SELLING LUMBER 



181 



You will also find he wants to know what you know and to know 

 what you don't know. 



He realizes that the real success of any man is to know what 

 he knows, and to know what he doesn't know. 



Whenever the client reaches the point when he hasn't any 

 confidence in the architect's advice, the architect might as well 

 quit. 



People generally kick when they pay their bills, but when 

 time elapses, and they realize they have obtained the results they 

 wanted, they are glad they paid the price. 



I know the firms in my territory that handle good lumber 

 and mill work, and I know who are responsible conscientious build- 

 ers. I don't care so much about how you cut your lumber, or 

 how you ship it, or how you dispose of it, or how you collect for 

 it, but I base my confidence on the quality of your materials, and 

 your ability to get it there on time, and therefore I will try and 

 do business with you. 



The architect does not care to meet representatives of build- 

 ing material manufacturers, or specialty salesmen who are unin- 

 formed on their products. A large percentage of the material 

 salesmen know nothing of the process of manufacture, or impor- 

 tant qualifications of the goods they handle. They know less 

 about their materials than the men they are trying to interest, yet 

 they all try to see the architect personally and have their goods 

 specified. The architect hasn't the time or the inclination to meet 

 with men of this class, but we are perfectly willing and anxious 

 to meet men who know their materials complete from the raw 

 material to the finished product. Then when the goods are speci- 

 fied and sold we want men who are interested enough in the work 

 to see that we get the material specified and see to it that it is 

 delivered to the job on time. We want to do business with a sales- 

 man who is not content to have his materials specified, but as some 

 one has said, who insists that his firm gives "service," and that 

 this service shall consist of the absolute performance of the con- 

 tract. The average man starts out with the idea that success is 

 measured by the amount of sales and volume of business, later it 

 dawns upon him that these are not the only things to strive for, 

 and that these are not the important things. 



He then knows that he must establish and maintain certain 

 standards. The salesman and the dealer of today are the two 



Architect's 

 Confidence 

 Based on 

 Known 

 Quality. 



Ignorant 

 Salesmen Not 

 Welcome 



