Market cedar at its true value

A LONG qith western red cedar's enviable natural propla,erties and more limited supply comes a price tag often higher than competitive species. But do your customers know why cedar is more expensive?

"Price is only one consideration when making a purchasing decision," explains Tom Read, president of Northwest Forest Products, Tacoma, Wa., and currenf chairman of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. "I know it's an important consideration-I've been in the business a long time-but I know from personal experience that there's more to a sale than price."

Cedar dealers must differentiate cedar from other species, so customers canjustify their purchases. Dealers add value to their cedar sales when they help customers fully understand the issues of cedar quality and long term performance. Says WRCLAs Sharon McNaughton: "Our advice for marketing cedar is to sell it at its real value, to change it from a commodity to a specialty item."

WRCLA offers a range of services that add value to cedar sales, including dealer training and certification, country-wide field services, an extensive library of technical literature and videos, specialized sales guides, buyer's guides, siding installation kits for contractors, and instore merchandisers with a product display, take-away plans, a colorful poster and banner.

In 1998, western red cedar specification data was distributed on computer discs and CD-Roms to 12,500 archi- ers with recognized cedar training. This free, in-store training can be booked at any WRCLA office.

More and more retailers are not only taking the Certified Cedar Dealer Program, but are also sending staff to the WRCLA s five day Cedar School held each spring and fall in Vancouver, B.C. Scheduled next for April l[-15, this tects who requested technical information on cedar from the Architects Catalogue Inc. Also last year, the association launched a Web site (www.cofi.org/wrcla) to provide instant access to its literature and a portfolio of architectdesigned projects showing western red cedar in use.

Becoming a Certified Cedar Dealer provides a sales staff with powerful expertise that can be used as a sales tool. Certified dealers receive automatic updates of all WRCLA literature, the latest information on new products and standards, in-store recognition of their certified status and a sales guide to all WRCLA cedar products. Customers feel more confident when they are purchasing cedar from deal- intensive training program covers all aspects of the cedar industry, from sawmill to market, with a strong emphasis on understanding grades and product standards.

Knowledge gained from specialized cedar training can help ensure that customers order the right cedar product for the job. And making sure that the product meets the expectations of the purchaser can go a long way toward repeat business, which adds value to your sales.

WRCLA s extensive reference library offers cedar dealers and their customers a series of illustrated and informative guides to the range ofcedar products, plus data on specification, installation and finishing. In 1998, the association added new publications on decking and fencing to its reference library. This year, WRCLA is working with the Forest Products Research Laboratory in Madison, Wi., to develop a comprehensive new manual on cedar finishing.

WRCLA zuea managen are available to answer questions, conduct training, and make presentation to dealers and their customers. In 1998, WRCLA extended its field operations into California in response to an increased demand for information in the market.

The marketplace for building materials is demanding and competitive. There will always be less expensive products than western red cedar, so dealers must continually market cedar's true value.