Redwood Promotions From A To Z

D ROMOTIONS used by dealers l- to sell redwood run the gamut from A to Z. You, too, can profit from this dictionary of proven redwood promotion ideas.

Association aid. One of the largest sources ofassistance in pushing redwood is the California Redwood Association. With stacks of free literature and other promotional tools available, the agency goes out of its way to help get the word out.

Brochures. A product catalog may be just the thing to let customers know what you have and what they can do with it. A Santa Rosa, Ca., retailer, for example, recently put together an attractive booklet, sprinkled with full color photographs provided by the CRA.

Story at a Glance

An alphabet of redwood promotions for you to use association aid, brochures and contests are among the ABCs of successful sales... advice from leaders in redwood marketing.

Contests. Summer building contests are a traditional favorite for stirring interest in redwood. Redwood Lumber & Products, Fort Worth, Tx., stages a deck contest every year. Owner Ken Young says. "Our next deck building contest will start Memorial Day and end Labor Day. The winner gets a trip to Mexico or Lake Tahoe. Of course, they'll have to buy the redwood from us."

Ganahl Lumber Co.. Anaheim. Ca., staged its first deck contest in 1986 and did it one better last year. They expanded the entries to include not only decks, but also patios, gazebos, unique fencing, landscaping involving wood, and even treehouses, so more people could participate.

Demonstrations. A customer can often be persuaded to make certain repairs or additions if you teach him how to do it himself. Deck building classes areamong the more popular attractions. "We hold deck building clinics every Saturday at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.," says Young. "lt's free and takes about one to one-anda-halfhours, depending on the audience. We show a VCR tape produced by the CRA and our own slide presentation. We give everyone attending a free deck plan kit, a $5 value."

If you don't havethe ability to run the show yourself, often amanufacturer or wholesaler can help. Mark Lofland, general manager, Capital Lumber Co., Chino, Ca., explains: "We hold deck clinics with our experienced people to show our customers' customers how to build a deck. It is done during weekends on their premises."

Education. Redwood can sell itself in a region where its strengths are well known. "Here in Texas, we've had to combat treated pine," says Young. "ln California, everyone's familiar with redwood, but here it's a process of educating people. It's going to take time. People come in and say they can get anything in California, but we're the only one here who has it."

Flyers. Sales brochures sitting on the counter or directly mailed to customers have become one of a home center's most valuable tools.

Guests. Celebrities, often from local sports teams, are good at increasing floor traflic in retail stores. And experts on certain products can bring added sales power to exhibits during special promotions. "We're an oflice wholesaler," says Pete Cadenasso, partner, Alamo Forest Products, Walnut Creek, Ca., "and the Modesto Lumber Co. asked us and representatives from Penofin to help advertise decks at a local show held for the residents. They had a full, l0 x 12 parquet display deck set with redwood benches and lattice panels around the back. We answered questions and handed out redwood and deck care literature."

Ho-e shows. Trade shows showcase your name and product to crowds of ready buyers. "We're relatively new to trade shows, but we're planning to do more," says Dennis Ferguson, Holt Lumber, Fresno, Ca. "We had a booth and our whole display was constructed of diflerent patterns of redwood. Everyone there helped to demonstrate the show's'Smart House' theme."

Other dealers regularly employ home show exposure. "At the last show at which we exhibited, we put out all the CRA literature," says Jody Parker, sales manager, Robbins

& Stearns, Rapid City, S.D. "We built a redwood canopy under which we offered deck packages ofdifferent sizes so we could give people prices right there. We also had lead cards with a box to check if people wanted to be sent further information on decks."

In-house training. Teaching your staff about the benefits of redwood can improve its ability to sell the product for a variety of applications. Alamo Forest Products has sent representatives to speakat dealers' sales meetings. "Once a month, certain dealers will hold sales meetings. We'll send a rep to the yards to talk, often because many of the sales people are new, and to explain grades and applications," says Cadenasso.

Landscape design service. Free consultation can be a time-consuming but rewarding service. "lf a homeowner brings in plans of his lot, with easements and other information, we'll work up a free landscape design," Young says. "Just a basic 30-minute drawing as an introductory offer. If they want something more detailed, we'll put them in touch with a landscape artist who, for an hourly fee, will pick out plants, locate them, and so on."

Magazines. See Newspaper coverage.

N"tnrp"p"r coverage. When there is news at the yard, let the press know. A simple press release can put your name in front of thousands of readers. A quick phone call led to a Texas retailer's recent profile as the cover story of the city's business publication.

Paid newspaper and magazine advertisements are a more direct path to results. "We have regular flyers inserted in the local newspaper during the busy season," says Parker. "That way, weget to everybody in town."

Op.n house. Inviting your customers to a private, after-hours party makes them feel special and gives them a golden opportunity to make a purchase. On a larger scale, Palmer G. Lewis Co., Medford, Or., holds a dealer buying show every spring. PGL's Mike Householder says, "We invite our customers to the warehousewhich we clean up first, of course. We'll have company representatives from Palco, Armstrong, Owens Corning Fiberglas, and so on. We provide dinner and a beer garden. Everything's on display and the prices are special. We also offer tours through the warehouse and free samples of products."

Ptans. Plan sheets are available explaining how to build everything from a redwood porch in a booklet from Georgia-Pacific to a storage shed in a sheet from the Western Wood Products Association.

Dealers can also offer their own instruction. "As for deck plans," says Young, "for any customer who comes in, our people will sit down with him and go through the whole process, from locating the best site on down."

Ready-assembled papkages. Putting it all together for the customer can create instant add-on sales. Chuck Shell, manager, 84 Lumber Co., Plainview, Tx., says, "To keep things simple, the corporate headquarters has put together a basic 8 x l0 deck design package. lt's standard and offered to all the stores."

Sale themes. AImost every month brings a new holiday to tie into. Father's Day, National Roofing Week and the Fourth of July, among many others, offer unique marketing possibilities.

Training seminars. Says Capital's Lofland, "We offer training seminars to our retail customers and take them on mill trips. We'll maybe tour a half-dozen mills to give them a cross-section of production, making them aware of what's happening. Keeping them informed makes things run easier than if they're in the dark. So, if there's a need, we'll do it. But it takes some money and certainly a lot of time." nISPLAYS that customers can Ysee and touch speak eloquently about redwood's color, texture, grain and other unique characteristics.

Videotape presentations. Filmed demonstrations are available from some associations and manufacturers. Designed specifically to attract attention, they can serve the function of an extra salesman.

Wall of fame. A Southern California business filled two huge bulletin boards near the entrance with thank you letters from satisfied customers. Redwood Lumber & Products' version of this provides a helpful service. '!For contractors, we have alarge list, actually an areaon our wall with photographs of their work and business cards. For those who don't want to do it themselves, we bring the homeowner and the contractor together," says Young.

Yellow pages. Although the phone book's sales staffcontinues to invent further classifications to confuse callers, they still put you afew seconds away from everyone in the city.

Zest. Whatever the redwood promotion, its ultimate success will be determined by the energy and excitement that the dealer. himself. brings to it.

Displays can show and sell just about anything including siding patterns, fencing patterns, finish choices and the recommended techniques for building a deck. A welldesigned display shows several options atonce andhelps to sell related products such as hardware and finishes.

Displays show the real product in a simulation of the end use. The real thing has a greater impact than photographs in a catalog and more sales appeal than stacks of lumber. Here's a good case example. One of Pacific Lumber Co.'s redwood wholesaler customers increased his sales of knotty rustic redwood siding through the use of a display. The triangular display shows three different siding patterns in addition to holding related product literature. Dick Evans, vice president of industrial marketing, explained that North Santiam Lumber Co. of Ohio hasits field sales staff use the rustic siding display when calling on retail customers. "The salesmen bring the display in and set it on the desk. While they use it to sell the product, they explain that the customer can keep the display if they place a rustic siding order."

Story at a Glance

Suggestions for displays that attract customers and sell redwood . . tips on building your own, using proven ideas.