Prosales articles from April 2003

Prosales archives from April 2003

On the road: make sure your reps can drive new business home before you put them behind the wheel. (Editor's Notes).
April 1, 2003... Ask almost any sales expert, and they'll tell you that getting reps out in the field making face-to-face jobsite calls is one of the best ways to gauge your market's business needs and establish a loyal customer base. In fact, builders ranked...

Wake-up call: if you believe truly loyal customers are only a pipe dream, it's time to adopt a better service-oriented business approach. (New Dimensions).
April 1, 2003... "We buy all of our material from Bentstick Lumber," Joe said during an informal dinner with a group of contractors at a recent trade show. Later that evening I wondered, "Was this conversation a dream or a hallucination caused by the...

Solid ground: the supply channel may be shifting, but the LBM industry is not going to be crushed under a landslide. (Firing Line).
April 1, 2003... After meeting with Ed, a product representative recently hired by one of our distributors and new to building materials altogether, he made a comment that surprised me: "It's nice to be a part of such a stable industry." Building materials...

The builder connection: what was your overall impression of the International Builders' Show and what did you find most interesting on site? (Angles).
April 1, 2003... While pro dealers among the 92,000 attendees at the 2003 International Builders' Show tended to agree that the event is very much a contractor's affair, many still walked away from the show's three halls and 1,300 exhibits with fresh contacts...

Curb appeal: pro dealers and distributors team up with Alcoa to roll 18 wheels of sales clinics, installation tutorials, and showroom quality product models to a jobsite near you. (Perspectives).
April 1, 2003... With the flick of a blinker, Tampa, Fla.-based ASI Building Products just expanded one of its 13 distribution centers with a showroom, sales and product training classroom, and a hands-on product installation clinic. Over the next several days,...

Process improvement: at Universal Supply, new integrated inventory software and a complete warehouse redesign streamline the order fulfillment and delivery processes. (Pro Watch).
April 1, 2003... Jeff Umosella, vice president of sales and marketing for Hammonton, NJ.-based Universal Supply, remembers when the average window catalog was 50 pages long. "Now most of them are close to a foot thick," he says. Driven by consumer desire to...

Showing up: rubbing shoulders with the boxes, 84 lumber helped keep the pro dealer torch burning at the 2003 International Builders' Show. (Pro Watch).
April 1, 2003... When it comes to the NAHB's annual International Builders' Show, you'll most likely find pro dealers and distributors strolling the aisles or hitting the back rooms at vendor booths rather than manning company booths of their own. With mostly...

Yard notables. (Pro Watch).
April 1, 2003... Jeld-Wen Consolidates Brand Names Jeld-Wen, a vertically integrated producer of 27 window and door brands in North America, announced it is consolidating all of its brands under the master brand name Jeld-Wen. The unified brand will create...

Help wanted: as the economy heats up, experts expect surplus labor to disappear and human resources issues to stay on the front burner. (Pro Watch).
April 1, 2003... Hopefully, you've got all of your key positions filled this year because economists and LBM job market watchers are predicting another labor crunch as the economy recovers from recession over the next year. Some experts warn that the impending...

The builder revolution: an exclusive ProSales study reveals that while today's builders continue to scout for the best deals, they also are transforming residential construction supply with increasing demands for top-notch customer support and a full range of value-added services. (Cover Story).
April 1, 2003... How do today's builders select, purchase, and install products? How do they choose and evaluate suppliers and the value-added services they offer? These might seem like simple questions to answer, but there is a complex interdependence among...

The best of both worlds: sure, builders want the best price--but not at the expense of on-time delivery and customer service. (The Builder Revolution).
April 1, 2003... Building materials dealers spend a lot of time thinking of ways they can better serve their customers. But what services do builders really value in their dealer relationships and how important are they when it comes to choosing their...

Points of contact: builders give pro dealers the biggest slice of their business and in return expect hands-on support and constant communication as a part of the deal. (The Builder Revolution).
April 1, 2003... No doubt, communication is at the heart of business relationships in the residential construction industry, and according to the "The Builder Revolution" study, dealers control a critical and influential position in the supply chain. Not...

By popular demand: installed sales and components are commanding the attention of builders looking to shift more of the construction process upstream. (The Builder Revolution).
April 1, 2003... It's no great secret that there typically is more profit in providing services than in selling commodity products. The IBM industry certainly is no exception to this rule if the past decade's continued growth of installed sales programs and...

The source: make your yard the go-to place for special orders. If you view them as an opportunity to serve contractors, chances are customer loyalty--and sales--will soar. (How To Sell Special Orders).
April 1, 2003... Behind the counter at Gilroy Concrete & Building Materials in Gilroy, Calif., is a book used to record contractor requests for special order or non-stocked items. Every time he meets with his sales team, outside sales representative Nick...

Royal flush: manufacturers unclog low-flow toilet woes with better engineering for quieter, faster, and more efficient flushing. (Product Info).
April 1, 2003... Low-consumption gravity tank and pressure-assisted residential toilets have increased in efficiency over the last several years. To the relief of many homeowners, most pressure-assisted models have a quieter flush than earlier units, and many...

Hard wired. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Cooper Wiring's new line of redesigned GFCI receptacles, the XGF-series, meets all new UL 943 safety standards and features a new circuit design, a built-in indicator light for positive identification of ground-fault occurrence, and a back...

Sunny reflections. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Solar Reflective Glass Blocks from Pittsburgh Corning feature a metal oxide coating to control and reduce solar energy gain while providing ample light transmission. The blocks, also capable of reducing noise transmission, are available in a...

On the edge. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Perimeter Systems' Designer Series gutters and cornice systems collect and drain water from large roof areas while providing an attractive gutter system. Available in four sculptured profiles--Roman, Batten, Colonial, and Contemporary--the...

Reclaiming resources. (Product Info).
April 1, 2003... Most dealers have probably stocked it without even realizing it: wallboard manufactured of synthetic gypsum. Many gypsum board manufacturers produce significant quantities of synthetic gypsum products, marketing, labeling, and selling them...

Shake it up. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Manufactured of recycled rubber and plastic, Seneca Cedar Shake Tiles offer the traditional appearance of wood shakes in a lightweight alternative, says the maker, EcoStar. Seneca tiles are available in nine colors and in random widths of 6, 9,...

Fiber rich. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Slate/Select fiber-cement roofing provides the appearance of natural slate, but is made of a proprietary cement matrix with non-alkaline glass fibers. Available in a variety of colors, blends, and antiqued shades, the roofing is colored with...

Raise the roof. (New Products).
April 1, 2003... Tamko's Heritage XL laminated shingles provide a wider-cut appearance in five new colors: canyon brown, desert sunrise; slatetone grey, Black Forest, and weathered stone. A 10-year Algae-Relief limited warranty is included, and Heritage XL...

Architectural touch. (Product Info).
April 1, 2003... Roofing is not simply about covering he housetop anymore--it has become one more opportunity for homeowners and designers to make a statement, and the new favorite material of choice for making such statements is the laminated shingle. ...

Selfless service: industry award winners prove that residential construction is always ready to give a little back. (View From Builder).
April 1, 2003... "Builders are some of the most generous, giving people you can find, once you get them outside the arena they work in," says Lee Wetherington, president and CEO of Lee Wetherington Homes in Sarasota, Fla., who was one of the recipients of...