Article Number: 4943
Hardwood Adhesives: Learn the advantages and disadvantages
By Jack Raidy JR. President and CEO, W.F. Taylor
All wood flooring adhesives are NOT created equal! Learning the advantages and disadvantages of the product you are selling is as critical to your success as showing up for work each day. Taking the time to learn what is special or unique about the wood flooring adhesive you are selling enables you to educate your customer and ensure his success in using the product.
In order to make the sale the majority of the time, you must tailor your pitch to your audience. First learn what is important to your customer, and then explain how your product meets his needs. Let’s look at a couple of examples of customer needs.
“I want the cheapest pail of wood flooring adhesive you carry.”
This, unfortunately, is how too many people perceive value. However, this is an opportunity for you to use what you have learned about the product. Take a look at the trowel recommendation for the type of flooring being installed and note the coverage rate for that trowel. This will generally be in square feet per gallon (SF/gal). Multiply this coverage rate by the number of gallons in the pail and divide that number into the price for the pail. Now you have the real cost of the adhesive, the cost per square foot. A 4-gallon pail costing $90 per pail with coverage rate of 40-50 SF/gal costs 50 cents a square foot. Compare that to a more expensive-sounding $120 pail with a coverage rate of 60-80SF/gal, and you have a cost of less than 43 cents a square foot. Now which adhesive is less expensive? Don’t let your customer be fooled by just the cost of a pail of adhesive.
“I want a green wood flooring adhesive to go with my wood flooring.”
What does green mean? To most people green indicates safe for the environment and ensuring good indoor air quality. Unfortunately some companies are far too liberal with their claims of green adhesives or being a green company. Again your self-education about the wood flooring adhesive you are selling comes into play. An adhesive that claims to be VOC compliant is usually not a low-VOC adhesive. Low VOCs help ensure good indoor air quality. Solvent-free adhesives, not low- solvent content adhesives, are safest for the environment.
Know your product and know your customer better than they know themselves, and you will have success selling wood flooring adhesives.
All wood flooring adhesives are NOT created equal! Learning the advantages and disadvantages of the product you are selling is as critical to your success as showing up for work each day. Taking the time to learn what is special or unique about the wood flooring adhesive you are selling enables you to educate your customer and ensure his success in using the product.
In order to make the sale the majority of the time, you must tailor your pitch to your audience. First learn what is important to your customer, and then explain how your product meets his needs. Let’s look at a couple of examples of customer needs.
“I want the cheapest pail of wood flooring adhesive you carry.”
This, unfortunately, is how too many people perceive value. However, this is an opportunity for you to use what you have learned about the product. Take a look at the trowel recommendation for the type of flooring being installed and note the coverage rate for that trowel. This will generally be in square feet per gallon (SF/gal). Multiply this coverage rate by the number of gallons in the pail and divide that number into the price for the pail. Now you have the real cost of the adhesive, the cost per square foot. A 4-gallon pail costing $90 per pail with coverage rate of 40-50 SF/gal costs 50 cents a square foot. Compare that to a more expensive-sounding $120 pail with a coverage rate of 60-80SF/gal, and you have a cost of less than 43 cents a square foot. Now which adhesive is less expensive? Don’t let your customer be fooled by just the cost of a pail of adhesive.
“I want a green wood flooring adhesive to go with my wood flooring.”
What does green mean? To most people green indicates safe for the environment and ensuring good indoor air quality. Unfortunately some companies are far too liberal with their claims of green adhesives or being a green company. Again your self-education about the wood flooring adhesive you are selling comes into play. An adhesive that claims to be VOC compliant is usually not a low-VOC adhesive. Low VOCs help ensure good indoor air quality. Solvent-free adhesives, not low- solvent content adhesives, are safest for the environment.
Know your product and know your customer better than they know themselves, and you will have success selling wood flooring adhesives.
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