Purchasing Power

By Ken Thim The Flintkote Supply Co. Los Angeles, Ca.

there somewhere but time likely is the deterrent and there has to be some limit put on the number of suppliers contacted and prices quoted before one finalizes a transaction.

The magic of the purchasing profession attracts: the curious; the thrill-seekers; the arrogant or egotistical who like to sign their autograph; the talented who realize it will forever be a trial-and-errorfi ght-the-frustration type of atmosphere.

The "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" could certainly describe this profession. The exultation that erupts when one has signed his name to a winner dissipates when the discovery is made that the next one was a bomb.

To the novice, the student, the apprentice who invade the hallowed halls of purchasing, be advised that it is terribly difficult to say "No" to a conglomerate number of sophisti- cated, sadistic, inhuman selling schemes that run the gamut from sublime to ridiculous.

We might cite a few examples for the perusal of the innocent who don't believe that there are pitfalls and pratfalls along the way.

Following are some of the methods employed by the in-house or telephone salesman:

Look out for the "con iob." This fellow might even teli you that Robert Redford. John Travolta and "The Fonz" place second, third and fourth in the macho ratings behind you. If you're being led down the path, remember that there are thorns and brambles in even the most lavish of rose gardens.

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Purchasing Power

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$) Used Car Salesman

If he can sell you once he could care less about the future. He uses the "kiss-and-run" technique. Kick the tires, Pound the fenders, show you the clean trunk and that's it. And, if you can't find him when you go looking for him, don't worryhe'll show up somewhere else shortly.

(c) Mr. Irritation and/or Mr. Aggravation

Insults your intelligence. Insists that he doesn't need to make the sale. Can manage very well without your business. Tells you that, in case you don't remember, you paid too much last time when he had the better deal. Word of caution: Don't abandon the sourcethere'll be the time when he is the best.

(d) Persistence

You know it's him as soon as the phone rings but there's no running. Not the type of fellow whose feelings get hurt easily so you give him the one that got you an Academy Award nomination for acting (and he'll ignore the whole thing. Apparently he listens, but most obviously he doesn't hear).

(e) Salty, Seasoned Veteran

Been in the game six months and knew all there was to know before he got into the business. It's probably not what you want that he's quoting, but you won't know about it until you receive it, or worse yet, the customer does. He has a BA (Brusque Attitude) and is working on his PHD (Phone Habits Delinquent).

(f) Mister Class

Takes the information, destination, no hesitation. Calls with a quotation, reminds you that it's subject to prior sale and thanks you for the opportunity to quote. Of course he'll get his share, and more, both from you and from your competitor.

Summary: To recognize one, or all, of the above certainly requires a long, hard look at one's own demeanor and behavior. Possibly a large part of the other person's attitude might be reflected by your own. Most of us aren't quite as quick to judge others if we practice a regular self-appraisal.

It wasn't meant for us to be temperamentally consistent, one day with the next, but the person, or the call, that you reject unceremoniously today might be the one you'll be courting tomorrow.

As a buyer of some years' standing in our industry, I maintain a simple, and yet perhaps astute philosophy, that the supplier should know more about his product than the purchasing agent. If he, or she, doesn't, it's the blind leading the halt and you're asking for trouble.

Of course we realize that in the days ahead we will come face to face, phone to phone, with one or all of the above.We hope they will all accept it in the spirit in which it was written.

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APA Sets'8O Promotions

Four projects are planned for American Plywood Association promotion in 1980.

Projects in the four major plywood markets, residential construction; distribution (home repair and remodeling); industrial; and nonresidential construction. have been announced by executive vice president Bronson J. Lewis.

A home plan service integrating modern plywood construction systems; concentrated training of dealer staffs, using new merchandising aids; and a computerized pallet design program are three proposed projects. A seminar program for Eastern contractors and fabricators who will be brought West to learn commercial roof deck design, construction and bidding procedures is the fourth.

The objective of the home plan service, Lewis said, will be to develop a serigs of flexible plans for use by small builders in different parts of the country. Dealer programs will include on-the-job training of dealer countermen and salesmen by the field staff. The computerized pallet design program will feature a toll-free hot line through which industrial specifiers and users will be able to receive rapid service on pallet design needs.

At the APA fall meeting in Nashville, Tn., a plaque was presented to Stanley F. Horn, editor'of the Southern Lumberman, recognizing the more than 7l years of dedicated service he has given to the wood products industry nationwide.

At the meeting, APA board chairman and president Don Deardorff warned that Americans are becoming dangerously dependent on the welfare state and "free handouts."

President and general manager of Fourply, Inc., Grants Pass, Or., he said that "many people in this country are demanding an end to the environmental stranglehold."

Referring to current western efforts to pass legislation transferring millions of acres of federal lands to state control, he suggested that "if the feds don't shape up and manage the public lands for the benefit of all the people equitably and efficiently, the public may feel compelled to take action."

Deardorff reported that the association will issue a new demand forecast for wood-based structural panels of all types taking into account the current unsettled conditions in the nation's money markets.

"While we await a new forecast," he said, "our interim position is that structural panel demand could be between 19.0 billion and 19.8 billion sq. ft. in 1980, and in excess of 2l billion and 22 billion sq. ft. in l98l and 1982 respectively."

He pointed out that the forecasts cover structural panels of all types, whether all-veneer (conventional) pfywood, composites, or all-fiber panels.

Pioneer Firm Relocates

Stetson-Ross, Inc., a manufacturer of planing mill and woodworking machines, has relocated its operation to new facilities at Kent, Wa.

The 8l year old firm had been housed in the same two buildings since 1907. The new and larger facilities of 80,000 sq. ft. allow more space for administration, sales, engineering and manufacturing all under one roof, according to owner-pres. Jim Pigott.

The site also allows room for growth, including new and separate quarters for the planer operators and mechanics schools.