lru,s,l.B.F.u.?

IIfe cANNor eeRr the computer at information dispensV Y ing. We do have an advantage-if we choose to use it -in the inspiration business. We must first accept that we are in the inspiration business, and then we will have to commit to more inspirational speech.

If a young man is being paid to make pizza and he spends his whole shift cleaning up the parking lot, he may be working hard, but he is working hard on the wrong thing.

Many sellers are working hard at information dispensing while ignoring the persuasive and inspirational arts.

I'm happy with my current supplier

Goals: (l) Get the customer to relax.

(2) Keep the conversation going. Uh, uh, well, uh won't get it done. (3) Get permission to continue calling.

The secondary supplier strategy. We don't challenge the customer. Any kind of i "I-can-do- it-better-or-cheaper-than-whoyou-are-buying-from-now" direct challenge will raise our potential customer's defenses and will make it difficult to get permission to continue calling.

"John,I don't want to get in the way of the business you are already doing. What I would like is to find out more about you and your business and become a secondary supplier to you. That way, you can get to know the quality of my service and products and, if anything does happen with your current supply, we will already have a working relationship and we will continue to supply you without interrupting the smooth running of your business."

The challenge strategy. To get some customers out of their curent habits (buying from others), we will have to challenge their view of the world. This is delicate; it can backfire and blow up, so use with care.

Customer: "I've been buying from Susie Smithers for 20 years. She has been with me through thick and thin, so I owe her. In our current market, I can barely keep her happy, much less take on a new supplier."

Bold Seller: "It's great that you are loyal. But changing times call for changing strategies. In shifting times, only the crafty, flexible and open-minded survive. I bring new and different ideas to my customers that help them make money in these dynamic times. Why don't we open a dialogue?"

W.SJ.BJ'.U.?

The real objection behind all objections is, "Why Should I Buy from You?" About 95Vo of the sellers you compete against every day cannot answer this question in an inspirational way. That957o wing it so they all sound the same. Here's how to write a great WSIBFU?:

No more than four sentences.

. What's in it for the customer? Saying you are the biggest and baddest and that you have been in business for 1,000 years means nothing to the customer. They do not care. Telling them you are currently helping people just like them to make money and buy better products will resonate.

. Something about ourselves. If we go to the psychologist and she says, "Tell me about your family," and we spend the hour talking about everyone but our father, the psychologist surmises issues with our father, by omission.

Sellers who only talk about how great their company is without mentioning something about themselves-the thing they most want to communicate-"I am a man you can trust," "I make a great partner," "I treat your needs as mine," "I am passionate about creating profit for my customers," "I'm fun to do business with"-sends the message that they don't believe in themselves, by omission.

Our customers want to buY from people who are confident. Say something good about yourself; don't go overboard, but we must saY something about the value we bring. . Tailored to personality. Everyone is different. Communicate with customers in their language. We approach the aggressive buyer differently than the laid back buyer, for example.

The most important thing is to have a well-planned, inspirational answer you believe in.

"You should buv from me because I will bring you value.There are all kinds of suppliers in this market. Direct suppliers, wholesale suppliers, distribution suppli' ers. I am a customer needs supplier. What my customers need, I supply them. I am a profit-making partner. That's why m\ customers buy from me and that's why you, too, will love doing business with me." WSIBFU?

James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) s44-3s72

james @ realitysalestrain

ing.com

Parr Lumber ooened a 4.4-acre lumberyard with 20,200-sq. ft. warehouse and 1,500-sq. ft. retail showroom in Marysville, Wa., Dec. 14, to replace its yard in Everett, Wa.

Doug Nelson, general mgr. in Everett, transferred to Marysville.

Meek's Lumber & Hardware closed its Grass Valley, Ca., yard Nov. zJ.

The chain continues serving the community from its Rocklin and Yuba City, Ca., locations.

Barr Lumbof is down to four yards after closing the lumberyard at its headquarters in San Bernadino, Ca.

Mead Lumber Co. aoreed to buy Truss Claf!, Cheyenie, Wy., from Dakota Craft, napiO City, S.D.

The deal is set to close by Jan. 31.

Marin Ace, San Rafaet, Ca., has been opened by Michelle and Jeff Leopold, owners of Standard 5&10 Ace, San Francisco, Ca.

Lowe's will open a 65,000-sq. ft. customer support center in Albuquerque, N.M., by March, to complement its CSC in Wilkesboro, N.C.

The facility will provide such support functions as customer care, store support, Internet sales support, and repair services for customers.

Ace Hardware Express, Shasta Lake, Ca., reopened at a new, slightly larger location Dec. 28-exacf ly three months after a fire destroyed its previous facility.

All nine employees were retained during the interim, working at the Hardware Express stores in Redding and Anderson, Ca.

Bill's Ace Hardware is ctosing its S-year-old store in N. Concord, Ca., March 31, reducing the chain to three locations.

Sammamish Ace Hardware, Sammamish, Wa., is scouting for a new home following a rent dispute with its landlord.

Seventeen-unit Crown Ace Hardware, Huntington Beach, Ca., received a 2011 Familv 0wned Business of the Year Award from the Orange County Business Journal.

Two Family-Operated Dealers Join Forces in Hawaii

HPM Building Supply, Keaau, Hi., acquired Kauai Lumber, Lawai, Hi., on Dec. l.

"We saw this as being a merger of resources and being good for the community, and also for our associates at both companies," said c.e.o. and president Mike Fujimoto.

Founded 90 years ago as a small, family-owned mill in Hilo, Hi., HPM is now 1007c employee-owned, with three full-service building supply centers and four lumberyards on the Big Island, one building supply center and lumberyard on Oahu, and one on Kauai. The company manufactures pre-engincered trusses, wall panels, metal roofing, and prc-hung doors, and treats its own lumber.

Jcle McEvoy. Kauai Lumber's former owner, will stay on as -general manager and all nine employees will continue to work for the business. which will retain its name.

McEvoy's grandfather owned and operated McEvcly Lumber, Kirkland, Wa., and his father worked for and then owned Matheus Lumber. Woodinville. Wa. After working for his dad, McEvoy came to Hawaii to work at his brother's company, Maui Lumber. He opened Kauai Lumber in t992.

"I really belicve that the two o1'us together, HPM and Kauai Lumber. make a great team," said McEvoy. "HPM has all the experience and buying power, and I bring along years und yelrs of experiencc running u successful lumberyard on Kauai."

Treater Completes Energy Test

Fontana Wholesale Lumber. Fontana, Ca., has completed a six-rnonth field trial with Southern California Gas using ultra low-emission control technology for natural gas-powereil engrnes.

Fontana Wholesale produces ncarly l00a/c of its electricity on site. using waste heat from a natural gas engrne to operate kilns used to treat lumber. The system that was tested is a retrofit conversion kit for rich-burn engines.

"This breakthrough low-emission control lechnology has stratcgic impor-tance in a region where the lafest emissions requirements have been lowered to unprecedented levels," said Hal D. Snyder, v.p.-customer solutions at Southern Calitbrnia Gas.