Jan Profit Lines (1)

Issue 1














































Become a





Margin








Master










Today

% Margin Master As business owners, one of the ways to increase your bottom
line is to maximize the potential of your inventory margins.
This can seem like a somewhat daunting and time consuming
task, but Do it Best is prepared to help you make managing
margins easy and straightforward with Margin Master.



It pays to use Margin Master!


Margin Master is a software program that helps you achieve incremental gains to your
bottom line by enabling you to quickly analyze your current retails. As a member-
owner you have a store full of SKUs to pay attention to - Margin Master is a solution
to help you analyze, manage, and change these quickly. The Margin Master program
installs on a PC and allows you to set your own variable pricing strategy to fit your
individual market and perform weekly price changes. Margin Master even works if you
do not have a point of sale system.

With Margin Master, you can effectively and accurately manage your pricing in just a
few minutes. It allows you to develop, maintain, and implement any number of pricing
rules. Margin Master will display Do it Best suggested retails, price sensitivity codes,
and custom pricing levels to make developing your pricing strategy easier. You might
start with a rule that sets your retails to be the same as the Do it Best suggested retail.
As you get comfortable with the Margin Master program, you can add other rules that
improve your overall margins and make sense in your local market. These rules can
be applied at any level: store,
department, class, product
group, and more.





Features of Margin Master



Customer Support
With your subscription, you get unlimited support and
training from our support team in the United States.

Rounding Schemes Data Import/Export
Margin Master includes 5 predefined rounding Margin Master allows you to import other vendor data
schemes. You can build your own custom and export pricing details for use in other applications.
schemes.
Competitor Pricing Data
Integrated Data Competitor pricing data (from our Rival Master Service) is
Do it Best provides access to their entire catalog able to be directly integrated into Margin Master. No longer
of product, costs, and suggested retail prices. wonder what price the big box store has on an item.

Point-of-Sale Systems Training
We currently support 49 different POS systems. Our training schedule is flexible. We typically offer
If your system isn’t on our list, we will work with training opportunities at trade shows. We are also
your provider to get them added - at no cost! willing to attend regional meetings upon request.

Woodstock Wins with Margin Master


“It was clear that to compete with the big box stores nearby, we
needed to manage margins, so our territory manager suggested
we look into Margin Master. The software gave us the opportunity
to create an automated system to make adjustments quickly and
efficiently. In 2010 we implemented it, and after clearing the initial
hurdles, we have been experiencing success with it ever since.


“The program allows you to adjust margins based on a number of
SKU characteristics including velocity, popularity, sensitivity, and
local competition. This feature has helped us increase the store’s overall margin by 3-4%, and we have done all of
this while maintaining a positive image in the community. If your business embraces technology and is ready to
increase profitability, then you need to consider Margin Master.”

Vince Christofora, Woodstock Hardware

Hardware Plus Adds to Bottom Line


“I thought we were pretty accurate on our pricing, and if
you would have asked me to grade ourselves on our pricing,
I probably would have given us a B. After we ran our retails
through Margin Master, I saw we were more like a D. But I
didn’t have to sell anymore. I took time to tweak my pricing
through Margin Master and added an extra $35,000 a year
in profit. I made nearly 14,000 price changes over a couple of
months to make it manageable. Initially, it was hard to let go
and trust the program. Now that I’ve got a few years under my
belt, I don’t have that trust issue any more. The best part about Margin Master is making money. You’re leaving money
on the table if you don’t use it. It’s a no brainer. A few members I’ve talked with were pretty reluctant to get on it, but
once they did they were amazed. Once I saw the extra money in my bank account, it was an easy sale for me.”

Chris Hughes, Hardware Plus






Get started on Margin Master today!


Your margins directly affect your profitability. The challenge of managing your margins is understanding the relationship
between your current price and what the consumer will pay. Big boxes master this strategy—they price selected items
low to attract customers and charge significantly higher margins for other blind and non-competitive items. In today’s
economy, the ability to price shop online makes retail pricing even more of a challenge than it was in years past. If you
want to remain competitive, you cannot price your merchandise at a single price level. Different price sensitivity codes
can and should have different price levels and strategies.

Contact RetailerSoft at 989.896.8000 or [email protected] and ask about the special Do it Best Corp.
subscription program. You can sign up for the subscription program for only $70 per month after a one-time
installation charge of $125. Additional sites for multi-location members are just $25 per month.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Check out all the Do it Best members
who were featured on the covers of
industry trade publications in 2018.




Agricola Hardware Bernardsville Hardware Connolly’s Do it Best
®
& Lumber HBS Dealer Hardware

The Hardware Connection Hardware Retailing


THE HARDWARE CONFERENCE CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Serving Hardware, Home Center
Serving Hardware, Home Center
& Building Material Retailers
& Building Material Retailers
Sept/Oct 2018
Vol. 10, No. 6
Vol. 44 No. 5 MAY 2018
THE INDUSTRY’S DIGITAL LEADER
Honoring Industry’s
Best Retailers the

Service Is
in the Bag
issue
The Characteristics of 5-Star Employees 42
Parkrose Agricola Hardware Ace Hardware New Jersey All Star
Hardware & Lumber of Clarkston Bernardsville Hardware & Supply
ALSO INSIDE: Learn From Other Retailers’
Profiles of Beacon Award Winners Hiring Mistakes 50
Retailers Recover From Hurricane Florence Start Your Engines in
VOLUME 214 • ISSUE 4 • APRIL 2018 • HARDWARERETAILING.COMAPRIL 2018 • • • HARDWARERETAILING.COM
VOLUME 214 • ISSUE 4 • Outdoor Power Equipment 56
001_HCN_05_05_18.indd 1 4/19/18 3:27 PM
Cover_0418.indd 1 4/9/18 7:25 AM



Gordon Lumber Henry Poor Lumber Marcus Lumber

LBM Journal LBM Journal LBM Journal










JUNE 2018 $10 U.S. OCTOBER 2018 $10 U.S. MAY 2018 $10 U.S.





2018 LBM STRATEGIES
CONFERENCE RECAP
150 YEARS STRONG TEAM PLAYERS MARCUS LUMBER
GORDON LUMBER HAS DEEP ROOTS IN THE BACKYARD OF PURDUE
IN NORTHWEST OHIO UNIVERSITY, HENRY POOR LUMBER BUILDING DREAMS IN THE FIELDS
LINES UP WITH CUSTOMERS OF IOWA
IN DEPTH: ROOFING SYSTEMS IN DEPTH: FASTENERS REAL ISSUES. REAL ANSWERS.
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE, AESTHETICS MANUFACTURERS ARE FOCUSED DO DISCOUNTS FOR PRO CUSTOMERS
DRIVE ROOFING INNOVATION
ON IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND TRULY BUILD LOYALTY?
REAL ISSUES. REAL ANSWERS. REDUCING JOBSITE COSTS
TRAINING STRATEGIES: WHAT WORKS, REAL ISSUES. REAL ANSWERS. IN DEPTH: WINDOWS & DOORS
WHAT DOESN’T
ADVERTISING: WHAT WORKS BEST?
ERIN LEONARD, PRESIDENT OF JIM ANDREW, CEO OF FROM LEFT: CLAY AND GRANT LEAVITT,
GORDON LUMBER HENRY POOR LUMBER FOURTH-GENERATION FAMILY CO-OWNERS
OF MARCUS LUMBER

HIGHLIGHTING
THE BEST

Discover the stories
Northwest Hardware Osterville Hardware
of growth, innovation,
Hardware Retailing Hardware Retailing and success from these
member-owned stores
highlighted in industry
publications during the
Serving Hardware, Home Center
Serving Hardware, Home Center Serving Hardware, Home Center
Serving Hardware, Home Center
& Building Material Retailers
& Building Material Retailers & Building Material Retailers
& Building Material Retailers
past month.
Brownsboro
Hardware & Paint
Saving
Saving Ganahl Lumber
the Store
the Store
Overcoming Obstacles and
Overcoming Obstacles and Russell Do it Center ®
Overcoming Obstacles and
Revitalizing Y
Revitalizing Y
Revitalizing Your Business 44our Business our Business 44
Big Sky
Retailing Taylor’s Do it Center ®
NRHA Board Chairman TJ Comstock
T & M Hardware
Talks Life, Business in Montana 62
Making Installed Sales
Making Installed Sales
What Do Customers Really Making Installed Sales & Rental
Think About Your Service? 48 W W Work Harder for You 52ork Harder for You ork Harder for You 52
Get Special Orders Right
Get Special Orders Right
Take Flight by Expanding Get Special Orders Right
the First Time
Woydziak Hardware
the First Time 6666
VOLUME 215 • ISSUE 3 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • HARDWARERETAILING.COM Your Birding Niche 74 VOLUME 214 • ISSUE 1 • JANUARY 2018 • HARDWARERETAILING.COMJANUARY 2018 • • • HARDWARERETAILING.COM the First Time
VOLUME 214 • ISSUE 1 •
Cover_0918.indd 1 9/5/18 7:51 AM Cover_0118.indd 1 1/2/18 11:07 AM
Umber’s Do it Best Young Retailer of the Year
®
Hardware Hardware Retailing
The Hardware Connection
PREVIEW OF THE 2018 HARDWARE CONFERENCE IN MARCO ISLAND
Serving Hardware, Home Center
& Building Material Retailers
July/Aug 2018
July/Aug 2018
Vol. 10, No. 5ol. 10, No. 5
V
THE INDUSTRY’S DIGITAL LEADERAL LEADER
THE INDUSTRY’S DIGIT


Rebounding from Standing
Adversity Together

NRHA Honors 8 Young Retailers
Leading the Industry Forward 48
Help Your Customers Get
ALSO INSIDE: Organized in the Garage 66
Boosting Profi ts with a Journey Through History With
Simple Marketing Strategy VOLUME 215 • ISSUE 1 • JULY 2018 • HARDWARERETAILING.COM the Oldest Stores in America 72
Plumbing Product Trends
Cover_0718.indd 1 7/10/18 3:46 PM



SAVE THE DATE 2019 Do it Best Spring Market Indianapolis • May 17-20
SM