Grassroots: positioning your company as a good neighbor will help root your yard in the community

Prosales, August, 2003 by Lisa Clift

Standing on a ladder in the middle of Parr Lumber's 19th Street yard nestled in downtown Portland, Ore., director of sales Nate Bond is busy picking out nails for a neighborhood customer who strolled in a few minutes earlier wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. When he's finished he walks back over to the yard manager and asks: "Do you know who that is?" Without waiting for an answer, he points out Dan Palmer, a world-renown jazz guitarist. He aim happens to be a long-time friend of Bond's, and before long everyone is invited up to the musician's new hilltop house overlooking the city to inspect the full remodeling job he's been working on for the past few months.

While this certainly was an unusual side trip for a lumberyard tour, it's not at all out of the ordinary for Bond, a Portland native and 25-plus-year veteran of Parr, to strike up a conversation with or to help out an old friend or long-time customer at any one of the dealer's local yards. The same holds true for Parr's managers and employees, many of whom have been with the company for years--and all of whom take great pride in being part of a local organization with strong community ties. It doesn't matter if you're famous or not, every customer is considered special at Parr--and it shows the minute you walk into one of the stores.

I use Parr as a benchmark here because according to Bond this business philosophy has helped the company become the Portland area market leader and to hit sales of $228 million last year. It also has contributed to building a strong DIY and consumer base that Parr continues to expand through television and print advertising, a call-in radio show, and special ventures such as the NW Neighbors School Card Program and NW Neighbors Builder Advantage Card Program. Currently partnering with two other local companies for the Neighbors programs, Parr gives an 8 percent donation to local school districts when consumers use the school card, while builders can provide their homeowner customers with a builder card that entitles them to preferred pricing at the participants locations.

As you can see from these examples, getting to know your customers and honestly taking an interest in helping the communities you serve is not only philanthropic, it also is a way to improve your customer service and build the type of loyalty that will help your business grow and flourish. Even if you don't have the market longevity of a company like Parr, which was founded approximately 75 years ago, you still can benefit from reaching out and finding creative ways to interact with builders and contractors, as well as consumers if they happen to be a part of your customer mix. It might include special events, new services, or ongoing marketing programs that raise awareness of your company, products, and services.

I've always thought that the best neighbors are those who do things to help you out without being asked. Don't wait for your community to come knocking on the door, get out there and make the connections first. It's the best way to grow grass roots in your yard.

Lisa Clift, Editor

202.736.3307

lclift@hanley-wood.com