Prosales articles from May 2003

Prosales archives from May 2003

New frontiers: it's time to heed the call for customization. (Editor's Notes).
May 1, 2003... America's history of innovative manufacturing practices reaches back to the mid-1800s, when forward-thinking industrial pioneers opened new business frontiers with The American System of Manufactures, a production concept that focused on the...

Armed for success: strategic planning will make you a winner in the battle for new business. (New Dimensions).
May 1, 2003... Even in today's uncertain economic and political times, businesses must continue to operate and grow. We often hear the phrase "business is war," and figuratively speaking this gives us a platform to reflect on what we--as business people--can...

The psychiatry of sales: when it comes to sales strategies, it's easy to go crazy analyzing whether you should go after margin or volume. (Firing Line).
May 1, 2003... Freud called it Id vs. Ego: The two opposite forces in our consciousness battling for control of our souls. For lumberyards, the two forces are volume vs. margin--and they appear on my shoulder like an angel and devil every time our management...

Personal touch: your reps need to balance e-commerce with face-to-face contact. (Tech Trends).
May 1, 2003... Computer technology is a great sales tool. It can help organize and track invoices and payments, monitor inventory and available stock, schedule deliveries, and make flashy presentations to builders. If only it could get out on the road and...

Smoke and mirrors: the best sales reps don't put out fires, they prevent them. (Sales Shorts).
May 1, 2003... "If it weren't for Sparky, I'd never buy a stick of lumber from you again!" one of our customers screamed into the phone. "Not only were you two hours late, you also went to the wrong subdivision. You didn't send the nails or flashing. The only...

The royal treatment: despite an expected smooth CCA phase out, market demand for alternatives and looming environmental politics continue to knot the grain for pressure treated lumber. (Pro Watch).
May 1, 2003... After a hiccup or two and more than one pair of pro dealer arms thrown in the air, it looks like the December 31, 2003, government-mandated phase-out of CCA will be smoother than first expected. According to Kenner, La.-based Southern Pine...

Yard notables. (Pro Watch).
May 1, 2003... Andersen Celebrates 100 years To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Andersen Corp., the Bayport, Minn.-based window and door manufacturer, will fund a $5 million Habitat for Humanity construction project to build 100 homes. The program is...

The ProSales 100: ProSales' annual ranking of the nation's leading construction suppliers revealed a strong and stable sales year in 2002, one that was characterized by modest growth generated by targeting customers with tailored manufacturing, installation, and service offerings. (Cover Story).
May 1, 2003... Another year, another solid ding on pro dealer and distributor cash registers nationwide. Despite a sluggish national economy, the residential construction sector surged in 2002, nicking up a total of 1.36 million new single-family starts,...

Posting gains: in the quest for business growth, the ProSales 100 are busy scrutinizing market opportunities and focusing on sales efficiencies as the companies close on their heels continue to match their pace. (The ProSales 100).
May 1, 2003... NAHB is forecasting 1.31 million single-family home starts in 2003--which is 48,000 units shy of the stellar peak reached in 2002, a year that went down on the books as the strongest since 1978. However, the projected dip has not quelled the...

Add value with an installed lockset sales program: dealers are boosting sales and profitability by packaging installation with sales of locksets and door hardware. (Special Advertising Section).
May 1, 2003... Dealers are boosting sales and profitability by packaging installation with sales of locksets and door hardware The next time you get a call from a builder who has misplaced the entry door handleset for a house he's pressed to finish, or...

At your service: product and service offerings abound among the ProSales 100, and those successfully expanding their reach say nailing down a consistent business approach will make the difference between winning business and losing profits. (The ProSales 100).
May 1, 2003... For pro building materials suppliers, the popularity of basic product lines doesn't change much from year to year. Categories such as treated lumber, exterior doors, and windows have always held ground as mainstay offerings industrywide, and...

Market drivers: emphasizing sales support and service flexibility, two-step distributors are partnering with lumberyards to help pull profit through the supply chain. (The PropoSales 100).
May 1, 2003... Today, two-step distributors have evolved far beyond mere warehousing of pro dealer product. As the residential construction supply channel has transformed over the past decade, the inventory-only business model has virtually disappeared from...

ProSales Executive Summit: November 6-8, 2003.
May 1, 2003... SUPPLY BY DESIGN Know Where You Are, Where You're Going, and How to Get There Sweeping changes in the building materials supply channel have opened new avenues for dealers to expand not only their product offerings but their services...

Measuring up: high efficiencies, firm cost control, and a commitment to accurate framing packages make Davidson Industries the de facto truss and panel supplier to the Indianapolis big builder market. (Profile Davidson Industries).
May 1, 2003... In the early 1950s, entrepreneur and pro dealer Ted Davidson brought into a risky new way to add sales revenue to his Southport, Ind., lumberyard. Called panelization, the technique promise a juicier margin for sticks compared to the typical...

Surplus strategies: discount pricing isn't the only way to unload excess inventory or discontinued items. (How To Sell Excess Inventory).
May 1, 2003... Brad Spelts admits that his lumberyard is in "the middle of nowhere," serving a population of roughly 1,300 people and supplying perhaps two complete house projects a year among a variety of home improvements, additions, and repair jobs. ...

Nature underfoot: cork, bamboo, and linoleum flooring combine earth-friendly attributes with design versatility, high performance, and durability. (Product Info).
May 1, 2003... The growing interest in green building and in products that are manufactured with renewable resources has many contractors and their clients on watch for alternatives to traditional building materials. The flooring category in particular is...

Grid locked. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Available in OSB and plywood, the Grid Panel System from Martco is a surface-printed system of cutting and nailing lines that helps with roof sheathing, side-wall, sub-flooring, and siding installation. Available in a variety of thicknesses and...

Nail down. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Paslode's R175-C roofing coil nailer features 20 percent more power than the maker's original model and weighs 5.8 pounds. Featuring a carbide-tip nose, hardened steel driver blade, an ergonomic design, a two-fingered trigger, and an adjustable...

Tough enough. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Sherwin-Williams High Performance Waterborne Floor Enamel protects concrete and wood floors in high-traffic areas, Concrete floors can be coated with the waterborne formula soon after construction and the enamel will not peel, according to the...

Overhead decor. (Product Info).
May 1, 2003... While most residential ceilings are left plain and unadorned for the span of their lifetimes, many homeowners and builders choose to decorate this surface with tin tiles; wood beams, planks, panels, and beadboard; and wood-look laminates. In...

Lay low. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Liberty Classic Stone molded pavers from Boral Bricks are made with a lightweight manufactured stone and install like brick, says the maker. The pavers reproduce the shape and texture of natural stone in a 3-inch-thick veneer. Liberty Classic...

Holding up. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Secured to roof trusses or framing members, Skyhook's High-Jax roof-mounted braces create a stable platform during roofing and sheathing applications for a load of 7/16-inch plywood. The braces are constructed of lightweight, high-strength...

Walk along. (New Products).
May 1, 2003... Target's MG-10 walk-behind green concrete saw has an adjustable handle and rubber handgrips for operator comfort. A vibration-resistant frame helps reduce maintenance needs, says the maker. An operator can preset the MG-10's depth-of-cut with...

Lift off. (Product Info).
May 1, 2003... The right equipment can make hauling and delivering materials easier and more efficient. Following is a sampling of some of the latest materials handling introductions and upgrades. A stake bed option has been added to Stone Construction...

The new builder. (View From El Nuevo Constructor).
May 1, 2003... For well over a decade, pro dealers across the country have been discovering what yards in traditionally Hispanic-heavy markets like California, Texas, and Florida already know. When it comes to filling labor needs and expanding business...