Many dealers find themselves in the position of managing the size of their teams in direct proportion to sales – as sales grow, they add more people. In the latest addition of “Evaluation Leading to Action”, we would like to suggest a different approach. Let’s think in terms of what our real mission is, to […]

Despite loving your business, everyone has to face the day that one must leave, either because of age, health, or any number of other reasons. In our observations talking with many in the LBM industry, from dealers, to vendors and partners, they have confirmed “the elephant in the room”. Many lumber yard owners don’t really […]

We see all sorts of approaches to pricing in lumber yards. The disparity is nothing, if not fascinating. Some yards rely on their road sales people to set prices based on an overall margin goal. Some set prices once a week or month, and then hold the salespeople to those prices. Some let salespeople override […]

Have you been capturing lots of data? If you are like many lumber yard dealers, you may be wondering how to best leverage all of this information? I like to think of data in terms of your Customers, Products, Channels or Markets. Let’s start at the beginning without getting too technical and focus on your […]

As marketers, we are concerned with the interaction between the business and the marketplace. Most successful marketers have a process to provide focus in developing well-grounded strategies, to make strategic decisions. I like to think of strategies as the sequence of events necessary in order to produce the desired outcome. If you haven’t developed a […]

The headlines are filled with people coming forward with claims of inappropriate contact, misuse of power, discrimination and toxic work environments. Lumber Yards are not immune to these claims and the potential fallout that ensues. What steps have you taken to minimize your risk? What risks are there? This is a difficult issue, and many […]

It seems like LBM Marketers are behind other industries when it comes to giving customers a great experience. I am not talking about customer service, I mean customer engagement marketing. Customers today have blurred the line between online and offline interactions and they expect a seamless experience no matter how they choose to connect with […]

Most LBM dealers have built good relationships with their best customers, and you may think you know your customer, but how much do you really know? Not all customers have the same needs, wants and behaviors. As LBM Dealers embrace more of an Omni-Channel marketing approach, leveraging your customer data is foundational to understanding them […]