Well Known Line Yard Man Discusses Price Cutting and Salesmanship

Sam; T. Hayward, of Los Angeles, head of the Hayward Lumber & Investment Company, line yards, recently sent the following very interesting letter on price cutting and salesmanship to his yard managers. It is well worth studying: llow many of us realize that when we cut a bill it is not merely cutting our gross profit-it is cutting down our NET profit by the FULL,amount of the cut. Many times this cut is fully one-'half or more of the net profit made ou the sale, even if the cut is small in amount.

Did it ever occur to you that many times you can make $25 for the company in ten rninutes-sometimes more money in less time. At this rate, you could make for the company $150 per hour and $1200 per day. IF-You could only keep at this kind of work all day.

Many is the time that a salesman or manager has cut the price $25, and even more, to meet competition, when a ten-minute sales talk on quality ancl service, or on "why you'cannot afford to trade away from home" would have made this cut unnecessary-would have retained for you the respect of the gusfqrnsl-and would have saved the company $25 and ttpward or this sale, and even more on future sales.

Did you read the article on "Salesmanship" in the last General Dope sert out about the middle of February? It was about the best I ever read. If you want to read it and cannot find the copy, let us know and we will re-write it for you.

Now, in addition. to the profit thrown away by meeting a figuri or cutting the price, do you realize the other ways in whi.ch we hurt ourselves by meeting a price or bf cutting? If you meet a price once for a customer, do you realize that you have established yottrself in his m'ind as a two-price concern. You have started a precedent which is easy to start and hard to break. He, the customer, will know that if you meet the price once you will do it again, and that to get his stufi cheap, he needs only to shop around among the m'ost unreliable, cheap joints he can find and bring you their prices to meet. He does not want to buy from them. He wants to buy quality stuff from you at their prices {or junk. You car't blame him. You, yourself, showed him how to do it. When he knows (as he soon does know) that the first price you quote isn't the lowest price you are willing to take for the bill, you have

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The Viney-Milliken Lumber Company, of Covina, with branch yards at Burbank, Lankershim and Baldwin Park. conduct their business along the line of progressive ideas. Their offices are attractively designed, conveniently arranged and include Service Plan Rooms where home builders can choose ideas and plans to meet ancl care for their requirements. Samples of various materials are on display and the public are grateful to this firrn for the timely and practical information they make available.

They were anlong the first in tire state to adopt and apply the Plan Service and Advertising helps created by the Lumbermanls Service Association. They arc hrm believers in creative business, being non-competitivc, and de- vote their efforts accordingly.

Their sheds and yard too are attractive, clean and wellkept, as the illustration shows. Their motto is Efficiency and Convenience, that materials can be delivered at quickest possible time, and these practical methods sitow them at a glance the amount of each kind of lumber on hand.

For fi.fteen years the Editor of this Magazin. has been preaching Service E,fficiency and practical application of Modern Merchandising, and we congratulate you-Mr. Viney and Mr. Milliken on your progressiveness and, welcome the opportunity of conveying to our readers the thoughts and efforts you have and are putting lnto practice.