Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/449123
52 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WORLD FENCE NEWS this "new situation." Many didn't wish to make the trip, I suspect, out of fear for what they might fi nd. After all, fear of the unknown is with all of us psycholog- ically and for all of us to overcome it in our daily lives we must confront it at some point. After some time, I managed to convince a few people to make the leap and visit and report back as to what they observed. I asked them to pose some ques- tions, physically visit with the product displays, and get some idea of what they were up against. The initial reports coming back to me at the time were really very basic in terms of both knowledge and un- derstanding. However, what I did hear was that the salespeople would only answer specifi c questions and never go out of their way to offer additional help or assistance, regardless of what department was visited. Further, I remember being told that several questions that were asked could not be answered because of lack of knowledge. As time went on, I witnessed those observations and results myself. I never forgot visiting a Home Depot in the Midwest with a friend of mine who was there to buy some fertilizer. The salesperson never thought to sug- gest any additional products like addi- tional garden supplies, hoses, etc. that could have boosted the total sale. My friend and I returned to his house (some 30 miles away) and re- alized that he needed a new rake and a spreader. Chances are, if the sales person had bothered to ask if he needed any other items, he probably would have remembered his need for the rake and spreader. As it turned out, my friend never bothered to go back to the Home Depot again. The same was true regarding fenc- ing and fencing materials. The overall quality of the product and the knowl- edge level was totally below what our industry professionals could offer. Now, armed with knowledge and experience, I began reminding both my clients in the fence industry and the stores in the association I was running that the best defense against the box store is an offensive approach to educating the customer about your products and reminding them that the services that you offer and the quali- ty of installation and professionalism that you represent are typically not available through the box stores. This is an ongoing situation today but hopefully our people in the fence industry are much better equipped to deal with it. I would relate to you a part of a conversation I recently had with a well established fence contractor who shared with me that a customer had called him and asked if the products he had were as good as Home Depot. Obviously, we still have an educa- tion job to do. However, in this recovering econ- omy, there are several places where price sensitivity plays a major role in the decision making process. Let's hope that the education process ex- tends into quality of materials and installation and not into simply mate- rials purchased at box stores. These are some of the biggest memories and refl ections that come to mind. Obviously, many of you will re- member other things that are notewor- thy and pertinent to you in your own individual businesses. I would be remiss here if I didn't acknowledge the development in the past 10 to 15 years of vinyl and com- posites and their presence in the fence industry. In certain parts of the coun- try, it has had a bigger market impact than in others. However I hope no one's feelings are hurt by my not devoting suffi cient column space to it at this time. I feel it needs more time to gauge its impact on the industry and perhaps the next time a column such as this is created I will feel more comfortable writing about it because of its track record. I sincerely hope some of these refl ections, expressions, etc., have served to take you back in time and help you realize how far we have come and from those of us who can create with vision and see into the "future" how far we can continue to grow and at some point help us to realize that Profi t Is Not A Dirty Word!™ Jim Lucci's The Human Link continued from page 50 World F ence ews N News from the World of Fencing, Access Control and Security © See Us At FENCETECH 2015! DO NOT THINK PAYING MORE WILL GET YOU MORE We have the Biggest Driver, the Best Warranty and the Best Price! The Ultimate driver designed for the fence contractor is HERE! • Large 3-1/8" barrel • Full size hammer • Up to 1850 bpm • Includes 2" sleeve (pictured at right) • 3 year warranty • Lifetime impact YOU CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU BUILD FENCE! 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