Real Issues. Real Answers: Managing Evolving Inventories
“Evolve or die.” That jarring little sentence from an LBM Journal reader packs a powerful punch, and in today’s LBM industry, it is more...
Real Issues. Real Answers: Creating Great Employees
As far as your customers are concerned, your employees are your company. With housing and remodeling heating up, and LBM dealers reporting difficulty attracting...
Real Issues. Real Answers: Optimizing Deliveries
For LBM dealers, nothing happens until a sale is made. For our builder customers, nothing happens until the material arrives on the jobsite. Deliveries...
Five Ways To Beat Amazon
While some LBM dealers are just starting to consider how online retailers like Amazon may affect their bottom line, a small-town Arkansas dealer has...
Real Issues. Real Answers: The Amazon Factor
For retailers in a growing number of industries, Amazon.com has proven to be a relentless competitor. (Fun fact: relentless.com actually redirects to Amazon.com). Thanks...
Real Issues. Real Answers: Managing Generational Transitions
In a very real sense, our companies are our people. They’re what set us apart from the competition, and they’re a big reason for...
REAL ISSUES, REAL ANSWERS: To Non-Compete Or Not?
The LBM industry at large is wrestling with a shortage of qualified help. With business up at least modestly in many markets, this problem...
REAL ISSUES, REAL ANSWERS: Desperately Seeking Good Salespeople
Real Issues. Real Answers
Finding and keeping good people has emerged as the number one challenge facing LBM companies. And since nothing happens until a...
REAL ISSUES. REAL ANSWERS: Razor Thin Margins
Real Issues. Real Answers
This month's question came from a dealer in Northern California, who wrote: “If a rising tide raises all boats, why do...
REAL ISSUES. REAL ANSWERS: Competing With Vendors
Real Issues. Real Answers
THIS MONTH’S QUESTION came from Kim Wild at Carter Lumber, Luddington, Mich., who wrote: “Our issue involves dealing with two-steppers that...