At LMC, a billion-dollar campaign

It’s an age-old fact of business: Small companies will promote the many virtues of being small. Large companies will promote the many virtues of being large.

A new marketing campaign from Wayne, Pa.-based Lumbermens Merchandising Corp. (LMC) represents a noteworthy recent attempt to appeal to both ends of the spectrum. The effort is rooted in four words: “billion dollar buying power.”

The LBM co-op, which ranked 2nd on the HCN Top 100 Distributors Scoreboard with total two-step sales of $2.79 billion, is emphasizing its collective buying power. “LMC has always held that the dealer’s name is most important in their local market,” the company said. “’The ‘Billion Dollar Buying Power’ kit supports the dealer’s marketing efforts with tools that inform customers they are doing business with a local independent that is also a competitive force with national buying power through LMC.”

According to LMC, its 1,200-plus dealers combine for more than $8 billion in annual retail sales.

The co-op is spreading the “billion dollar” word on the sides of trucks, on brochures and anywhere the local dealer has a contact with a customer. From the new lmcbuyingpower.com website: “LMC Dealers’ Buying Power provides the quality products professionals seek at a competitive price. For quality and price, builders, remodelers and tradesmen find more value for their business with LMC dealers’ yard than at a big box.”