In the world of sales, there are often no right answers. What would you do in this tough sales situation? Make the call below, and see instantly how your judgment compares. Final results will appear in LBM Journal. Be sure to check back next month for a fresh Tough Call.

Tough Call - Tangled in the Web

Having spent your entire adult life in the building supply business, you love virtually everything about it.

Having spent your entire adult life in the building supply business, you love virtually everything about it. More than anything else, you like knowing that you and your company do the important work of helping people improve their homes. While you love  working in the industry that’s truly grounded in the real world, you also enjoy figuring out new and better ways to leverage technology to grow your sales—in the virtual world. 

After experimenting with Internet sales for the past few years, 2011 was the
year that everything clicked into place.  As people have become accustomed to researching products on the web, a growing number have taken the next logical step—making purchases online. The vast majority of your business is still from your local market, but you’re now getting more and more orders from far-off locales—including the occasional international order! While these overseas
orders can present unique shipping challenges for your operations manager, your company’s bottom line is benefitting from the mostly incremental sales. But selling online is not without its complications. 

With your online sales growing, you hired someone early in 2011 to manage and “merchandise” your Internet store.  As with your company’s physical showroom, the appearance and usability of your online store translates directly into sales. To ensure that each product in your virtual store looks its best, you approved the purchase of photography equipment—not a small investment. Judging from your online store’s sales trajectory, you’re confident that the investment has paid off. However, you’ve learned that you’re not the only one benefitting. 

Your online guru has discovered that several LBM dealers in different markets—and at least one wholesaler—has copied your original images for use on their websites. Even though these companies aren’t in your physical market, the Internet can make geography irrelevant, which makes anyone selling the same product a potential competitor. 

You’ve been pleased to learn that the offending dealers had no idea that the images were copyrighted. To a person, they all understood your desire to protect your work, and all agreed to make it right. As a result of those calls, some have agreed to pull the images—while others are happy to credit you as the source. 

Up to now, there have been no serious consequences. After all, many dealers are still learning the rules as they navigate this new  business opportunity.  However, as online sales grow—and you see no reason why they won’t—and as you invest more and more in your Internet store, it’s inevitable that other conflicts will emerge. What would you do to protect your intellectual property—while still growing your sales?

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