise and show people what you liave. By the'rvay, both of these hornes cost at least $6,000.C0 each. so you see we were not out the $200.00 that it cost us to put on this little booth for advertising.

There is hardly a day passes that someone <loes not come in to look at house plans and see our disp'lay rooms. They may not be reacly to build at present, but thev are getting the idea in their minds and rve do all we can to push it along. Besides rvve are making friends with them and when t'he time comes to build they will certa,inly remember us and give us a chance to sell their h,ome, and if we don't tit .is because someone is a better sa.lesman than we are, or someone cuts the price just to get the job.

Of course, you are interested in knowing how much we spend in advertising. Last .fanuary we decided after reading ,many authorities that we would spend 2/d df the last year's sales on our advertising for the coming year. This we have done and the results are surprising. For dn ten months we have sold as much lumber at our Main Yard as we 'had sold in all three yards for the entire year before. And still there are people who claim it doesn't pay to advertise. There are many forms of advertising but these have seemed the most important just dt this time.

The next thing in line for the Modern Merchandising Merchant after he has enticed the prospect into hris office through his advertising, is to have something to show him, something concrete to work from, something that will sell hin.r a whole house without the mention of lumber. This (Continued on Page 24.)

WFIOLES,A,LE LUMBER

REDWOODDOUGLA,S FIR SUGAR PINEWHITE PINE SPRUCE wE soLIcIT YOUR TNQUIRIES

321-322 SHELDON BLDG., SAN FRANCISCO Telephone Douglas 7815 brings us to the next point .in our exploring trip. And this po'int is P,lan Service.

A Lumber Stote without a Plan Service is just like an American Breakfast without coffee. I can remember about three years ago when a customer would come into the office and ask for a bungalow book or something from which to get some ideas for a home. The man behind the counter would say, "Irm sorry brrt we haven't any more of those l€ft. We had two or three and someone borrowed them, and didn't return them." Cust,omer lost, he would go to any architect or contractor, get his plans drawn up and possibly that would be the last we would see of him. But how things have changed. Now when a Prospective Home Builder comes into the office and asks for plans ifor houses, the man behind the counter says, "Just a moment, I'll call our Service Department Manager. Mr. So and So, these people want to look at some house plans." Then the man in charge of the Service Department says, "Have you an idea as to how many rooms you want, a two story house or a bungalow?" "We have at least a thousand plans from which you can choose and if none of fhem suit you, we will be very glad to have your ideas drawn up for you." Ot course, if your Service Department says. "Oh, Plan Books, yes, of couse, here are a lot of books-look them orver. When you find what yorr want l.et me know, I'll be out here in the other room," that Service Department will not get very far with that sale.

A real Plan Service demands a Service Department. It demands someone that is actually trained to know what is in the plan books, what arrangements are the best; it requ,ires a lot of patience and a lot of enthusiasm to help these prospective customers decide what they want. There are several plan services. We have three in our office and as many other books on homes that we think fit our territory.

Don't think for a moment that the Plan Service stops with the e{evation and the floor plan. It is just: beginning and just getting interesting, because invariably the customer will ask "How is it going to look inside ? Have you some ideas as to how the homes are being finished, are they using paint or stain? W"hat shall I use in mine?" Then is where the Books on fnteriors come in handy. We have some that are put out by various companies, one by the Morgan Sash and Door- Company, called "Building with Assurance," but the ones we like the best and usq most are the Scrap Books we make ourselves. We have started in these with Gardens and have every kind of a Garden imaginable fr,om a postage stamp lawn to acres and acres of grounds belonging to estates. Next are homes of all descriptions, and then entrances, hallways, stairways, living rooms, dining-rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, basements, every possible room in the house. 'Whenever it is possible we get these pictures in colors, so our prospect can have an idea'for color schemes. It is the Serv,ice Department's duty to know what is the latest thing in drapes, in colors, in curtains, h,ow they are made and of what materials. This brings us into the Display Rooms part of this Exploring Trip of Modern Merchandising.

-Too much stress cannot be laid upon the display room or Service Room. It is an important factor. No customer can get a good idea as to what built.in features, or a door, or a breakfast nook or harwood floors really look like from a picture, but if you take a cust.omer into an artistically arranged room rvhere everything bespeaks of the best ideas in household furnishings-where there are comfortable chairs, dainty hangings at the windows, beautiful rugs on the floors, where everything points to what is best for the home in the line of conveniences and comforts that you carry in your Building Material Store, surround your prospects with plan books, the psychological effect is wonderful.

Immediately the Oh's ! and Ah's ! are forthcoming, ideas and conversation start and the prosepct is really interested in your service. It is just.the :.aTe idea as the auto dealers are using now in selling their cars. They let their prospect look at the car and they say, "I want you to take a little ride in this car." See how easy it runs, etc., etc., and the first thing you know you are taking a ride and furthermore, you are driving the car home. It is easy after you get your product in the hands of the customer, and so I say if you surround your customer with the things that go to make a'home lovely and artistic, as well as conven,ient, his attention is centered right there in the room and half the battle is over.

While in the display room talking over the plans it is so easy to mention the side lines that every modern merchant is beginning to carry. Paint, there is a good profit in paint, if it is handled right. The customer gets the boards, why not something with which to cover them? We have just started to carry paint in our lumber store and we think it is going to be cluite a money making proposition. At least Jack Dionne says so, and we believe in him so firmly' that we have purchased sweral hundred dollars \ r'orth of paint to start in witl.

Another step in this Modern Merchandising Exploration is Service. What the whole world demands these days is SERVICE, and if he doesn't get it at your store, he will go to one where he does. We have a business slogan that we try to impress upon our employees, so that they in turn will impress it on the public. It is, "You will find Courtesy, Service and Building Materials at our Lumber Store." It isn't original, we copied it almost as ,it is from the "Gulf Coast Lumberman." It is printed on the back of the tags that go to our customers. It is a fine slogan and we surely (Continued on Page 25.)

Dougtas Fir In Cargo Iots

We can make prompt all rait rhipmentr lry to give the Courtesy and Service, and fill in with the Building Material. Of iourse, these things take hard work and enthusiasm. You can't get anywh-ere without hard work, and if you put enthusiasm with it you are bound to get somewhere.

Be interested in your customer, be enthusiastic with him in the things he is enthusiastic over, and gradually get him enthused over the courtesy and service you are giving him.

There is a iision that is ever before me, as I play this game of Modern Merchandising every day, of ihe time when every building material merchant will have his large display windows, with the completed rooms all showing to the street, so that everyone who passes can see them-. Just like the big dry goods and furniture stores do now. These rooms will be furnished completely and exquisitely w,ith all the modern conviences. Thev will instill in th-e pjopl. who gaze into them the longing for a home just like that, and encourage home building.- When a ptospective customer comes in to see about building a home,-ev-erything that goes into building that home iomplete will be in your store. Everything from the plans to the nails. There will be no need of shopping elsewhere. Wouldn't it , be.-funny now if when you men go to buy a su,it from your tailor, you just purchased the goods from him, the lining from someone else, the butfons another place, etc."? Wouldn't it be hard work to buy that suit ? And so the ym9 principle is involved in the present way most of, us lumber merchants are doing business. We sell the lumber and a few things like cement, bricks, etc., and our cus_ tomer.shops elsewhere.for_ his hardware. plumbing fixtures, his paint, for tr,is electric fixtures, when if would 6e just ai easy. for €v€rys11s .of us to sell him the whole thing ind we would really be giving him a Service.

I hope that everv Bu.ilding Material Merchant will give this Modern MercLandisjng-a t;t. A"l when you ti,- ;l an{,see how really wonderful it is, when you find you'"* really gtvtng a serv,ice, and_ watch your -sales .grow, and people begin to know that a Lumber Yard isn,t ;frrt "'p1".; !9 luy lu_mber, I am sure you will agree with *",'tn"i Modern Merchandising is the most fascinating thing ir;h; world to the retail Building Merchant.

Wall board is another sideline that makes money for you, and besides gives your customers something thai they' a;; very glad to have. There is a nice little i,allbo"ra br.r.i_ ness .ln your town, and it is only waiting for you to take it. Advertise Wall Board, get ihe peop"le intlrested anJ before you know it the carloid is gone ind you "." "rJl._ ing another.

Built-in features come in for their share also, for what rvoman is there who has'had to lift an ironing board from place to place would not be enthusiastic ou"., " built_in ironing board, ,or a wall seat, or a kitchen table that folds into, the wall, everything handy for the lady of the h;;;;. l here are other side lines too, such a hardware, plumb_ ing fixtures, everyt'hing for the home. So far we have not nandled these, but we mean to in time.

Give Us Men

Give us men to match our m,ountains. Give us m€n to match our plains, Men with eras in their puipose, Men with epochs in thelr brains.

Misplaced Optimism

The greatest case of misplaced optimism circus dog, who rburied a fat, juicy bone at main prop of the big tent when the circus Angeles, and wore his p,aws out ,trying to when the show was playing San Francisco.

on record is the the foot of the played in Los dig it up again

The Difference

The chief difference between a mob and a a crowd ,is for you and a mob is against you. crowd, is'that

Morrill tllGlll7

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