A "Trade Map" for a Prospect Fite

By Jack

We have always declaied and will indefinitely continue to assert that the retail lumberman who has ,rbt a corn_ plete prospect list of some kind to work ,tn in his trade territory,_ hds overlooked something infinitely more im_ portant than tu'o by {ours and ship-lap in the line of "equipment."

It doesn't matter. particularly just exactly what form that prospect file takes, or just- exactlv how -he goes at it to _s_egq!qit, and to ke_qq rt t1p to date. The big:'thin,g is, to HAVE one, and to USE IT. There are variois *"u". oi doing everything in this w,orld, just as there are ,.rirany yl-a-ys to skin a cat," and the thing that counts is the RE- SULTS. No two men will go after a prospect file exactly the same way, any more than they look-, walk, and talk the same way. If they are working in the same DIRECTION to achieve the same PURPOSE, it's all that is necessary.

.Here is a.very interesting story of a retail yard manager wno reatlzed the value ot a prospect file, and created a most useful one. by using a "Trade Map." He was a new manager for Thompson Yards, Inc., and our friend R. E. Saberson, General Sales I\.{anager and also Advertising Director _for this great line of yards, tells the story of liis ,,Trade Map" as follorvs: '

"As soon as he landed on the job he began work,on what he called his "TRADE MAP." 'He secured such townshio and county^-ap-s as were available and drew .rp orr. oi his own ! On his map, however, he only included in his "trade territory" all srrch territory as lay between his town and the next in all directions.

He then. marked off each farm and on each of these divisions marked the name of the owner and renter. If he found that either had ever made purchases from the yard b_efore, he-put a white tack in his map opposite the nime. He then found out what they had purchised and when. If no purchases had been made, he uied a black tack.

In a.surprisingly shor,t time his Trade' Map began ,to be a wonderfullv interesting proposition. He cbuld:.tell at a glance .where the yard had customers by simply looking at the black and white tacks. The preponderance of blacf ones did not discourage him in the leait.

In the meantime spring opened up and as soon as the roads were passable A. was ont in the country on-his mo_ torcycle. These trips were made early in the morning or late rn the evening. He called on every "black and w"hite tack" on his map before the first of June and in the mean_ time had worked up and sold the Service Departmer.rt designs referred to earlier in this. story.

A. always made careful note of-the buildings each far-

Dionrne mer had. Not only their b_uildings but their personal prop- erty in a general way. He found out whaf each iran^'s hobbv was. He copied this information on a 4x6 card which he filed carefully. As soon aq he gets a new customer he pulls out the blaclc tack and puts in a white one on his Trade M.ap. He shows it to his friends and they, too, have. become interested and are working on the ,,Blicks" to induce them to trade with A. whenever they have an oppor- tunity. Just as soon as A. gets a new customer tre ?jkes him into his 6ffice and has him witness his evolution from "black to white." It pleases the customer just as much as it pleases A. Invariably the customer wiil ask to read the names of some of the "Blacks" in his vicinity. Eventually he helps A. change some of them into' ,,Whites." Tow_nspeolle invariably ask A. how the Whites are cominpf or "Whether there are any new Whites rtoday," and sd on. The whole country is talking about A's "Whites and Blacks" and the interest is continually expanding in an ever widening circle. In other words, A's territory is automatically expanding every day. It is reaching out, and up to the very edge of the neighboring towns. It,s like a prairie fire-it just keeps on going and is mighty hard to stop.

A, of co.urse, has a pleasing personality. He is extremely courteous so that his customers like to d,o business witir him. He knows the poli.cies of the Company so well that he has every one sold on the Company's One Price Policy -Signed Sales Ticket and Service Department. He studiei the_Credit,Department Reports and notes them carefully on his card index.

When A. finds that a "\Mhite" has hauledl a jag of lumber from another town, he turns him into a "Blacl', again, and then talks it over with the "backslider." Invariabli the customer pleads that it was only a "board or two to patch up the fence or something and that he was in Blankville and just thre*'it on to save time." Excuses do not go with A., however, and ,the custom.er usually hurries up to get "White" again. The next time he goes to Blankville he doesn't haul any lumber home.

There are dozens of other interesting things that A. has done, but the big point to make about him is this:

HE HAS VISUALIZED HIS WORK! '

He has charted it out and has kept it continually before his eyes. He can see how much he has done and how much there is to do. He isn't'groping in the dark! He is doing just what great Captains of Industry do, only perhaps he cloesn't know it."

Dauglas Fir

Northern White Pine

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