Aug 5 2008 8:07AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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Over the past several weeks I have been observing the process of problem resolution between a Builder Partnerships’ builder member and manufacturer associate as I have been copied on all their email correspondence. It seems that the builder has been experiencing quality problems with one of the manufacturer’s products. It seems that this particular product always is delivered to the jobsite with some form of damage to it.

The manufacturer has been very responsive and has communicated well since the inception of this problem. In fact, the senior vice president of sales and marketing has been involved from the beginning as well. He has had his team visit the distributor to determine if there has been some handling and shipping problems. He has also examined the manufacturing process as well as the shipping process to determine if the problem lies in this area....Read More

Jul 21 2008 9:35AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (2) |
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Through out my life I have observed that there are two kinds of people, those that sit and complain when the going gets tough and those that get up out of their chairs and try to change their situation. This is no different when you look at builders and manufacturers during this tough, tough economy.

Some builders have taken the bull by the horns and have taken costs out of their operation; they have reduced the number of standard items or offers in their homes and have made them options, thus reducing the price of their standard home. Many builders have retrained their sales personnel to better react to the market and to hone their selling skills that may have become rusty during the long upward building cycle.

When it comes to manufacturers, many of them have also become proactive in this down market. Obviously, they have cut costs be reducing head cou...Read More

Jul 9 2008 10:28AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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I recently had an interesting experience during a discussion with several building material manufacturers. These folks were not competitors so the conversation centered on common issues and opportunities such as how to help builders sell upgrades, how to get builders to buy new products, etc. Suddenly the conversation took a new turn and the manufacturers began talking about how they can help each other in specific markets and with specific builders. Manufacturer “A” told Manufacturer “B” that he would personally introduce him to Builder “X” as he had a very good relationship with the builder.

I thought this was great but they took it a step further in that they decided to work together in two markets, Charlotte and the state of Ohio. They scheduled a conference call for their respective sales teams to discuss a strategy on how they c...Read More

Jun 27 2008 9:31AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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Earlier this week I had the opportunity to have a discussion with several non-competing manufacturers who were attending the Pacific Coast Builders’ Conference in San Francisco. As you can imagine, the topics were varied and the content was quite interesting as many different view points were expressed, that is, until the subject of Request for Proposal (RFP) came up. On this subject the manufacturers were all on the same page.

Let me explain. Several years ago most public builders initiated the R.F.P. process with major building material manufacturers. Legend has it that industry consultants assisted the builders in developing this process which has been used in other industries and government for some time. The manufacturers are requested to fill out forms addressing the following subjects:

• Price
• Base Rebate
• Co...Read More

Jun 9 2008 8:53AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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I have been talking with quite a few manufacturers in the past few weeks and the current world oil crisis is hitting home. I am not only talking about the tremendous increase at the pump, but I am also talking about how this situation is affecting the building material manufacturers. Just think about all of the building material products that utilize petroleum-based materials in the manufacturing process – vinyl siding, shingles, windows, fencing, decking, to name a few. The manufacturers who produce these products are getting hit with tremendous raw material price increases and, they are now forced to raise the price of these products to their respective supply channels. All of this means that the builder will pay more and, eventually, the price of new homes will have to increase or the builder will have to eat these cost increases.

...Read More