With the bulk of my trading time spent in the U.S. market, the July 4th Holiday afforded an opportunity to get out of the office to visit a few local lumber yards north of the border.  All three visits were essentially ‘cold calls’.  They represent potential or prospective accounts.
One visit is particularly memorable – for what initially I perceived to be a fruitless effort.  Following a tour of his yard and congenial, extensive discussion about details of his business, the potential customer concluded our discussion by saying: “It is very unlikely that you will ever sell me one stick of lumber.”  He went on to outline the value of his existing supplier, wholesale relationships.  I take that as a real positive.  The man recognizes the value in wholesale connections and he was straight up, candid in telling me the score.  I appreciated him taking the time to share valuable knowledge about his business.  What we didn’t discuss was the dynamic nature of the lumber business — on that score, there’s reason to stay in touch.