STIATES

FRED CARUSO executive secretary

EALERS who attended the BuildUing Materials Buying Show in Salt Lake City, Ut., answered "Yes" when asked if they would come to the show again next year.

Dealers went to the show April l4 to solve problems, the biggest being what products to cover and how to sell them in a poor economy. Dealers reported finding commodities and new product information from the major suppliers in the Intermountain market.

The total combined sales volume of the building materials companies attending the show is estimated at $140 mil-

Systems, Inc., are 2.870 of sales or 9.20/o of gross profit. This may be a useful yardstick for your business. To get a more specific handle on an advertising budget for your business and to measure the effectiveness ofyour advertising expenditures, it is suggested that your CPA may provide helpful projections and analysis.

How recently have you examined your real estate taxes to determine whether you are overpaying? The problem is particularly acute when it comes to business properties, which, according to lion. Show attendance was 128 individuals representing 59 companies. The show featured 58 booths .at the Salt Palace Center. Top managers and buyers made up 820/o of the attendees. experts, are overasscssed .10 i1, of' the time.

"The leading wholesalers and manulacturers made a substantial commitment to this first time show," said MSLBMDA president Steve Olson. "Efforts by the association and exhibitors were successful in creating a comfortable atmosphere in which to do business."

Olson commended the exhibitors on their well-done displays and for the number of manufacturers represented. The exhibit hall was fully carpeted and a catered buffet was offered during the entire show.

To cleternrine rlhether )our contpan), is paying too much:

( I ) l{ccalculate thc ta.\ bl dcterntining whcther the ftrtc lncl the percentagc o1' r'aluc on ri'hich thc asscssnlent is nradc havc been correctll figurcd.

(2) (ict an ob.jectir c irppraisal o1- thc propcrt\''s Vlluc.

(3) I:xanrine lpprlisals r.rscd fbr sinrilar propcrtics rrnd thc mcthod u\cd b\ lhc lrppr,riscr tn .trri\c .ll the assessmcnt ligure.

(,1) [)etcrnrine whether the assessor's treatment of Iour propertl differs significanth.

\,\'hether to pursue the ntatter further will depend on the slze of the property' and amount of taxes involved. In general. if a propert!' is overassessed at least l0'[,. it may make sense to meet with your local assessor.

No business o\\ner wants to make a wrong credit decision. Still. credit will invariably bc extcnded to ir customer who gcts into flnancial difllcultr'. Too olicn thc creclit grantor tukcs an cxtrenre position (acccpts cncllcss clclals or forces the debtor into a corncr) that dcteats the mlin objecti\,ccollcction of the debt. An ell-ectivc collcction poli* in these circunrstanccs is to:

( 1 ) ,,\sscss thc clebtor's pat ment cullrcitl

(2) Let the debtor knou that 1ou want to n'ork things out and that !'ou want cooperation rathcr than conllict.

(3) I)evelop a reasonable pa)ment schedulc.

(4) Obtain additional security for the debt, if possible.

(5) Require the debtor to strictly maintain the agreed-upon pa)ment schedule.

-l'o obtain professional assistancc and Irvoitl entotionirl \'onl-ronlirtion. nlrnv dcbtor ancl creclitor llrms ask their ( PA to negotiatc workouts that are mutually' satisluctorl.

Anticipating Drought Products

Anticipating customers' needs and planning ahead can pay off for retailers. Iior exa-,rple. Frank Kesler, in-store supervisor for Lumberjack Building Materials. Sacramento, Ca., has ordered backup inventory for residential drip irrigation systems in anticipation of expected drought conditions this summer.

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