How to sell the value of stainless steel fasteners

||ffIE message to be hfimered home when marketing

I nails and screws made of stainless steel is "Evaluate the cost of fasteners in terms of total Fqiect cosl"

Long the recommended firct choice of specialty wood products associations, stainless steel fastenings offer real opportunities for profit enhanoement in the hardware de-

By Hoble Swan President Swan Secure Products

partmenl Compared with similar products made from onventional plain, plated a galvanized sbon steel, sales of stainless steel fasteners can have a very favorable impact on bottomJine results.

There's liule argument that use of nickeUchone stainless steel neils sad screws offers tbe best insqrarce Agrinst saining and sreaking of wood constructim projects. They offer a superior combination of corrosion-resismce and strength not prBsent in alternate materials. Most €nd-use customers readily spocify tben, provided bey'rc available and quality conrious build€rs have promoted their use as a sign of fine craftsmanship on decks feneg wood siding, roofing and aber applicatims exposod to w€atb€r or high moisore.

The fint st€p in selling sainless hadwae is advertising its existence. Customers won't ask for something they don't lnow is available. This means moving specialty fastener items ftom the back rmm or wadouse out mlo the showrmm flmr.

The next step is overcoming any resistmce to buying

Hoover Treated Wood Products announces that a NATIONAL EVALUATION REPORT INER-4571 has been issued by tha National Evaluation Service of the Council of American Building Officials to confirm that ryRO-GUARD Fhe Retardant ryRO-GUARD has a degradation-free track record, a So-year projected useful life, and is the FISST Fire Retardant Treated Wood with: a fhtrd turty Klln tonltorlng ln addltlon to U.L. follow-up scrvlce a FRf labor ond matcriols rcplacemon] cott warruinly

Treated Lumber and Plywood meets requirements of the BOCA, UBC, and SBCCI model building codes.

I Code Compliance Report wlth evalualion of e-levolcd tem_pcrurtu to stronglh icstlng lor roof appllcatlons

I Hlgh temperututo sttonglh tett rr.tut]t

I Ncw York State Smoke loxlchy tcsj tosults

' NER reports arc subiect to re-exdminetion, rcvisions end possible closing of fila For lcchnlcol Informotlon Coll r-800-rEc-wooD the higher quality products. Objections to the use of stainless fasteners most often stem from their relative cost which may range from three to five times that for regular steel nails and screws. Generally, however, money spent on fasteners comprises a minor pafi of the overall cost of a job compared to expenditures required for labor, lumber and other materials. Viewed in terms of project cost, the incremental expense of using stainless steel is seen to be considerably less objectionable. On a typical redwood or cedar siding job, for example, shinless fastenings may add only $150 to a project costing over $5,000 in total.

Successful merchandising of these high-end products entails displaying them in a manner that emphasizes the project cost concept. Poinrof-purchase aids such as colorful shelf-talkers can effectively convey this idea together with other product features and benefits.

Fastener sales can be given a boost by presenting stainless nails and screws in convenientjob-size packages rather than by weighing them off using the traditional bin and bag method. The sale is made easier if the packaging ilself is of high quality construction befitting its contents and contains printed product data and suggestions for applications and usage. A bold header board atop the display draws added anention to the stainless fastener section.

Another proven way to spur fastener sales is to bundle related products together when selling wood products. Since stainless nails and screws are a logical add-on to sales of redwood cedar and other fine wood products, successful dealers have experienced impressive results by marketing wood siding or decking, stainless steel fasteners and a quality line of surface finishes together as a system.