ASSOCIATED LUMBER MUTUALS

D. J. Robinson for Lumber's Hall of Fame

D. L Robinson

Consider the nomination of D. J. Robinson "of Fahgo, Nawth Dakota, suh," for a place in lumber's Hall of Fame !

He is the man who "put across" the largest single rail shipment of lumber on record-a solid train, 58 cars, 1,5q,000 feet, of packaged lumber orders. The story of how he did so contains any quantity of morals for ambitious young salesmen. Perhaps the basic axiom in it is, "Think your product day and night-but talk'to your prospect about something he is interested in, not what you are anxious to sell." But here is the story in full:

"Robbie" started his lumber career N years ago in Southern Mississippi. If he doesn't know the lumber game inside out, he ought to; for he has inspected lumber, hustled it, done all kinds of office work, and operated planing mills, small sawmills and concentration yards of his own. He has dealt in lumber as a commissioner and a wholesaler, operating his own business at Laurel and Ellisville, Miss., for eight years.

"Broke in 1921, again in 1925," is his blithe way of abbreviating this biography. "After the last smash, built houses on the Gulf Coast for about six months. Then to the Northwest in lune, 1927. Four months in the credit department of Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, four months of hustling lumber in Mill B at Everett, finally back to Spokane and onto the plains of North Dakota."

You note the strong Mississippi flavor in this. But now it must be diluted by the perfume of the wheatlands. For when Robbie first rvent through North Dakota, on his way to Spokane, he fell in love with the state. When he was ready to start selling, I. N. Tate, general manager of Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, asked him if he had any preference as to place.

"Yes, suh !" Robbie came back. "Put me out in Fahgo and let me sell to the dealers in Nawth Dakota." Well, Mr. Tate reflected, if he wanted to try it there was nothing against it. So last March, Robbie moved the wife and kids to Fahgo. Nawth Dakota.

One summer day, after the 4-Square program for merchandising packaged re-manufactured lumber had been announced, Robbie was riding his circuit with Salesman Mitchell of the Wood Conversion Company of Cloquet, Minn. At a crossing they were held up a long time by an immense string of freights.

"Keen if that was all Weyerhaeuser lumber in those cars, eh?" Mr. Mitchell ventured. Instantly, Robbie went him one better: It rvould be keen, indeed, if they should all be full of the ner,v quality-goods.

Well, why not? That night he rvrote Mr. Tate, asking permission to try to organize such a record-breaking shipment. Without admitting how dubious he was, the general manager gave his permission. That was July 15.

Within little more than two weeks, Robbie's part was done. The train of 58 cars was sold. But did Robbie do it by selling lumber? Hardly! He did it by selling "Nawth Da:kota."

First, he invited the Fargo retailers to a little supper party. Northern Pacific railroad officials were there to put in a helping hand. Then the toastmaster introduced the man froir Mississippi. And he started, "Gentlemen, I'm for 'Nawth Dakota'!"

"Here's the greatest state in the whole countrythe greatest state on the whole earth ! She's had a bit of hard sledding lately. The country thinks it's been a lot worse than it has been. But anyway, that's past. We had a good crop and fair prices last year. We're goin' to have another good crop and some more fair prices. Nawth Dakota isn't comin' back, no; she's back already. She's the greatest state there ever was or ever will be."

"Well. let's tell the world about it. Let's demonstrate to the whole country that Nawth Dakota's sound, that business is flourishin'here, and that she's the greatest state of 'em all. Now, we could do that by bringin' in here a whole solid trainload of the finest quality lumber that's ever been manufactured."

And so on, and so on. Unfortunately, the speech can't be reproduced here in full. But you get the main idea. And the preoration worked up to the thought that if these dealers were "all fo' Nawth Dakota," as any reasonable man should be, they would write their orders out right then and there.

Well, it worked. The man from Mississippi went up and down his territgry, preaching faith in the state of his adop- tion. The big train was shipped. News of it went broadcast around the country. It carried the idea that North Dakota was a land of plenty, flowing with milk and honey, and with the prospect of an active building season during the fall.

So D. J. Robinson is respectfully nominated for a small, but not inconspicuous. niche in lumber's Hall of Fame.