moulding sales today

Q: Is there anything dealers are doing wrong?

Jim Stroupe, sales/marketing manager, Windsor Mill, Windsor, Ca.: In all the mailers that the home centers send out,likethe 17-page flyers from HomeClub or whomever, there are advertisements for everything from girdles to strawberry jam. But you never, never, never see anything on moulding. Moulding is such a high margin item, and they are advertising WD-40.

Q: Why is this so?

Heflin: This is a product which has never really been merchandised like the other specialty products dealers carry. But it should be considered a decorator product like wallpaper and paneling. That's what we're trying for through consumer publications, idea books, "how to work with the product" books, cross merchandising posters and specialty racks, which the prefinished moulding people have used before but the unfinished moulding people have not. We're trying to get the idea across that they can take a rather bland room and by just adding mouldings make quite a difference.

Q: lf you were advising a dealer on how to best sell moulding, what would you tell him?

Cordova: Merchandise it a little better. Dealers kind of take moulding as a stepchild and stick it in the back of the store. They need to adequately educate sales personnel. Give suggestions to customers. Make more literature available. There is a lot of material that a dealer can order from the Wood Moulding & Millwork Association on how to put it up, nail it, stain it and build it up to create a complete effect. Moulding's a great, high profit item.

Ross: Keep the mouldings close to the products people buy with them. Like prefinished plywood. One goes with the other. As well as wallboard, wallpaper and so on, they are "go along withs."Andthis must be understood bi the sales people.

Story at a Glance

Leading experts in moulding tell what products are good sellers, which are the higher profit items and how dealers can tie in with industry trends to move more moulding more profitably.

Joe Shipman, general sales manager, Navajo Forest Products Industries, Navajo, N.M.: Consider the customer and search for what pushes his "buy button." It takes a little promotion. Let's say a do-it-yourselfer comes in for some paneling. Maybe he doesn't even know he needs moulding to frnish it off The good clerk can augment the transaction with associate sales, beginning with "Do you have a hammer? Nails?" The sales clerk all too often is someone who takes up space and waits for somebody to buy something.

The way to make money off mouldings is to really promote it. A guy wants to make a little bookcase. Here's a good way to get rid of short lengths of moulding and, for 980 or whatever, make his project look real slick.