The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-01-26
Retail Lumber Dealer Cannot Sit Back
and Moan Because Of InrOads
Of Mail Order Houses
HAS MANY WAYS TO
PROMOTE SALES
Advertising, Steady and Carefully Planned,
One Of Essentials Of Success
in Business

Kansas city, Mo-, Jan. 26.-The du-
ty Of a retail lumber dealer to his com.
munity should be to uplift the city,,
town or village, and If the merchant
can be unselfish enough to work whole
heartedly for the good Of his home
town, its prosperity win bring It's own
reward in increased business
This was part Of the address Of Sec
retary r. S. Kellogg of the National
Lumber Manufacturers association
when he today addressed the South
western Lumbermen's association at
its annual convention, with lumber
men present from the state Of Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklaho-
ma.
"The retail lumber dealer should be
the best authority upon building IN
his community, and generally looked.
up to source of information upon con
struction problems" he continued. III
he is, a visitor to his office will not
find him sitting back and complaining
that mail order house 500 to 1000
miles away, has cut him out. He VIII
be continually boosting the game,
and il d ready-cut house comes into
his territory, he can easily make such
an example Of 1t, that instead of being
detriment, it win be the cause for
future orders coming to his own yard.
1t is the primary business of the
retailer TO sell lumber, and his market
is generally within radius Of few
miles from his yard. The adoption Of
a building code unfair to wood may
destroy large portion OF retailers
market, and its effect is likely to
spread to adjacent country districts
The retailers in every one OF the larg
er towns and cities should have an
organization which enables them to
keep intimately and constantly in
touch with the building regulations Oh
their towns They can get help of an
expert kind in the revision OF building
codes from the manufactures, but as
to the interests Immediately concern
ed, 1t would seem entirely logical to
say that the duty Of keeping track OF
matters Of this kind falls primarily up
on the retailers
"There are more ways in which a
live retailer can promote the sale Of
lumber than time permits the mention
Of There is advertising, either indi-
vidual or cooperative, that can accom-
plish a tremendous amount If carefully
planned, well written and properly
placed especially in the home papers.
1t should not be spasmodic but contin-
uous. An occasional big splurge will
not do the work. Steady, consistent
publicity is a business builder. There
are local expositions, in which partic-
ipation by retailers, either individual
or by groups, will do much 10 stmu
late interest ia the use Of wood. There
are service departments, installed by
the individual dealers. which enable
the prospective builder to get person
al first-hand information upon how 10
build. and what to use, and even Sc.
cure building plans that viii meet his
needs. There is the constant live, wide
awake attitude towards ones business
that is quick to take advantage OIL
every turn and condition, and which
does not stop to ask what the immedi
ate return is in dollars and. cents, so
long as the impulse is in the right Al
rectlor The best, all-around citizen
in a community 3 very likely to be
found to be also the best business get
ter"