If you need stock, call The Rock.
When I first started at a large regional dealer as Sales Manager years ago, the SVP of Sales at the time split up the OSRs geographically between me and another Sales Manager hired about the same time. Since my area was Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Cape Cod, Rocky was one of the salespeople who fell under my umbrella.
The first time I met Rocky, I immediately liked him. He was friendly, respectful, professional, and had a nice sense of humor. He filled me in on his career, which was spent entirely in the LBM industry and dated back to the mid-1970s at P.F. O’Conner’s in Massachusetts. It was a fascinating conversation.
While I have many good memories of Rocky, here are a few that stand out.
The first time I rode with Rocky to go visit customers, I noticed his license plate, “LUMBER1.” He told me he had it since he became a road salesperson in the late 1970s. He was definitely very proud of it. But I think he was even more proud of what he had printed on his business cards, which dated back to when he started doing road sales. The phrase he had printed on the cards was, “If you need stock, call Rock.” As I stated earlier, he had a great sense of humor. But it was clear he was passionate about his profession.
It was also obvious that Rocky was a family man and would do anything he could to help anyone in need. He especially liked the Christmas season. So much, in fact, that he wore different Christmas sweaters or sweatshirts every day during the season. You’d very seldom find Rocky in a sour mood, which is why everyone enjoyed it when “The Rock” came around.
Another time I rode with him, we headed to Cape Cod to see one of his best, and old-time, customers. Their relationship went back decades, and it was clear the customer respected and liked Rocky. He told me how good Rocky was and that he was the main reason that we were his number one supplier. Besides introducing me to the customer, the main purpose of the meeting was to secure a condo project in Hyannis.
After some small talk, Rocky got down to business and discussed products and lead times. He then asked the customer for the delivery address, delivery instructions, etc., so we could open up a separate job account.
The customer said, “Hold on, Rock. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Rocky responded, “You’re joking, right? I’ve worked my butt off for you over the years, and Mike massaged the final numbers. You know they’re good, so what the heck (sic) is the problem?!” Rocky could talk like that to him because their relationship went back so long.
The customer said, “Rocky, this is a huge project, and I’m looking for more.”
Rocky stood up and said, “You’re getting damn good pricing, and, as you already know, you get exceptional service from us. But, more importantly, you are getting me! Do you really want to do this project with an unknown?”
The customer sat there for a minute and then smiled. He then stood up and extended his hand and said, “Rocky, you are indeed the man!” I just smiled because I knew I had a professional on my hands. We spent the next 18 months shipping lumber, siding, windows, doors, interior products, and more to the job.
Rocky worked well into his seventies. Not because he had to, but because he loved what he did. And it seemed like everyone loved him.
My advice to all, no matter your position, is to be “The Rock.”
Mike McDole has 40+ years of actual LBM experience, including being SVP of a large regional pro-dealer, and is the principal of Firing Line LBM Advisors. He’s also partners with Greg Brooks of the Executive Council on Construction Supply and his LMS. Mike can be reached at 774.372.1367 or Mike@FiringLineLBM.com.
