Cedar and the commercial cedar building market

OW CAN dealers and wholealers generate more western red product sales? One effective way to build sales is by making aggressive plans to call on and to service those who design, build and invest in commercial buildings in your area.

Whfle pure wood frame structures will provide the best sales opportunity for western red cedar and other building products, even those buildings of non-wood construction provide an excellent potential for the decorative/

Story at a Glance

How dealers can generate more westem red cedar sales .developing commercial builder customers. . .sales points to stress...promotion ideas.. .sales helps.

appearance items, according to Ray Moholt. He is a spokesman for the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association which is ready, willing and able to assist dealers and others with programs to stimulate use of cedar.

Trend-setting nonresidential buildings often start with western red cedar. "Because the workability and unmatched beauty of red cedar make it the inevitable choice of knowledgeable designers and architects whereever structures are built," Moholt explains, "dealers who call these benefits to the attention of designers and specifiers will be on the ground floor when product bids are issued."

"A sales point to remember," he stresses, "Whether it's in an office, a restaurant, a public building, a clinic, a service station, a bank or a shopping mall, the new look is the look of

DRAMATIC ceiling is achieved in this savings and loan interior with ft. coffers. Selected knotty western red cedar lumber is applied di onally. Main walls are paneled with surfaced clear cedar. Saw-textu cedar boards are used on the exterior. Use of cedar in commeri buildings is good for your business as well as that of the occupal

New Customers

(Continued from page 58) a major purchase, vacation, etc. Talk to your bank. But shop around ifyou are quoted a fee of over 290. For a credit-card customer, all you need is his card number for the first month. You check with the bank, get their approval, bill your service to the credit card and collect your money. You will have to do this each month. If the bank ever says "No," you have all the red flag you need.

If you sell to the business, you have an easier job of sizing up the new customer because all businesses work on open accounts. As with an individual, rather than ask for references, just chat. You can easily admire things you see and ask where theY were bought. Find out who services his heating plant, sells him maintenance supplies, does his roof repair work. A few phone calls will tell you everlthing you want to know. While asking how well he pays his bills, you also find out how long they have been doing business with him.

Watch a new account like a hawk for the first year or two. A pattern of purchases will quickly emerge; he buys $100 or $50,000 a month, or whatever. The thing to watch for is any abnormally large order.

When you see that big order get your salesman out to the builder's office to find out what is going on. Maybe you know more about his giant customer than he does. Use your best judgement, but you could ask for part cash with the order, warn him away from a crookeven insist upon a separate purchase order direct from the customer. But do not be an unwitting and unwilling part to a builder's problem sale.

Never be afraid of new customers. They are the way you can grow. Manage your relationship with new customers, watch your cash flow, and avoid creating unnecess.uy problems for yourself.

CEDAR BUILD]NG

(Continued front page I 4) natural wood and western red cedar says it all."

Moholt recommends that dealers tell potential customers that beautifully grained western red cedar can be specified either clear or selected knotty. Dealers also should stress the range of patterns available to allow for greater design flexibility including square-edged, tongue-and-groove, v-joint and channel. Other options to be explained include boards laid up as board-on-board or board-and-batten patterns.

Another point which should be clarified for a client is the use of stains. A variety of transparent stains can be used to accent the wood tones as well as add a new, exciting dimension to the natural beauty of cedar siding.

Product sales opportunities abound for those who promote the many qualities and benefits of red cedar for commercial building applications as siding, paneling, decking, interior finish, ceilings, accents and outdoor uses, Moholt emphasizes. The examples presented on these pages show how these versatile products can add dramatic beauty to non-residential buildings inside and out.

"Dealers and distributors tracking the commercial building business in their areas have solid opportunities for increased product sales," Moholt says. He adds that if you need some business building idea stimulators to show to your local design,/construction teams, you can write to the association for help. Address your request to Nonresidential Building ldeas,

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, 1500 Yeon Building, Portland, Or. 97204.

Cedar Sales Literature

Retailers and wholesalers can increase their sales of western red cedar with the help of idea literature and technical brochures available from the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. The literature, much of it in fourcolor format, is available free in reasonable quantities, or at cost, for counter use or in mailings.

They also publish a series of "Cedar Concepts" brochures on a variety of subjects, such as vacation homes and non-residential building, featuring different cedar products.

A listing of the literature and an order blank is available by writing to Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, Dept. CL, l5m Yeon Building, Portland. Or.9'12M.

FTC Sues Evans Products

The Federal Trade Commission has sued Evans Products Co., charging it deceived customers with promises of guaranteed long-term, low-interest home mortgages.

The complaint asks that Evans stop foreclosures on the homes. as well as making any further such claims. The suit also seeks appropriate amends.

The plans, materials and major structural work for the custom-designed, pre{ut homes were provided by Capp Homes and Ridge Homes, two Evans subsidiaries which were closed in 1982, according to the federal complaint.

When consumers were unable to pay back the loans at the company's higher-than-promised interest rates from 1979 to present, Evans' finance unit has either foreclosed or threatened to do so on approximately l4Vo of all homes sold with these mortgage guarantees, the FTC charges.

"LOOKING AROUND" says Paul Bunyan

Paul does not rest on his fame as the lumberman's symbol of accomplishment. New requirements and changing conditions keep him alen to progress.

Davis Retirement

(Continued from Page 30) ucts associations. His involvement spans from the American PlYwood Association to the Western Wood Products Association. He's known by his peers for taking the extra steP that's needed to pulloff successful association progrirms and projects.

Davis has an unsurpassed record of service to the American Plywood Association's Field Service Advisory Committee. He has been a member of the committee for more than l8 years and served as chairman from 1969t972.

"Dck's wide experience as an industry sales and marketing executive has proved invaluable to APA in helping to guide the operations of field promotion representatives nationwide," says Bill Robison, presi- dent of the American Plywood Association. "Throughout his APA service, he has been strongly associated with the effort to broaden the market base for industry products, and it's been a successful effort."

As a 20-year member of the Western Wood Products Association's Marketing Services Committee, Davis took part in the first major international marketing effort to Japan. In 1969, the committee introduced western species and potential uses to Japanese buyers. It was a new and more aggressive approach and set the stage for today's intensive marketing programs.

Davis has also served the industry in the effort to establish and maintain close liaison with distributors. He realizes the role the wholesaler plays in the orderly distribution of forest products and he is very supportive of wholesaler activities.