Help the customer, help yourself

By Jcrcmloh J. Attrldgc

THE TYPICAL do-it-yourself sales

I pr,ospect comes into yorn yard or stote not becausc he orshe wasjust passtng by. Building materials are not impulse purchases al0rough, once irside and exposed to invitint layout, design, promotion and signage, impulses can be activated.

The person has a want or a need (there is a difference-nobody wants a funeral but some day we'll all need one) or a problem which requires a solution. Frequently, even though they are intelligent and well educated in other disciplines, they do not know what they need. Often, what they want is not what they need.

Laymen do not knowthe wide range ofalternatives available to do thejob or solve their problem including tools, fixtures and accessories required for correct installation. They need help and solutions. They come to you because they can't get these things at a mass merchandise discounter.

A recent survey asked customers what was important: o Knowledgeable sales people

High quality products o Low prices o All materials forthe job available in one location

Although customers admit they need knowledgeable sales people, most individuals are wary and suspicious of them. They donotwanttobe sold (they prefer to think they have bought), manipula0ed, patronized, talked down to, pressured or insulted.

Different people behave differently. The sales person can not approach and deal with everyone the same way. Since the customer will not change his behavior, the sales person rnust adapt. The ability to recognize behavioral characteristics is critical. People do not buy for strictly logical reasons. Retailing expert Nicholas Samstag claimed, "Practically nothing is bought for logical reasons, almost everything is bought for emotional reasons." We think with our heads but we buy with our hearts.

Less experienced, less professional sales people have a tendency to believe

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that sellhg is telling-piling on facts and figures until the scales tip in favor of the sale. This would be valid if prospects were adding machines or calculators. A more successful approach is to overcome the natural tendency to talk and, instead, look, listen and ask questions. One of the geatest salesmen in the United States, Joe Girard, states, "Selling is espionage." The more you know about the prospect-his wants, needs, problems, expectations-the betteryourchances of making the sale."

You listen to learn the right questions to ask. You ask questions to identify the perceived want or need and, most importantly, the real problem and what is needed to solve it. What? When? Where? How? Who? Which room? Have you installed one before?

Inthis way the customer thinkshe is leading the discussion. The sales person shows interest, lets the customer know he is not pushing any productbut is concerned with finding the ideal solution to the problem. Customers don't care what you know until they know that you care. Selling is helping a person make a decision that will benefit him.

hoduct knowledge and applicatiory' installation know-how are absolutely essential, but not sufficient for maximum sales effectiveness. Albert

Einstein maintained, "Imagination is more powerful than knowledge." The most successful sales people use imagination and appeal to the irnagination and emotions of the buyer. There are three elements involved in selling a product: features (facts, data, dimensiors, colorqpackaging), functions (how it works, why it works, how it is used), and benefits (how it adds, contributes, helps over and above other products).

Features and functions may be obvious or may need to be demonstrated but benefits require imagination, creativity, imaginative skill. In selling insulation the non-creative sells R-value, thickness, reflectivity; the creative sells, in addition, winter and summer comfort and energy savings. Nobody buys a product. They buy what it does for them. People do not want the drill (or drill bits); they want the hole it gives them.

Nothing is more annoying to the d-iyer in the midst of a project than finding hehas to stop everything, hop inthe car and return to the store or yard to get an item he would have bought gladly had the sales person suggested it. By diplomatically explaining and exposing the customer to these necessities, you are

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. Slender shank and blunt diamond ooint o Diamond pattern head blends with wood texture o Small head diameter permits face nailing and blind nailing o Annular ring threads preclude nail head popping and cupping of siding boards. AlSl Grade 304 nickel/chromium alloy. doing him a favor and building his confidence in you and yourjudgment.

Smart merchandisers lay out each department properly cross-merchandised. Smart salespeople cross-sell not only related and associated items but tools, accessories, fasteners, fixtures and completing materials which make the mainproduct easier to install, safer, better able to function, better looking and longer lasting. They make the d-iyers lookbetter, smarter and more professional

When the customer looks for you to wait on him, you'll know you have succeeded. You've not only made a sale, you've made a customer.

Anridge frequently gives sales seminars for lumber and buiding material dealer associatiotrs. He is based in Morrison Co.editor

Wm. Gameron & Go. Ghanges

After headquartering in Waco, Tx., for 125 years, Wm. Cameron & Co. has moved its main office to Dallas, Tx. Slated for closure, the Waco yard remains open temporarily. The company

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has nine yards and does $80 million in sales.

Dallas headquarters is in a new 150,000 sq. ft. facility on 11 acres at 11100 Plano Rd., Dallas. There are 53 in the branch warehouse and 14 in corporate staff A new computer system ties together the operations and will be fully operational by October.

Cameron has agreed to purchase the assets of Thunderbird Steel Co., Albuquerque, N.M., a leading Rocky Mountain Southwest building material distributor. tt will operate as a Cameron division, retain its present name and be headed by Thunderbird founder J. R. "Jim" Quillen, 66. As v.p. western region, Quillen will have responsibility for Cameron's San Angelo, Lubbock and Odessa, Tx., branches as well as Thunderbird's Albuquerque location. No employee changes are planned. Cameron and Thunderbird will be adding lines from each other.

Cameron president Ron Ross, 40, in announcing the changes, said Quillen's responsibilities also include seeking further acquisitions. Ross described Quillen's years of experience as a nice balance with an existing management team in its 40s and 50s.

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