Plan Service-Its Use and Value

By J. B. COE, Prorninent Retailer of Texas

Plan service, although it has been used for a number of years, more or less by a great many dealers, is still in, a rather undeveloped state, and I am af,raid it is not taking the place it is entitled to in the average retail lumber storJ.

THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN LUM,BER HOME WAS A TWO ROOM LOG HUT.

Then came the,m,anufacture of lumber from, wh,ich homes were b.uilt by- the masses practically without plans. Just a pencil ske,tch for the flooi plan and a hit or miss foithe 1o-oj, if not copied from some p,reviously built structure. This was followed by a few stock plans getting full sway pnq up to_a few years ago only a few types of liouses were built by the average builder, especially-over the west. The majoritv of th_ese were either two'robm box and strip or box and weatherboarded, and four or five ,rooms box or frame and weatherboarded square houses with hip roofs.

Many of these old land marks are still in evidence. but few are now being duplicated.

There were no especial progressive methods of selling lunaber in those days. The lumber dealer cared little cT how a building looked when finished, his main idea of service to the'trade being to figure out a bill quickly, and when sold, load it out in double quick time. The luhberman of those days was ignorant of the possibilities of his btrsiness. Modern conditions of recent years have awakened Mr. .Iaumberman, to where, if he will just develop to the full limit the modern ,merchandising m-ethods at his command, all the encly,clopedias of the day could be discontinued, so far as they affect the lumberman. Sometimes I think more knowledge of his business is required of a retail lumberman than any other business Euln in the uprld.

- So we have p'lan service, which as a department is becom- ing very popular and necessary in the Retail Lum,ber Store.

I am going to divide and discuss this subiect frn four parts, thus giving you an in-sight to it:

First. Why db we use a plarl service?

Second- The t1rye of plan service we have found the mo6t suitable to the average customer.

Third. The best way to use, m,erchandise and distribute a plan service.

F'ourth. The value we receive frorn the use of a plan service.

Taking up first; Why do we use a plan service? We might-ask this_question: Why does a womnn use a pattern in ma}ing a dress? Long before the Lumber -Dealer thougtt o_f tlrg Plan Service Department of his business, the Dry Goods Merchan,t awakened to this fact:

That to have a well selected stock of dress Datterns available to his customers, meant the creation of more and betteX sales for his shelf goods and'notions departments. Then why should the Material Merchant not have within reach of his custom€rs, patterns_of all types of buildings, showing floor plans, elevations and working details, so t"hat when i sel.ec.tion is made by his customers of any given type of building, that they may draw on his stocics-for suih maleri-al,s needed, and thereby build according to plan, .vr-ith individuality, distinctiveness and beauty. - plan depart- ments are mantained and used primarily io assist the s'mall prospective_ builder who is not ible to imploy an architect, to,make selection and erect a home or othei buildines according to the most modern and convenient plalns. "Having access to such a department is valuable io b,oth ,customer and com'munitv.

Second. The type. of Plan Service we have found the npstsuitablc to the average customer.

There are a great many types of Plan Service, all of them having more o5 less merit, and all the sarhe aiin o,f better serving the builder. Some of them feature floor and elevation plans of homes only, while others cover more thoroughly, showing ,m'any home accessories, such as garages, barns, gardren fences, lawn furniture, built-in features and etc., as well as showing the home plans. This latter class is most desirable for general use.

To my mind the plan service that,offers the largest number of selections of three, four, five and six ,room homes, well designed, and worked out to,yard stock dimensions of lumber and stock wind.ows, doors and mouldings, is by far the'most desirable dealer service to be had. A very large percentage of customers come within its range. In the case of ,customers'who want to build larger homes an architect should be employed.

If it were not for the Architects, Plan Service wrruld not be possible, and instead of taking the Architect to task because he charges a living fee for his work, as a great many people do, I {eel that it is the Lumberman's duty to work with the Architect, and where it is not possible -to satisfy a customer from your Plan Service, to, recomtmend to the customer the employment of an Ar.chitect. The large ma- jority of Architects recognize tha,t certain classes of pros- pective builders are not able to figure Architectural feeJ into their building plans, and that it is up to the building material merchant to furnish such customers with plans and other information, and that he does not hold a gmdge against the ,m,aterial dealer for rendering such a, service. -

Some dealers make a mistake of investing a lot of money in different.plans, when, as a rule, books and helps of equil value, can be o,btained regularly by keeping in touch with the manufacturers who furnish a dealel sirvice, and the different associati,ons, such, as Southern Pine, etc..

Much of the material furn'ished by the various plan companies is expensive, and of little value to the dealer, due to its adaptability to m,any communities. I have often thought of the advantage it would be to the lurniber dealer, to have access to a plan service where the plans would be submitte,d, individually, in large numbers, permitting him to select o,nly those most suited to his locality and ieturn those that are not. Under su.ch conditions anv lumber dealer could invest his money for plans. He would be in better position to furnish his customers the kind wanted and would make sales more easily and readily and get a larger return fromi his investment.

Third. The best way to use, merchandise and distribute a Plan Service.

I will now call your attention to a Sales-Service Room; 4_Cuiet place to take your customers to display your plans. This room should represent a display of information .cqncerning every side line handled in your store, as well 'as your up to date Flan Service. Therer should be a permanent arrangement of the material of each side line, io that any specific_ information would be at your finger tips when you want it, so that after you hav-e satisfiid your custo,mer with a house plan you can then sell himi *ittr ttti least possible effort the different kinds qf material vou handle. I have kn,own of dome store developing itre Sales-Service Room ,department to where a man. was employed permanently in placing information from this departlnent before the prospective custo,mers. Such a department, with a 9.99,4 s.alesman in charge, and a good tie-rip of advertising, will bring customers to your store. It is'un.i doubtedly better to have the customer come to your store than to try to take your Plan Service to him in your efforts'

(Continued on P'age 57.)

(Contin$ed from Page 46) was for the law enforcernent bodies to have the cooperation of all the citizens in a city, in order to accomplish anything.

A. J. Russell, of San Fr.ancisco was a guest at this meet'i1rg, also Mr. R. A. Hiscox, from the same-city._ They both spote for :a few minutes to the bgys, giving-the11 an19u.tline of the plans of the new San Francis'co Hoo-Hoo Club, Num'ber 9.

. The meeting adjoumed at 1:30, and was followed by rneetings of various comm,ittees.

Los Angeles Hoo Hoo Club Members Perform Before Association

Displaying talent that was unsuspected, five members of the Los Angeles Hoo Hoo Club put on an act for the Southern ealifornia Retail Lumber Dealers' Ass,ociation, at the recent convention, that drew rounds of .applause.

Snark Rosenberg of the Los Angeles District Hoo Hoo, was. requested some time ago by Mr. A. E. Fickling, president of the Association, that the Hoo ': Hoo Ciub take some part in the elaborate entertainment program that was being arranged for their evening meeting. Mr. Rosenberg called in four bf his faithful lieutenants, an'd they arranged a two scene play called "Mr. Pip and I\{r. Pep" the two characters ihai hau" been mide famous by the "Gulf Cbast Lumberman."

The boys were well received, and u/ere congratulated upon their originality and ability.

Folloying is a copy of the progra.m 'card that was distributed to those attending the convention.

r-os ANGELPS HOO-HOO CLUB Presents

A One-Act Play

' Written and directed by the Cast. lime-Any time Scene

Mr. Pip, an old.timey lumber dealer

'Mr. C. S. Estes, J. O. Means Lumber Co. Wholesale Salesman

Mr. C. J. Laughlin, Long-Bell Lumber Co. Prospective Home Owner

'

Mr. Pepi a Building Material Merchandiser

Mr. H.'L. Rosenberg, Hipolito Screen and Sash Co. D.irector

Mr. F. A. Dernier. Lumbermen's Service Ass'n for a wife, $ot one, and was divorced in four weeks, says that he is convinced advertising brin$s results, but is not dead certainthat it really pays.

I fContinued from Page 55.)

HENRY F. KALVELAGE JOIN! TROWER LIIMBER COMPANY

I to make " _:11.._ .In connection with a room of this kind, it Henry F. Kalvelage, prominent Northwest lufnbenoan I is a splendid thing to have a drafting board conveniently and president of th; H. F. Iialvelage Co., Of .portland; I placed,-so that when you have a customer whom'you can- Oregon, is now connected with the tro*., Lurnber Goi

| floor-plan they desire and when they fail to find it, they before going into business for himself, *"" " mill operaI usually want to move on, so,. if y.ou are competent to do a tor and later sales manager for the Eagle Lumber Ccim: sketching there is st'f a good chance to make

, There are several mediums of getting a plan service be- formed as to the lumber requirements of the California ally in )rour papers is good and bill boards brings in some results., The best of all is a walking advertisement, the satisfied customer.

Fourth. The value we receive frorn the use of a Plan Service.

The value received is very much like that received from most anything else we undertake to do. We take out just in proportion to what we put in.

It requires constant effort to follow up building prospects, and the ability and tact to sell them when they are ready.to build.

The Salesman of experien,ce will first sell the customer on the design and attractiveness of the house plan-and the cost. When you find a floor plan that suits the customer-STOPt--talk nothing else but that floor plan and show up its ,advantages

As a rule, if he is ready to build, you can sell him, and gnce sold, the Customer and home sells others, and on and on.

I have known of the duplication in the same ,community of numbers of house designs from the single sale. In actual experience we have made some very quick sales from our Service Room.

From, the systematic use an'd development of the Plan Department it is possible to increase volume, and show more profit, and at the same tirne render your customer a real service and your town a lasting benefit through the encouragement of building od better homes.

B. \,t'. CADWALLADER ON TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES

B. W. Cadwallader, president of the Cadwallader-Gibson Co. Inc., San Francisco, dealers in importes and domestit hardwoods, has left for the Philippine Islands on a twomonths' buSiness trip. The Cadwallader-Gibson Co. have large maho,gany operati,ons in the Islands and Mr. Cadwallader is making his annual trip of inspecticin of the 'company's various mill operations.

C. W. OSBORNE VISITING SAN FRANCISCO

C. W. Osborne, of St. Ilelens, Oregon, manager of the St. Helens Creosoting Co., operated by the Chas. R. McCormick & Co. of San Francisco, is a San Francisco v'isitoir at the offices of Chas. R. McCormick & Co. Mr. Osborne is making a survey of "ereosoting conditions in California, and going over business rnatters with J. Walter Kelly, sales inanager of Chas. R. McCormick & Co.