Quality and Appearance Are Impoftant

When it comes io studs you con count on our products io be omong the finest ovoiloble. All our products ore onti-stoin treoted ond end-woxed for weother protection ond to resist seoson checking. Avoiloble in Douglos fir ond white woods l "-6" x 8'.

"Bill, my husband, couldn't tell you whether the studs in our house are 16 inch or 24 inch on center. He doesn't know the thickness of the insulation in the attic, or the width of our windows or the BTU rating of our furnace. Neither do I. But, when he goes into a home center to buy paneling or ceiling tile, or a pine shelf for the laundry room, nobody asks him to come back with his father or brother or next door neighbor. When he needs information from the counterman, he gets it!

"Not me! Please understand. I'm not a women's libber, As a matter of fact, I like being treated like a girl. But, I do resent being regarded as inferior whenever I enter a lumber department.

"Why is it that every time I shop in a home center as a serious customer, I get treated like I was crashing the door at McSorley's? Appliance salesmen feel I'm capable enough to make a $200 to $1,000 appliance decision, my Mercury dealer is happy to sell me a $10,000 Cougar. But a lumber counterman looks upon me as an opportunity to 'Zing it to another dingbat .' Almost every attempt to make a major purchase of do-it-yourself material ends with a directive to bring in my husband. But I don't.

"I shop elsewhere instead. So do many of my female friends who have been intimidated by that superior being in the yellow jacket with the carpenter's pencil in his pocket. Jane, the condominium owner, Carol, the divorcee (who has used a radial arm saw), and Betsy, who attends the evening do-it-yourselfclinics, have all experienced the same "stop bothering me lady" attitude in the lumber counterman.

"I read every decorating magazine and "idea" publication I can get my hands on. I love to say I made it myself about things in my home other than my clothes. And frankly, when it comes to home decorating most men prefer that a woman make the decision as to color and texture. Yet every time we females are in the home center with the hot little plastic charge account plate that could mean a $200 or $300 paneling or ceiling or patio roofpurchase. the Archie Bunker behind the lumber counter concocts another inale question that prevents us from closing his sale.

"Believe me guysBill doesn't have the answers either, and if you take the same 20 seconds to explain the step-bystep instructions to me, you would make the sale, not the new kid working the lumber counter at your competitor down the road. But then, he hasn't had experience enough to know you can't sell buildine material to women."

NDER the recently signed Social Security reform bill, employer and employee payroll taxes will be increased from the present 6.70/o (to $35,700) to the rates shown below: o Your wholesaler and his company and its people are your most important assets. Use your wholesaler effectively and increase your profits. r Look at your stores. Clean them up. Sell the excess junk. Have a sale. Too many places are just too unattractive to bring in the trade. o Develop incentive programs for your employees. If they sell more, they get more. It is that simple.

. If you can help your customers get money for financing, you get the order. Help people arrange financing on a home package. It takes time, but it's worth it and after doine it once or twice, it gets easy.

. Don't ever advertise that you are selling below cost. It makes you sound like a bad businessman. Tell them you sell it for less because "you bought it better. " o Consider establishing a tradesman credit card system. Your customers will buy up to the limit.

By 1990 the rate will increase to 7 .650/o on a projected maximum wage base of $54,900.

John Walker, past president of Lowe's, Inc., a multibillion dollar lumber business in North Carolina and other eastern states, spoke recently on the challenge of making money in the face of hard competition and difficult economic times. He recommends the following: o Use small ads with big numbers and low prices. They get about the same attention as a big ad with small numbers and cost a lot less.

Drop cash discounts. It takes guts to put a stop to it, but you have to realize that in most cases the cash discounts wipe out half your profits.

. Charge your customers for delivery. Lowe's bills FOB the warehouse and has a schedule for delivery charges. Their company gives the net price in town and the buyer has to pay the delivery cost.

E.J. JOHNSON executive vice president

THE REGISTRY Resorr Hotel in I beautiful Scottsdale will be the site of our 1984 annual convention. The dates set are from Sunday, May2fth through Tuesday, Nday 22nd. Mike O' Malley, president of Mallco Lumber & Building Materials, Phoenix, has been selected as convention chairman. From the ideas and events planned, the 1984 convention promises to be most enjoyable and rewarding- plan now to attend.

For a considerable length of time, the concrete block interests in the Phoenix market have been losing large shares ofthe residential construction business. Builders in both the Tucson and Phoenix areas have increasingly switched to frame construction. Recently, the local home builders association sponsored a meeting for their new residential sales people to hear both the block and frame interests present papers about their respective products. Frank Stewart of the Western Wood Products Association appeared on behalf of the lumber industry and did an excellent job. A local home builder confirmed that due to the added costs for block, about 9090 of the new homes in Phoenix are of frame construction. This is certainly good news for the lumber business.

The State of Arizona Registrar of Contractors is proposing new rules and regulations concerning general and subcontractor bond limits. The ALBSA is opposing the action due to the inadequacy of much lower limits to provide needed protection for materials being supplied for residential contracting,

We at the ALBSA wish you all an enjoyable holiday season and happy and prosperous New Year.

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