SELLING LUMBER 



197 



must know its cost, its grades and its entire process of manu- 

 facture. 



Do you receive, and do you read, and remember, and put into 

 daily use, the data furnished you by this Association through its 

 officers and through the officers of your company? If you do not, 

 you had better get busy and change your course, because it is 

 necessary. Do you know the timber and grading rules thoroughly 

 enough to be able to tell the prospective customer or builder what 

 grade he wants for the purpose intended? If you do not know 

 this how can you sell them? 



So go and learn the grades of timber and lumber and see how 

 much better you are able to do, see how much better you are forti- 

 fied to defend lumber when it becomes necessary, see how much 

 better able you are to talk lumber and, greater than all, you will 

 quickly see how much more lumber you can sell. You will become 

 a much more valuable man to your company and in the end you will 

 secure personal benefits, progress in your work, increased com- 

 pensation and the satisfaction of knowing that you have done a good 

 job. Your employer will also benefit through your increased knowl- 

 edge, but remember, until he does get benefits you will not get any, 

 and if his business goes backward you will go backward, too. 



Also, state honestly and definitely what you can furnish, both 

 as to grade, quality and delivery, and you can only do this by 

 keeping in close touch with the mills at all times. Never be afraid 

 to request information that you should have. 



The manufacturers of this product have awakened to the fact 

 that if they get the best results they have got to keep you posted, 

 and while there may be a few here and there that are working along 

 the old lines, they will change or go out of business. By getting 

 this information and improving your minds you will become a lum- 

 ber specialist in all of its branches and ramifications, and you will 

 cease being a lumber "peddler" or order getter only. 



Never be afraid to condemn the use of yellow pine if it is 

 not fitted for the purposes intended say so, and do not sell any- 

 one yellow pine that will fail in the object that he or they want 

 it for. You may lose one sale, but you will greatly increase the 

 respect and make friends for our industry which will increase its 

 sales, and if this policy had been carried out in the past with in- 

 telligent co-operation between all branches of the industry we would 

 not now be able to provide enough of this product to take care of 

 the demand. Instead of this, what have we done? In the past its 



Keep in Close 

 Touch With 

 the Mills 



See That 

 Yellow Pine 

 Is Properly 

 Used 



