How to sell the value of stainless steel fasteners

ttaHE message to be hammered home when marketing I nails and screws made of stainless steel is "Evaluate the cost of fasteners in terms of total project cost."

Long the recommended first choice of specialty wood products associations, stainless steel fastenings offer real opportunities for profit enhancement in the hardware deparbnenl Comparcd with similar products made from conventional plain, plated or galvanized carbon steel, sales of stainless steel fasteners can have a very favorable impact on bottom-line results.

There's liule argument that use of nickeVchrome stainless steel nails and screws offers the best insurance against staining and sreaking of wood construction projeca' They offer a superior combination of conosion-resistance and srength not present in alternate materials. Most end-use customers readily specify them, provided they're available and quality conscious builders have promoted their use as a sign of fine craftsmanship on decks, fences, wood siding, roofing and other applications exposed to weather or high moisture.

By Hobie Swan President Swan Secure Products

The first step in selling stainless hardware is advertising its existence. Customers won't ask for something they don't know is available. This means moving specialty fastener items from the back room or warehouse out onto the showroom floor.

The next step is overcoming any resistance to buying the higher quality products. Objections !o the use of stainless fasteners most often stem from tleir 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 part 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

Story at a Glance

How to market nails and screws in terms of total project cost suggestions for advertising, displaying and packaging to increase sales ... profitable sales tips.

considerably less objectionable. On a typical redwood or cedar siding job, for example, stainless fastenings may add only $150 to a project costing over $5,000 in total.

UGLY stains on cedar, redwood and pressure treatsd.wood sidino materials can be prevented by using stainless steel wood silini nails. Siding naili are availablg prepainted to match ppuhr ind nail! available prepainted l< w6od sidins md'terials. Wood sididg nhils also nauoe and blunt diamond ooint to minimize solitli wooo sElnq malenals. wooq solng navs a slellust gauge and bunt diamond polnt to. minimize..ppfning 3S well as a oauoe and blunl dhmond polnl lo mlnimlze spmmg as w€ll as a imall head diameter to permit both face nailirig and blind nailing. An undar head lillel alloun nails to be driven flush while annuhl An under head lillet allows nails to annuhr dng threads ptedude and shingles can be q cupping of siding boatds. Cedar shakes ian +pliird using .083" diameter nailsizes. an niils also have a bleinder

Successful merchandising of these high-end products entails displaying them in a manner that emphasizes the project cost conc€pt. Point-of-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 convenient job-size packages rather than by weighing them off using the traditional bin and bag method. The sale is made easier if the packaging itself 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 arention to the stainless fastener section.

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

Fasteners are necessary for every wood building project. Promoting the use of stainless steel nails and screws over those made of regular steel conveys a concern for quality. Happily it can also deliver significant profitability.