August, 2004

The Early Bird

Kimal Lumber's CD Specifier's Guide is a hit with architects and builders.

By Greg Brooks

It seems like simple common sense: If you can get your products specified during the design phase, it's a lot easier to sell them when the project does come up for bid.

Most contractor salespeople don't do it, but not for lack of interest. It's a logistics issue. Stopping by an architect's office to introduce yourself and drop off literature is easy. The tough part is compiling and organizing all that literature into a polished, presentable form.

To Deb Liscum, marketing manager at Nokomis, Fla.-based Kimal Lumber, a CD was the obvious answer. Many manufacturers publish their literature in PDFs, and even if they don't, it's a simple if tedious chore to scan a printed brochure and convert it to a PDF. A CD would not only hold hundreds of brochures, it'd fit in a salesperson's pocket.

The problem was that the idea had already been tried by another dealer, and it hadn't worked. Prospects wouldn't use it.

But while Liscum's competitors believed the reason was a lack of tech savvy among local architects and builders, she wasn't so sure. It was possible that the CD itself was the barrier-too difficult to use or not professional enough, for example.

The only way to find out was to try again. Liscum worked with her Web developer to ensure that the CD would be as easy as possible to use. Listings were organized into categories covering Kimal's six major product lines: lumber and building materials, hardware, doors and locksets, architectural millwork, windows and skylights, and engineered wood products.

Within a given category, each listing includes a direct link to one or more PDF brochures on the CD; users can view or print any brochure. Listings also include links to the manufacturer's Web site for more information: Clicking on the link launches your browser and takes you directly to the site.

New products are highlighted in a special section-plus, the CD includes a registration page that sends the user's contact info to Kimal, an email directory of key contacts at the company, and a directory of links to general industry Web sites for building code information, associations, and trade publications. Last but not least, launching the CD automatically launches a video tour of Kimal Lumber's facilities, products, and services.

The challenge was the $15,000 it took to produce the project. Liscum's solution was to get it funded by participating manufacturers. Sharing costs equally meant that each company's contribution would be just a few hundred dollars, so it was an easy sale. Ultimately, the project was nearly 100% funded.

Kimal Lumber's Specifier's Guide turned out to be a hit. Liscum is now planning a second edition in conjunction with a redesign of the company's Web site, that will integrate the two.- Greg Brooks