April 28, 2014
As I sit here pondering what to put in my first blog, my eyes drift to a poster hanging in my office graphing out pricing from Random Lengths over the last ten years. If you are unfamiliar with Random Lengths, they provide the forest products industry with unbiased, consistent, and timely reports of market activity and prices, related trends, issues and analyses. Though RL doesn’t necessarily correlate directly to our wholesale distribution business, it does describe trends in market forecasting. I remember these wild price swings as if they are a needle on the Richter scale during an earthquake. In fact, five times during the last ten years, natural disasters have played a significant role in changing the direction of the structural panel market. We try as best we can to be prepared for these shifts and inform our customers, but there are always things out of our control that can affect prices of panel products.
This reminds me how little we as buyers affect our market with larger purchases or special deals. The strong, long-standing relationships we have with our suppliers can transcend hurricanes and natural disasters. A few years ago, one of my mills called with early information they were going “off the market” the next morning, but they would push through a purchase order in the next hour to get us some wood we had talked about earlier that week. All that time spent sharing your supplier’s personal stories and inquiring about his weekend plans can go a long way in developing a personal relationship that you may have to call upon at times to get product for your customers.
I read this quote recently,
“Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to raise prices, but travel and work hard to keep strong personal connections and relationships, and don’t present a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude.”
This statement rings true with me as I think of how many times my relationships have bailed me out more than I care to admit. With business turning faster, hundreds of emails to sift through, the Internet coming at us from all directions, and cell phones controlling our thermostats, you can’t afford to just send an email and assume your recipient really understands your message. Call them, go see them, stay in touch and know they understand. Form those relationships which bond us together during good times and bad. We are not here to just be your supplier. We are here to be your partner. Don’t be afraid to call on us to ask questions, clarify things, and find you what you need.
Posted by: Jon Swennes
