Merchandisin$ Millwork

Address by Ray B. Cor, Vice-President and, General Manager of the Built-In Firture Co., Berkeley, California, before the Tri-Annual Meeti'ng of the Milkaork Institute of California at Stockton on March 23, l9D'

That the woodworking industry as a whole has neglected the selling end of their business, is something that will not be denied by any thinking person bngaged.in it, and -all will admit the necessity of revising old methods of doing things and keeping up with the modern merchandising parade.

Much has been done on the matter of production. Attention has been given to the subject of keeping costs. Accounting, trade associations, and price listing have been given a great deal of attention, but undoubtedly the most Important phase of modern management is in need of serious attention.

Sales promotion and trade extension are the more serious problemi which confront the millwork industry today. Merchandising millwork is not a simple process but is rather a complicated method.

The ultimate consumers of this commodity are certainly those who use it and work with it. This means the occupants of the homes, the apartment houses, the hotels or other buildings. Speaking more particularly of the horyes and apartments I would say that the consumers of this commodity are the housewives in the community. Surely they are ihe ones to be pleased. They are the ones who strould understand the advantages and disadvantages of every featgre. Without a thorough understanding of the possibilitiei, little can be accomplished in creating sales. -Especially since the making of i sale consists, mainly of the creation of a desire to possess and use' A desire must be created in the hearts of consumers for our products, in the hearts of men and women who live in the homes, apartments and hotels. Definite work along sales promotion lines is necessary to create this desire.

This means {he expenditure of time and money, but above all, intelligent thinking and acting, especially of a co-operative nature.

A- study of the problem will convince anyone that the architect,-the contrictor, the builder and the lumber dealer are really only channels of trade, or dealer representatives for the ultimate consumers.

The dealer of today is in reality the purchasing representative of his community, client or customer. The millworkers are manufacturers, and it is better to market our products through channels that are already set up such as the retail lumber dealer and others'

All jobs whether in homes or buildings should.be followed ihrough, inspected, and above all, sufficient interest should be talen in-each outstanding job to photograph it, and proper drawings rrrade to use in sales promotion activity. This could be done on a co-operative basis for the arch-itectural millwork part of the trade. Special commodi- ties and trade marked products no doubt need to be handled specificallv and individually

Instiad of leaving the selling job up to the builder, contractor or architecf the sales promotion work should be carried on by the manufacturer. At least to such an extent that the manufacturer will be in close touch and if possible, control the marketing. The adoption of this plan will soon correct many price evils.

The use oi itte Certified Millwork Plan of the Institute appears to me to be one of the most ptogressive step.s ever taken by the industry as this establishes standards of-quality and methods whiih are required nowadays to satisfy the consumer.

Standardization and orderly procedure will help to ge-t us all to the point we desire irovided the consumer is sufficiently eduiated and trained to know, understand and appreciate this commoditY.

'Why shouldn't they appreciate it? A commod-ity that goes to make up a large p-eicentage of every home. In many iooms or partJ of the building millwork is the most consoicuous iart of the room. We are all manufacturing a clmmoditv which is much needed but little appreciated'

It is not appreciated because the manufacturer has not taken the int'eiest to create a condition of understanding' Much of the woodwork in many of our homes and apartments is left to the whims of the carpenter for designing' Hand made, carpenter built products are as much out of date as shoes made by a cobbler today.

Coupled with modern merchandising methods modern factory methods have completely revolutionized the shoe business. These same methods will revolutionize the millwork business.

Now this change in method need not hurt. nor destroy the opportunity of other craftsmen such as- the carpenter as it did not destroy the opportunity of the shoe maker, for we have today many more prosperous cobblers and shoe repair men in business (and better business, too), than ever before.

The advent of the vacuum cleaner did not destroy nor do away with the use of the carpet sweeper' ju-st-as the carpet i*eepe. did not do away with the use of the oldfashioned brbom. More brooms, more carpet sweepers and more vacuum cleaners are sold today than ever before in the history of our country. So progress does not destroy opportunity.

Home Modernizing

In addition to the opportunity of supplying millwork which is now carpenter built or hand made, there is another (Continued on Page 30)