Bearing the load: to manage a successful installed sales program, you need to put on your contractor's hat and get ready to carry the extra baggage that comes with it: from labor shortages to liability woes to jobsite management

Prosales, August, 2003 by Katy Tomasulo, Chris Wood

It is a service whole-heartedly offered by many, begrudgingly provided by some, and even completely shunned by others. We're talking about installed sales here, and regardless of the camp your company falls into, it's a concept that continues to gain ground at such a quick pace that it's beginning to catapult from a service differentiator to a customer satisfaction requirement. And as more and more builders around the country transition from hammer-swinging carpenters into deal makers and land developers, the trend is only going to get bigger.

This type of expansion, while a positive push for the pro universe, certainly does not come without some growing pains. Ask any dealer who's started a successful installed sales program, and they're likely to remind you that installed sales is a multidimensional service package that incorporates much more than a yard worker, a tool belt, and a product. Mike Butts, vice president of the Michigan Lumber and Building Materials Association and one of the nation's top installed sales trainers, puts it this way: "If we are in installed sales, we are in fact contractors, are we not? We have to face the same issues as contractors."

This sentiment is now being echoed across the entire building materials supply channel, and when a dealer embarks on installed sales, he literally steps into the shoes of his customer and assumes the role of an installer and a general contractor. As a result, many lumberyards must trade in the dealer cap for a new, more complicated contractor top hat and all the baggage to match.

No doubt, bearing the burdens of labor shortages, liability woes, scheduling, jobsite management, and everything in between can be a monumental change for a traditional yard. To help you shoulder the load, we've addressed three of the top issues dealers face in their new roles as installed sales providers: project management, liability protection, and hiring and training. To play the part, you have to dress for the role, and this is what you need to know to make sure you don't wind up wearing the emperor's new clothes on the jobsite.