Timber Talks – Gary Gray

MEET GARY

Starting his career on the other side of the service desk plus 31 years under this roof makes Gary Gray an expert in getting Bone Timber customers exactly what they need.

Gary’s well-seasoned in the industry, nabbing his apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery in 1973 before getting 20 years as a tradie under his belt. When a career change was on the cards, Gary set his sights on the place he’d come to trust when buying timber himself. He’s now in his 31^st year with Bone Timber and going strong.

What inspired you to jump from carpentry to selling timber?

I’d been a customer of Bone for quite a few years. When the company I was working for was shutting up shop, I wanted a change. I knew that Bone’s product was a good quality product — they had better product than anywhere else — and they always they had great service, so I chatted to one of the sales guys here.

I started out driving a truck for the first 12-to-18 months, and then went from there. Over time, I’ve done different roles. I did the day-to-day management for around 15 years, and now I work in sales.

What does exceptional service mean to you?

We’re on the same level, the customer and me. I know what they’re talking about, I can give them the right information, and I can recommend the best thing for the job.

When I was working as a carpenter, I got some timber from another company, had it delivered … and it was crap. I couldn’t do the job, had to send it back and order it from here. I knew from there that cutting costs and sacrificing quality never works. It’s not just lip service for a customer or trying to make money for a boss … I really believe in what we’re selling here.

What’s the most vital thing to get right for your customers? 

Well, I know that the products and service we offer have a much bigger effect on the whole picture of their build, so it’s important we give out the right advice.

But it’s also the personalised service. Over the years, I’ve got a rapport with a lot of customers that have dealt with me or indirectly or directly, and you get to know them and how to look after their needs.

The other part is that a lot of our customers are going to be on pretty tight deadlines. My mobile will run pretty strongly with my regular customers who ring up and say, “I’m on the way … can you get this organised for me?” so I make sure it’s pulled and ready to be loaded. They rely on that.

And of course, it changes daily, but I can have up to 30 customers in a day and we work as a team to fill their order. I can call on the team to pull 20 lengths of something out and then grab the next customer that comes, so a lot of it is juggling and time management and we all work to make sure it’s done properly.

What’s Bone Timber’s secret ingredient?

There’s a wealth of knowledge here — people know their stuff inside out, and it’s about working as a team. It’s so important to give you the right information.

You know, working alongside people like Rob (who does our technical sales estimations and quotes) is great. He’s got his area of expertise and I’ve got mine, and we can rely on each other to fill in the gaps. If you don’t know the answer, there’s someone on the team who does (or they know how to get it). 

What do you love about your work?

Easy — the customers. I’ve got to know some of my regular customers over the years and we’ve built up a connection. Some of them I even see now as friends outside of work.