It seems like every other day a vendor rep is knocking on my door with their line of composite decking, PVC decking, and handrail systems they offer. Yet many times these “spur of the moment” requests to meet are not giving the proper time the product offering may deserve, because the meeting was unexpected.
Most of the time in this industry “cold calling” is a common occurrence, but if 
you’re trying to promote a new product to the marketplace, you should really take the time to schedule your meetings accordingly to whoever it is you’re planning on promoting your products to.
There are many companies producing composite decking, and it seems the list is growing by the day. Every building magazine you pick up has at least five different composite manufactures listed in their advertisements. Some of these composites are totally USA manufactured, and God Bless them! We at Kimal Lumber & Hardware are focused on the USA companies and most of our vendor representatives know it.
When you’re a retail lumber dealer, it’s getting more and more challenging to determine what line of composite decking or PVC decking to stock; then when you bring it in, it’s always the one the customer wants that you don’t have. The Kimal sales team has a pretty good feel of what their customers prefer, so we try to concentrate our efforts based on this platform. When there is a decking picked out by the builder that we don’t have, luckily we have a good number of wholesalers stocking the products we need, thank goodness for them.
Handrail systems are a little different story. We don’t stock any handrail inventory, and I would assume most other retail dealers do not either. I kid you not, over the last three months we have been introduced to no less than five different handrail companies—and the knocks continue on the door. Our hallways in the sales office are filled with little handrail samples all over the place, and if you’re a retail dealer, I bet yours are too.
There are many great manufacturers to choose from in the lines mentioned above; we applaud the wholesalers on their investments and dedication to these products. As a retail dealer, we will do our best to support you.
