Service keynotes maior wholesaler's new division

W0ODtAilD Forest Products. the new division of Woodland Products, lnc., the Pomona, Calif., manufacturer of decorative wood products and trims. uses unique mobile sales truck (lef0 to serve custdmers: Ted Tiss.

Merchant Mogazine, notes features with WFP's Bob Shuey and Phil Johnson. Beautiful new WFP warehouse (top center) El Monte, Calif., continues company tradition of con- tributing to envir,onment thru tastefully done landscaping and exteriors (see lower center) of manufacturing plant. Phil Johnson and Bob Shuey kight) examine firm's remarkably complete moulding line.

Same Old Growth Measure!

No compromise in sawing, drying or grading standards. ARCO continues to Old Growth furnish the finest in Redwood

by George N. Kohn, ^"rU"r,::nr,?ri::!:::: *. .,0,

Leoming From The Sqles Cqll

Buyers are not sticks of wood or characteristics. They are living human beings with distinct behavior patterns that the salesman must study for his own good.

Some prospects favor the breezy approach to selling and others the dignified way. Some buyers can and want to be dominated bv the salesman while others will bitierly resent and resist domination. Some purchasers insist on a detailed presen. tation of facts and others want the salesman to take shortcuts to the main point.

Only by studying numbers of buyers can you work out a sales method for their individual quirks, habits and idiosyncrasies. This isnnt as complicated as it sounds because most people fall into certain categories as far as their behavior is concerned. This may vary within the same industry.

The clever, thinking salesman will Iearn from each type. He will study their manner, gestures and even their clothes for clues to their reaction to a sales story.

That's why no call, dry-run or not, need be wasted. You may not always walk out with an order but you can gain valuable insight into human character that will increase your income in the long run.

STUDY HUMAN MAKE.UP

Mel Parrish was a run-of-the-mill building materials salesman until he picked up a book on psychology one day at his local library. He learned that individuals react differently to objective situations.

Now Mel was unable to conduct lengthy psychological tests to determine behavior patterns of his prospects, but he began to study them much more closely. He also made it a point to learn more about their nE nlilIS fon SALESiIEII Thls is a condensed vorslon. Each lesson is avallable ln an exDanded form, in a 4.page brochure, size 81axll, irinted In 2 colors on white glossy paper and is 3-hole punched to fit any stsndard 3.ring binder. Each sublect in this sxpandsd verslon ls fully and conpletely develoDed In comprehensive detail and Includos a selt examlnation quiz for salesmen.

Prlcr! 8rs as follows:

I t0 c coplu (0t .roi .rilcl.)........t0 cmtr r|ch background, education, social status and so forth. Gradually, he was able to group his prospects and customers into specific categories. This enabled him to plan his approach and to avoid mistakes and miscalculations that often mean lost orders.

On every call, Mel studied the prospect as he talked to him. He made mental notes which he later wrote out for a file he kept at home. He found out that particular references irritated certain prospects while others welcomed them.

Mel was able to predict, for instance, that rhy, hesitant buyers wanted their minds made up for them by the salesman; that a man who talked often about his wife and children was unlikely to react favorably to being wined and dined; that a buyer who owes his position to family connections wants to be told how sapJacious he is.

He learned to cope with and understand common buyer types such as the impulsive, the self-opinionated, the taciturn and the hostile. He also developed techniques to motivate them. He knew which buyers thought only in terms of material gain and those who responded to more subtle stimuli such as pride, fear, envy and curiosity.

In a few years, Mel .became such an astute observer of human nature that he became one of the three top earners in his company. He was also asked to conduct the course in sales psychology in his firm's training division.

Learn Bv Observation

Almost everything can be a learning experience for the salesman. Go into a department store and watch the interchange between clerk and customer. Take a trip sometime out to a model home and observe the

10 to 49 cople3 (0t s.ch iltaclr)..37r4 contr €rch when ordering, plaaso montlon Tho Msrchant Magazine, Pasedonr, Crllf, way visitors react and the questions they ask. Think of yourself as a buyer and list the factors which prompted you to purchase your car, home or boat.

50 to 99 coplls (ot.ach rrtlclr)......311 cdrb o.dr 100 or more coplr3 (ot r|ch $lclc)..2t o3ntr c|Gll lhe entire serles may b6 pr€{rdered or indlvldual articles may be ordered by number . address orders to the Geor3o 1{. l(drn C0., Department TP, 212 Flfth Ave, Now YorI, il. Y. 10010.

A salesman's observation should also extend to the objects in the prospect's office. A particular picture, souvenir or plaque can reveal a world of information about its owner. An "8-ball" paper weight might mean the buyer has a sense of humor about himself. Early American decor might indicate the man is a traditionalist and not receptive to new ideas and products.

I once noticed that a prospect wore a miniature gold football on his key chain. A question or two dis. closed that he had been an All. American tackle at a midwestern university. It so happened that I had a pair of hard-to-get tickets for a pro-ganre that Sunday.

I ofiered him the tickets, a gesture which delighted him. So he would not consider them a bribe I left im. mediately without pressing him for an order,

Grist For The Miil

There's more to an interview than an order blank and pencil. Go into a prospect's office with the idea of selling him, of course, but also try to learn something at the same time. Here's is a little sel{-evaluation chart to see if you are a student of human nature. A score of nine ttves. es" is promising.

(l) | can remember the color of the suit of the last prospect I saw. Yes ! No tr l2l I try to oqnparc the behavior of one prcspect with that of another. Yes E ilo tr

(3) | try to motivate prospects on the basis of what I've learned about them. YesE Notr

(4) I always remember that I'm dealing with a human personality as well as a ptos- pect. Yes rE No ,E

6) | keep some kind of file on the different prospects I contact. Yes tr No rE

($ | try to open the intenriew on a note that will please or ar(ruse the brryer. il' tr

(7) I mentally catalogue the objects in the buyer's o fice for what advantage they can bring me. Yes tr No tr

(8) | listm to the prospect for clues as to his desires. Yes E No tr

(9) I always leave a buye/s office having learned something. Yes E No tr

(10 | am courteous and considerate of recep tionists and other seoondary peltonnel. YesE NoD

(ll) | study myself to give me a better insight into tfte buyer. Yes E ilo tr

(12) | find out from older salesmen their psychology of selling. Yes ! No tr

At Presstime

As this issue went to press. two of the three strikes that plagued the West last month continued. Only the telephone strike, the least serious in terms of effect on our industry, was settled. The rail strike and the dock strike continue. more disastrous and costlv as each day passes.

Twenty-four ports on the Vest Coast were struck July I by the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, the first coast wise strike in 23 years. James Herman, president of the San Francisco local, said they were prepared to stay out as long as necessary to achieve their demands, which include a two-year contract with wage and pension hikes. More than 150 ships currently have been idled.

Officials at the state and federal level have been making major efiorts to begin voluntary labor/management negotiations in both dock and rail strikes. Federal mediation in both disputes seems likely.

The United Transportation Union began in mid-July to "selectively" strike roads across the U.S. Western carriers hit so far by the strike are Union Pacific Railroad, Atr:heson. Topeka tt Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific.

In an effort to encourage both sides to reach voluntary agreements, the White House convened a gathering of top railroad and union officials in hopes discussion between them might lead to earlv settlement of tlre complex workrules dispute.

Shortages o{ lumber and building materials began to appear soon a{ter the beginning of each walkout. Predictions now are that by mid-August, the construction industry will be -qhutting down for lack of materials.

Gory Reed New Simpson Chief

W. G. 'oGary" Reed, Jr., has succeeded his father as chief executive officer of Simpson Timber Co., the firm his great-grandfather founded in Washington State in 1890. His father, William G. Reed, remains chairman of the executive committee until his retirement in 1973.