Scenario for a successful sale

REPLACEiIENT 000R tits into existing door opening without requiring dismantling 0f the existing wood frame. Manufacturer's instructions make the job possible for a do-ityourselfer.

ITISUALIZB the scene. It is a U busy morning in your store. The customer coming in is thinking about how he is going to brighten up his home's exterior.

A fresh coat of paint, new landscaping, maybe even replacing that drafty unsightly and getting-harderto-open-and-close old front door, he muses. He spots a display of doors and heads toward it, still carrying on a conversation with himself. Painting and planting I've done before. But install a new door by myself? All that carpentry work and the special tools for planing and cutting? I'd better call in a professional.

But wait, Joe, the star salesperson, comes into the scene. "Hi, how are you today? Thinking about a new door? You know, you can replace your old wood door with one of these new insulated steel replacement doors offered by a variety of door manufacturers. ' '

The customer stops, hooked. Joe continues "You can do it in just a morning or afternoon. No woodworking, no cutting, no planing. And no need to tear out your existing wood door opening. Just set the new door inside your existing wood opening and in a few basic steps you're finished!"

As Joe pauses for breath, the customer rubs his hand over several of the models on display, nodding his head with interest.

"Replacing wood with insulated steel isnot only easy," Joe emphasizes, "but provides more durability and greater security than doors made of wood. No more warped, split, hard-to-open doors that require continual maintenance."

"How about drafts?" asks the customer.

"Steel helps save energy. A quality steel door provides five times the energy saving value of a solid wood door and storm door combined," Joe explains. "That's because, in addition to weatherstripping around the door's perimeter, many steel doorstoday are filled with a polyurethane foam material that prevents heat from traveling through the door. Manufacturers call this insulating property the R factor. The higher the R factor, the greater the energy savings."

While the customer looks more closely at the door display, Joe continues. "Consider that replacing an old door with insulated steel qualifies you fora l5t/o Federal energy tax

Story at a Glance Product knowledge

en. courages home improvement sales.. dreams become reality for d-i-yers friendliness, how-to-do explanation of job can convince customerto buy.

credit. In our state additional state tax credits are also available. Now, these doors come in many styles and sizes, all packaged and easy to install by following the manufacturer's step-by-step instructions, "

The customer nods "Is that so."

Joe, sensing his increasing interest, explains. "Begin by determining your door size. Measure the height and width of the existing opening. Most are 2'8" or 3' wide by 6'8". You'll find plenty of styles in these sizes. Ifyour opening is not standard, we can special order for you."

"There are six basic steps to follow in installing the door," Joe says. "First, you remove your existing interior trim and save it for reinstallation. Next, remove your old door, strike plate, hinges, weatherstripping and threshold."

"Without removing your existing wood frame, set the pre-hung steel door into the door opening and secure it with nails. Firmly secure both the door and frame by removing the retainer brackets, opening the door and installing security screws in the frame."

"The next step is to install a lockset following the manufacturer's directions. Then these wood stops with