As a two-step distributor, BlueLinx supplies products through lumber dealers that ultimately sell to builders. But to do that, it needs to generate builder demand for the products it distributes.
That’s where Zonda’s Enterprise Building Products (formerly BuildingProductsPro) comes in. The platform helps the distributor identify which builders are active in a market, spot new communities before construction begins, and work with dealer partners to get the right products onto job sites.
BlueLinx’s Jon Slaunwhite, manager of National Account for Builder Relations, explains how he uses the tool to pursue new business. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What attracted BlueLinx to Zonda’s platform?
The improved market visibility. As a Zonda subscriber, we’ve gained a much clearer view of the builder activity, market trends, and growth opportunities for our target markets.
Q: Which data has been most valuable in identifying opportunities?
Historical data is important to have because it helps me quantify the value of the opportunity. From a closings perspective, it’s nice to look at that when you’re going out and you’re prospecting and a builder says, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve done 500 houses the last four years.’ And then you quickly go back and you look at the historical data, which is nice.
Q: How has Zonda changed the way you research builders and markets?
We were focusing just on the national [builders] because we knew who they were.
Now having this data across our entire footprint… the lot information is unbelievable. Now we have an opportunity to get out in front of a builder or a builder’s new subdivision with one of our dealer partners.
You could probably say at least it’s made me 50 to 60% more efficient in doing my research and targeting.
Q: Can you share an example of the data contributing directly to a business win?
We had a dealer customer of ours that was making a switch on brands. So one of the things that was asked was, do you have market data to let us know who the builders are in the markets that we serve? So the fact that we had access to Zonda data was a deciding factor in awarding us that business. It has positioned BlueLinx as a strategic partner and not just another supplier.
