The yin and yang of sales

foe Tonne, who won a World Series as manager for the j Yankees. says that athletes (and sales is an athletic activity!) shouldn't play nervous, but they should play with a "vital tension." The same can be said for our sales calls and our sales relationships.

I recently worked with five sales managers from a large corporation. We put them through a high-stress sales call. Only one of the five demonstrated that he wanted/desired the order-todav or anvtime!

Was he rude? No. Was he pushy? No. Was he overbearing? No. But he did accept his role as a salesperson, in fact, relished it! He let the customer know that he was there to do business. Was he the smoothest of the five? No. The most intelligent (whatever that means) of the five? No. The most likeable? No. But he relished the "vital tension" of sellins. Have you ever gone out with someone you loved like a sister/brother? That's a relationship where the yang is missing the yin or vice-versa, and that's what happens in sales calls/relationships where the seller abdicates their yang to the customer's yin.

Why do salespeople abdicate? Because they want to win. After 30 calls with negative responses (losing), when the customer says, "That's not a good deal," the (weak) seller wants to be on the winning side for a change so they say, "You're right-it isn't a good deal," which is the beginning ofthe end ofthe salesperson's fun life.

I have a friend who says, "If I don't make my wife mad at least once a week, I'm getting soft and she's getting bored." We must bring our yang to the yin/yang connection.

As sales professionals we must accept our part in the movie as mind-changing Davids to Goliath. There will be rejection. We must treat rejection as a punch during the fight, not the end of the fight.

We may even take a punch in a certain way or a certain amount of time, as a strategy, for the ultimate win. The order (or not the order) is not important. What is important is that we ultimately land the customer as a partner-then the orders will come.

If we want to be liked by everyone, right now, today, sales is not for us. If we are not willing to take punches in the short term to win in the long term, we will never be master sellers.

The best and easiest place to get business is where we are already getting business. One of the biggest mistakes I see experienced sellers make is not pushing their best customer's hard enough. Why? Because it's comfortable (see yin/yang above). Comfortable is not the way of life for the master seller.

The biggest objection used by best customers with experienced sellers is what I call the "arm-around-your-shoulderFriendly objection."

"Pete, I love doing business with you, but I can't give you any more business. I'm already giving you the majority (what does that mean, specifically?) of the business anyway. What are you doing this weekend?"

"Hey, Julie, I'm already buying more from you than I should be. Don't push it or we'll both get in trouble."

"The boss is mad because I give you as much as I do already..."

"You're my favorite, but it just doesn't make good business sense to put all my eggs in one basket..."

And similar ad naseum, ad infinitum.

If we are getting the majority of the business, there is a reason. We are providing the most value. Sure, they like us (and that is a huge value), but we are doing other things right and better than others, therefore it is our right and our duty as professional sellers (yangers, if you will) to bring more value and push for more of the business.

Most sellers have an unwarranted fear of losing great customers if they push a little bit more. When we push for more we are showing we care (yangin') and that we want the business, and when we don't-we show the opposite.

How are accounts stolen away? One little piece at a time, so never abdicate your position as the mover (yanger) of the sales relationship, especially with your best accounts.

James Olsen Reality Sales Training

Elmo Studd's Building Supplies, Tigard, 0r., has closed after 27 years.

Founders Bill and Diane Fagan retired in Auoust 2010 and sold the business t; Rebel Country Lumber, Beaverton, Or.

Keizer True Value, Keizer, or., and sister store West Salem True Value, West Salem, or., are converting to Ace Hardware.

Golden West Home Builders Genter, Santa Rosa, Ca., is liquidating after nearly 50 years.

The home center shares space with Babcock Floors. which will remain in business.

Orchard opened 60,000-sq. ft, store #89 Sept. 17 in S. San Jose, Ca.

The chain, however, is evaluating its existing locations, and will shutter its 24-year-old store in Antioch, Ca., by the end of the year.

Ace Hardw?te franchisee Terry Katnic opened a new store in San Pedro, Ca.

Bellingham Ace Hardware, Bellingham, Wa,, will hold a grand opening celebration Oct. 21-23. The 10,000-sq. ft. store with 2,500-sq. ft. outdoor garden center is owned by Amy and Steve Zwaller,

Hardware Hawaii has remerchandised its paint department in Kailua, Hi.

Home Depot expects a February opening for a 102,513-sq. ft. store with 28.086-so. ft. oarden center at the former Tim'ber-Products mitt site in Grants Pass, 0r.

Lowe's applied to build a new 143,000-sq. ft. store on 10 acres in Napa, Ca., and received city council approval to conshuct a new home center in Poway, Ca., that could open as early as late next year.

Habitat for Humanity tnis month is moving its ReStore discount LBM outlet in Medford, 0r., to a larger facility and last month held a grand opening for a 19,000-sq. ft. ReStore in Goodyear, Az.

Welco Sells Commodity Unit

Conifex Timber, Vancouver, B.C., has agreed to acquire Vancouverbased Welco Lumber Corp.'s commodity lumber distribution business and Navcor Transportation Services' transportation and logistics business.

The deal, expected to close by Dec. 31, includes Welco's commodity lumber segment, assumption of its office lease, and employment agreements with key employees. Welco retains ownership of its corporate name, its specialty lumber business, and its interest in Marathon Forest Products. Welco will receive $1.525 million, plus commissions for three years.

Both Welco and Navcor have provided lumber marketing and logistics services to Conifex since Conifex began operating its sawmill complex in Fort St. James. B.C.. in 2009.

"The team proposed to come over to Conifex have done a superb job arranging products sales and deliveries to the three largest softwood lumber import markets in the world-the U.S., China and Japan," said Conifex c.e.o. Ken Shields. "We are pleased that the proposed transaction will enable us to continue to serve our customers with the team they know and respect."

Roseburg Forest Products eliminated about 20 of the 150 workers at its particleboard and laminating plant in Missoula, Mt., due to reduced demand.

Westwood Lumber, Cottage Grove, 0r., had its milling facilities in Reedsport and Saginaw, 0r., liquidated at auction Sept. 20 and 22by its primary creditor.

Yuba River Moulding & Millwork has completed a $1 million expansion of its facility in Marysville, Ca., adding a Weineg Powermat 2000 and the first of two new prime lines.

Stimson Lumber, Portland, Or., will curtail production at its mill in Arden (Colville), Wa., as soon as Nov. 11, laying off 67.

Redwood Lumber, Cloverdale, Ca,, suffered a Sept. 13 fire that caused about $125,000 in damages to a wood planer and the building it was stored in.

Sherwood Lumber, lslandia, N.Y., has a new logo and is now offering Shenruood Lumber-branded wood products from its distribution centers, including Tigard, 0r.

Simpson Strong-Tie, Pleasanton, Ca,, will supply software systems and truss plates to the U.S. component industry, under the direction of Mike Bugbee.

Legend Brands, Burlington, Wa., has agreed to be acquire-o by coatings manufacturir RPM lnterndtional.

GAF nas idled its Duralife decking facilities in Biddeford, Me., and Lenexa, Ks.

Georgia-Pacific's DensDeck roof boards have earned sound transmission class ratings of up to 61 and outdoor indoor transmission class ratings of up to 49 in roofing assemblies for commercial framed construction.

Anniversaries: Lumber Yard Supply, Great Falls, Mt., 125th Merrill & Ring, PortAngeles, Wa., 125th Parr Lumber Co., cnino, Ca., 35th Weyerhaeuser's Parallam parallel strand lumber, 25th SierraPine Ltd., Roseville, Ca.,20th.

Weyerhaeuser Drops iLevel Name

Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wa., is abandoning the "ilevel by Weyerhaeuser" brand and transitioning its wood products business back to simply Weyerhaeuser.

"Our customers and vendors know us best as 'Weyerhaeuser,' so we are returning to what is most familiar to them," said Larry Burrows, senior v.p. of wood products.

Products and sales representatives will remain unchanged.

Lowe's Reorganizes Operations

Lowe's Cos., Mooresville, N.C., has restructured management of its store operations and merchandising. Operations have been cut back from 21 divisions to 14, led by senior v.p.s Bill Edwards (South); Jim Frasso (North), and Brent Kirby (West). Merchandising has been reorganized into two product divisions, headed by Troy Dally (building & outdoor products) and Clint Davis (kitchen, bath & home decor products).

Departing Lowe's are senior v.p.s Theresa Anderson and Robert Wagner in operations and Patricia Price in merchandisins.

Swanson Group was one of the first mills in Oregonin the 1960's - to convert their operation to utilize small log production. It was a forward looking decision and led to other innovations over the years that have made Swanson Group one of the most efficient dimension mills in the industrv.

Today we manufacture a wide range of wood products, including railroad ties, premium grade dimension, metric sized lumber for export, and many grades of structural plyvood. 'We are nimble enough to react to market changes and big enough to get the job done.

Since 1951 we've been making quality forest products used by distributors, dealers, builders, remodelers, and do-it-yourselfers.

By listening and responding to our customers we are producing the products that make sense for today.

pLANNTNG GUIDE FoR THE Nnwn Tnnopns MnnKET'

4 Tine to try sonething new

6 Trode Market streornlines ogendo

7 Schedule of events

8 Monoging your credit rish

0 Moke the nost of your show conlocts

4 rroders Mqrket exhibiror list

6 frqders lUlqrket show floor

TRADERS PREVIEW is published annually at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660, (949) 852-1990, Fax 949-852-0231, www.building-products.com, by Cutler Publishing Inc. (a California Corporation), publisher ol Building Products Drgest and The Merchant Magazine. Copyright@20l1 by Cutler Publishing Inc. Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. To advertise in next year's Traders' Preview, call Alan Oakes or Chuck Casey at (949) 852-1990. This supplement is published in conjunction with the NAWLA Traders Market.

To Attend the I|AWLA Troders Morket

The NAWLA Traders Market has strictly enforced policies relative to exhibitor eligibility and general delegate qualifications. These policies are stipulated on the meeting registration form available at www.nawla.org.

Anyone with questions about the attendance policy or any other aspect of the event should contact NAWLA, (800) 527-8258, (847) 8'70-7470, Fax 847-870-0201, or info@nawla.org.