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"Clearly the trade professional is a tremendous opportunity for redwood dealers," says Grover. "First of all, they represent the lion's share of decking sales, and it looks like their market share is growing. They are also a more straightforward market to serve. Where individual do-it-yourselfers are a highly fragmented target audience-one that requires a lot of resources and time to reach-professional deck specialists are a highly concentrated customer base. They also buy in large volumes and, while they expect excellent service, they are generally less demanding than individual homeowners."

Perhaps most important, Grover points out, these contractors are out in the market every day selling decks. In effect, they can act as a surrogate sales force for redwood dealers looking to increase their decking business. By understanding their needs better, dealers can built valuable long-term customer partnerships that will significantly enhance revenue and profit growth.

Yet the needs of deck specialists can vary widely. There are, however, common threads in what they want from their suppliers. Good service is always a key differentiator-and apparently an all-too-rare commodity-as are product knowledge and wide selections. Finally, deck contractors are primarily smaller outfits with limited marketing resources. Any sales tools that their lumber vendors can provide are highly valued.

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Scott Padgett builds only four or five redwood decks a year, but because he services the upscale Southern California mountain community of Idyllwild, his customers often want large high-end decks. He buys about 15,000 to 20,000 board feet of redwood annually, and he puts a premium on a dealer's ability to provide consistent quality and uniformity of grade.

"I use a lot of B grade, air dried redwood," Padgett says. "B grade is excellent for this area. We have lots of winter snow and wet springs, so our decks need to be well built and durable. While clear grade with sapwood is also an excellent decking material. the touch of knottiness in B grade fits the rustic flavor of their community perfectly.

"I feel the air-dried product offers extra dimensional stability-another plus, given the weather extremes and large sizes of some of our decks," he adds.

At Decks Appeal, Plano, Tx., owner Rich Parish serves a more urban and suburban customer base. "Our decks vary in size, but few are really large," he says, "and our customers are usually fairly budget conscious. That's why we use mostly Construction Heart. It's an economical, all-purpose grade, and it has that great redwood elegance, which is crucial in a smaller deck that needs to be as good looking as it is functional.

Story at a Glance

delays, so prompt delivery is crucial."

Parish also echoed a complaint heard from other contractors: redwood dealers should be full-service vendors, offering not only lumber, but hardware and finishes.

"I'm busy," he says, "and I value one-stop shopping. Any dealer that can deliver my nails, bolts, brackets and concrete along with my lumber has a leg up in my book. It's surprising how many dealers don't broaden their product line."

Bob Kiefer, owner of Decks by Kiefer, Pittstown, N.Y., has a different concern. Many of the 50 decks he bids each year-representing 40,000 board feet of lumber-include long lengths and specially milled products.

"I have to order at least six weeks ahead to get special sizes from my current dealers," he says. "A supplier that can give me faster turnaround on those orders would have a real advantage with our firm."

Kiefer also notes the importance of selling the advantages of redwoodnot always the first wood his customers on the Atlantic seaboard think of for their decks. "Any redwood sales aids our dealers give me-from spec sheets to ad slicks-we use," he says. "My marketing resources are pretty scarce, and I'm happy to have the help."

SuppoRr Tnern Snes ErroRrs

Grover points to a variety of marketing tools CRA makes available to redwood dealers to help contractors sell decks. "Our video, RedwoodBeauty That Lasts, is very popular," he notes. "And we have a host of printed materials, including brochures and booklets with high-quality deck photos, pre-printed advertising, door hangers and more. We even have colorful banners and neon signs for deck builders with sales offices and showrooms. Such materials can really help cement a dealer/contractor relationship.