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You’ve hired a new salesperson. They are very professional, organized, and well-spoken. You’ve provided company training, including basic product knowledge, internal operational procedures, and shipping parameters, and given them basic blueprint reading training. They have driven with the sales manager and gotten the green light to take over existing accounts that need a rep and bring in new accounts. Should be like shooting fish in a barrel, right?

Sixty days later, your new salesperson is underperforming. They are not bringing in many new accounts or increasing sales with your existing customers. Everyone at your company likes the new rep. The customers you’ve polled also like the new rep; however, they don’t feel comfortable enough to trust their business to them yet. You reason that you’ve provided all the proper training, and this is a very complicated and demanding industry. You will just have to give them more time to gain experience and knowledge in the field, and they will succeed.

This is a very typical scenario in the lumber and building materials industry. Salespeople are hired with no practical construction experience very often. It may take two to three years for an entry-level salesperson to obtain the experience and confidence necessary to gain the trust needed to “talk the talk” with builders, framers, and developers. Let’s face it, trying to conduct business on a jobsite with project managers and subcontractors that have years of industry experience is not for thin-skinned novices, and turning them loose on potential customers without the proper training may cost you future sales opportunities.

The fact is, over the last few decades, construction has become much more complicated and technical. Thirty years ago, entire developments were shipped and built with very little thought into what materials would be required. Units of dimensional lumber and plywood were delivered and used as needed. There were very few choices as far as sheathing, and engineered lumber products were rarely used. Joist hangers were about the only hardware needed. Subcontractors would provide takeoffs for their builders as part of their services. Material overages were returned or used up on the next project. Shortages were shipped on “fill-in” deliveries and considered part of the cost of doing business.

Today, things are quite different. Most floor, wall, and roof systems are engineered, and the materials provided must be precise. There are now many product choices. For example, several types, thicknesses, and sizes of sheathing may be used on the same project to meet complicated energy, shear, and fire ratings. Many types of hardware are required for today’s wind- and seismic-conscious codes and can be quite expensive. Energy-efficient systems are complex and require specific materials that are compatible with each other to avoid moisture and mold issues. In addition, plans for projects typically fail to provide enough information to produce accurate material lists, even for bids, much less orders. Plans are usually loaded with conflicting and inaccurate details and information, and schedules read like word puzzles. Products specified are often inconsistent and incompatible with each other, and rarely do structural plans match the architectural plans they were produced from.

All these issues and many more create a situation where bids and budgets are easily underestimated, costing builders and suppliers a great deal of money. The cost of expediting “fill-in” orders and replacing products ordered in error is much more expensive today. Today it’s rare to find a subcontractor or builder that has the expertise and product knowledge and is willing to take the time to produce accurate takeoffs. Most depend on their suppliers to accurately bid on materials for their projects. These are among the reasons why your customers may be hesitant to trust your new sales rep.

While training has evolved and improved immensely in our industry in recent years, it still has many shortfalls. It’s rare for a lumberyard or building material supplier to have trainers with the expertise needed to train new salespeople to understand the issues their customers deal with. Basic blueprint reading is not near enough training to provide the skills necessary to understand most projects and determine if plans are adequate to be used for a final bid/order or rough budget only or advise the customer of potential issues that may arise with product incompatibility and availability.

A dedicated trainer who is knowledgeable about construction and estimating practices should be retained, or this training should be outsourced to a qualified party. That person or party should have a proven record of providing the knowledge necessary to train quality salespeople to advise their customers on technical matters such as blueprint reading, identifying problems and issues, understanding the difference between plans that are adequate to provide an accurate takeoff and those that are not, etc.

This training is the difference between a sales rep who makes it through each day managing chaos and driving up costs that lower margins, or a sales rep who can impress potential new customers, retain existing customers, and charge what they are worth.  

Dave Smith is the founder and president of Delavue Management and Consulting Services. The firm has been in business since 2007 and provides material takeoffs and consulting services for lumberyards and building material suppliers nationwide. He can be reached at 856-362-7992 or dave@delavuellc.com.