Selling Dealers

Tolk siven bv F. E Nicholson, sales mdndger, Calilornia Builders Supply, lnc., Oakland, at the Panel Discussion--Salesmanship Clinic, 1Oth Annuol Convention, National Plywood Distributors Association, Son Francisco, June 24,1959.

Men, I've.just stolen sixty seconds of your time. All the time I was silent before. you here, time was running out, and it's running out for you distributors and it's running out for you manufacturers.

This selling the dealer is a serious subject, and I'm very happy that I have the opportunity to talk on it. I take it very seriously. It's a serious one for everyone in the room. It's a serious subject,'particularly to the distributor, and it's a serious subject to the manufacturer.

This watch that I'm putting back on my wrist doesn't run backwards, and it doesn't stand still. The hand only goes around one way, and that's forward; and that's where the distributor has to go, and that's where the manufacturer has to go. I know to be a popular speaker I'm supposed to stand np here and tell a lot of clever jokes but this selling of the dealer is so serious that I can't get into that vein. There are many facets to selling the dealer. I could stand here and talk on approach, creating the desire, and demonstration, clothes displays, advertising, gimmicks and gadgets; but I think the thing is a fundamental issue. This is the first attenclance I've ever had at the National Plywood Distributors Association Convention, and I've appreciated and enjoyed every minute of it. But sitting through the panel of speakers yesterday, I couldnt help but think that the distributor was some\\rhat groping for an answer to seil this dealer And I couldn't help but think that a number of tnanufacturers here were groping too. But at the same time I sensed the willingness on the part of the manufacturer and the distributor to find a common ground to sell this <iealer and find a resultant sale at the ultimate consumer's end. So I'm going to hit on the fundamental issue of this thing; and that's our American marketing system;and, the Anterican marketing system has proven a success from the tin.re of its inception, and that's rvhat makes our system of distribution in the United States strong', and it starts first rvith the manufacturer, and it channels to a distributor, through the dealer to the ultimate consumer.

Now time's running out, men, for people that won't pursue that policy. Time's running out for the opportunist who looks for those tempting quick sales. The strongest ntanufacturers in the nation today, and tl-re strongest distrib- utors in the nation today, are those firms that have pursued that sound, intelligent policy. The strongest insurance companies in the nation today are those that market their contracts through the American agency system. Opportunism doesn't sell any more merchandise, and for a dl5lllfufr)r to jump to a contractor, for a manufacturer to jump to a dealer doesn't create any more demand for the product. For a nranufacturer to sell Sears Roebuck or Montgomery Ward or line yards doesn't put any more money in his pocket. He not only bandies the price by doing it that way, he weakens it all the way down the line. And by the same token, when the distributor abridges his Class A heritage and goes out and sells contractors, he isn't stabilizing his own market. There's many a temptation to get that quick nickel, but I'll tell you fellows, time's running out-you'll only wind up with a slow buck.

Now how do r','e immediately sell the dealer? And v;hat tools should we use for ourselves ? To immediately seil the dealer, I'd like to give you a little picture on the blackboard. I'11 draw the form of a triangle. This is the technical knowledge of the product that you have to offer the dealer. This is the side you all should know anyway. I'm going to rn'rite "technical." This other side of the triangle is hard worklots of calls, diligent effort. You all should have that one anyway. I'11 write "hard work." But, the base of this triangle, and where you put the base of the triangle is the one that's going to put money in your pocket and make the resltitant sales to the dcaler, and it consists of the emotional appeal in selling. It consists of helping the dealer sell the mercltandise that you sold him. It consists of teaching the dealer how to remodel. It consists of teaching the dealer how to display. And if you only have this much knowledge of doing that, on selling on the emotional or intelligent side, ycu're only going to u'ind up 'ivith this amount of dollars. But if you teach your dealer everything that you can bring to him from your vast experience of calling on a rnultipiicity of dealers, you can bring the base of that triangle right to ihe very bottom where it supports the whole triad of the complete sale. This is the kind of dollars you're going to have in your pocket, and this is the kind of dollars you're going to bring to your dealer.

Tell your dealer that 5/o of grocery stores in the Urrited States are super markets; yet the super markets did 13/o of the business. Tell your dealer that the same time is running out for him if he doesn't become a super market. And while I'm on that subject to the distributors, there are a hundred thousand retail outlets going by the board every vear. There's a hundred thousand minus of what there was last year. That's the net change-it's on the minus side. And unless you assist your dealer, a certain portion of those are going to go by the boards in your territory, and your sale-' will be less. So assist your dealer to stay in business. If you find that your dealer has his yard down by the tracks in;here there is no automobile traffic or foot traffic, get him a good real estate agent. Show him how he can move up on the main arterials where he'Il get the traffic and parking s;>ace and make those additional sales that the super markets are taking away from him.

Now what tools should we use for ourselves? Find out how we're selling the dealer and how we should sell the dealer Catalogue your items by line. Divide your terriLory by salesmen, and catalogue your line by salesmen, so yotl know how much dollars and cents your salesman sells in plywood and in doors and in mouldings and in insulation board and in all your other products. Also, catalogue vour

The California Door Company of Los Ang eles Ol(ers One-Stop Service on Expanded Line of Products

Glenn O. Fogleman, manager, The California Door Co. of Los Angeles, announces the appointment of Earl M. Galbraith as sales manager. Their efficient sales force, all well known to the trade, are the following: R. V. Pye, Art Parkins, Don Cardiff and B. P. "Scof" Scofield. All the salesmen know the line thoroughly and are capable of giving the dealers all information.

Earl Galbraith needs no introduction to the Southern California trade. He has spent all of his business life in sales rvork, including lumber, sash, doors and millwork. His last 30 years have been spent in sales direction in both retail and wholesale fields.

The policy of The California Door Company of Los Angeles is wholesale only. They have been in business in Los Angeles for 65 years.

The company carrles a complete line at the warehouse of sash & doors, including the popular Rezo doors, the original hollolv core slab door. They also carry the nationally known Long-Bell pine door, in 3-panel and 4-panel. Adequate stocks of Douglas fir plywood are carried in all thicknesses.

They also carry a complete stock of nationally advertised Canec Insulation Board products, consisting of building board, tile, plank, and insulating lath.

Mr. Galbraith points out that Canec is one of the two boards made of sugar cane fiber. A new process of manufacture has developed a strong and sturdy board. It is manufactured in the Hawaiian Islands.

A complete stock of Masonite Brand Products in all thicknesses and lengtl-rs is also carried in the warehouse.

The California Door Company of Los Angeles is able to offer a one-stop service for the products mentioned at customers by line, so then you can intelligently hold a sales meeting after you've got as much as a three month's pattern and show your salesmen where out of a hundred calls he only sold ten of them plywood. You can't tell him that today unless you have those type of records. Someone, I believe it was Mr. Holman, mentioned that we should screen our salesmen. He never said truer words. Everyone of us is prone to take a nice looking man out of the \^/arehouse and put him on the road, and take the pricing clerk and start him out. And the next morning that pricing clerk is met on the street and he says, "What do you do ?" And he says, "I'm a salesman." Now, how does he know hc's a salesman? He'just was told that was his job. their convenient location, 4940 District Boulevard. They also offer quick and efficient loading of dealers' trucks from the warehouse.

We'll all live to see the day when like a doctor, who iras a diploma for his education and who has worked to prove he's a doctor, or an attorney who has a diploma to prove he's an attorney, we'll see the day when a salesman is one of the top professions in the United States. And that diploma that he carries will be his hallmark of dignity, integrity, houesty, truthfulness in representing his company and selling his merchandise to the dealer.

Fred H. Hartung with Roy Forest Products Co.

Fred H. Hartung, rvell known Southern California lumberman, is now associated with Ted Roy and is an active partner in the Roy Forest Products Co., 6310 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, Calif.

Fred has a fine lumber background. From 1910 to l9N he \vas on Grays Harbor, Wash., and during that time was with the Hoquiam Sash & Door Co., Hoquiam, then Fir Products Co., Montesano, and later with Schafer llros. Lumber & Shingle Co., Aberdeen. He came to Los Angeles in 1920 and was with E. U. Wheelock, Inc., until 1932, then he went rvith Sun Lumber Company of Van Nuys rvhere he rvas purchasing agent until he took over his present position.

Roy Forest Products Co. carry on a general rvholesale lumber business and handle Douglas fir, pine and redwood, making truck and trailer shipments from Oregon and Northern California. They are exclusive Southern Califc'rnia representative for Ocean View Lumber Co., and also represent the Double O Lumber Co., both of Gold Beach, Ore.