Model decks build big ticket sales

lG TICKET, package sales of outdoor decks are a guaranteed way to increase store profits.

Decks have been the fastest growing home improvement project in the nation over the past five years. More than one and a half million American homes will add a deck this year. The question isare you getting your share of this booming market?

When the homeowner wants to add a deck to his house or enlarge the one he has now, he comes to his home center or retail lumber yard for the right materials to do the job. To help your sales effort, you should have a compact, handsome model deck for him to see as well as assorted plans and printed sales materials available for him to read.

Dealers, who have built decks, say they increased the volume in big ticket deck packages and sales of deck material. Many report increased sales of as much as 50% in materials for outdoor living projects.

Sales of related items go up too. Weed killers to eliminate grass before the deck is put in place, 6 mil polyethylene sheets to go under the deck, hot-dipped galvanized hardware, joist hangers, circular saws, drills, hammers and miter boxes, stains, paint, water repellent, gloves, goggles and masks are typical add on sales. After the deck is completed, there will be sales of deck furniture, accessories and barbecues as well as shrubs, trees and bedding plants for landscaping.

Deck contests are a natural companion to model decks. A well known home center chain recently doubled its sales of deck materials over the previous year when it held a display deck contest among its stores. At the end of the contest, they gave each of the two winning stores $1000 to distribute among the crews that designed and built the decks.

"We built the kind of deck at our store that all of us would like to have," said one manager.

Another said the contest helped them convert pressure treated lumber from a commodity to more of a specialty item. The contest also increased sales of high profit rails, posts, spindles and landscape timbers.

Customers got into the spirit and ordered the decks that were displayed. A lot ordered materials for even larger decks.

Story at a Glance

Success stories from dealers who have increased sales of decking and related products with model decks... sources for plans and sales literature.

Another store that has had good luck with in-store deck displays is West Cash and Carry in Atlanta, Ga. Bob White says, "Our sales of treated lumber have doubled every year since 1976."

Wickes Homecrafters, Birmingham, Al., displays decks at each of its warehouse units. They say they are well ahead of industry averages in board foot sales per store of pressure treated lumber.

Plans to help you build a model deck for display as well as plans and sales aids for your customers can be obtained from numerous sources. Many manufacturers of pressure treated wood, the Western Wood Preservers Institute, the Southern Pine Marketing Council, redwood and cedar producers and the California Redwood Association and the Western Red Cedar Association offer both plans and literature.