How many times have customers come into your store and asked for advice on painting the exterior of a home? The general tendency is to steer them toward a monochromatic color scheme and a “neutral” color like white or beige. Well, maybe it’s time to move away from bland home exteriors and toward more lively color schemes.

Why? Because color on the exterior of a home not only shows off the owner’s individual personality and style, it also increases the home’s “curb appeal.” And for you, the paint seller, it can mean more paint sales as homeowners and contractors purchase three, four or more colors of paints for a single job! So, introduce your customers to the joys of “exterior decorating” by taking time to show them how to use color to enhance the architectural details of their homes. Doing so will pay off for both of you in the long run. Here are some tips that should be helpful.

PASTELS AND “PUNCH” COLORS
Exterior painting is a lot like interior decorating, in that no two owners are likely to choose the same color scheme for the exterior of their home. Choice of colors is, after all, a very personal decision. However, based upon our experience with PQI’s “Prettiest Painted Places in America” competition, there are a number of general observations re g a rding color preferences that you should know. For one, interesting color schemes incorporating pastel hues are used on home exteriors in all parts of the country. Pastels are often used in climates that experience several months of wintry weather each year. This infusion of color tends to liven up a landscape that would otherwise look rather bleak. Another place where pastel-colored exterior paints are often seen is near the shoreline. Here, the colors often mimic those of the sun, sky and sea. These yellows, blues and greens effectively complement the environment for visually pleasing results.

In Rocky Mountain resort towns, for example, homes and buildings are given bold paint treatment as a means of enlivening surroundings during the long, snowy winters; during warmer weather, these colors serve to highlight the exquisite architectural details of the homes. In other parts of the country, the elaborate fretwork and gingerbread on stunning seaside homes is often enhanced using strong, bright colors of paint ...greens, violets, blues and reds ... sometimes with three or four shades and tints in the same color scheme.

DOWN TO EARTH
However, pastels or bright colors are not the only alternatives when choosing exterior paint. Some locales don’t lend themselves to either color scheme. And certain tastes lean toward other palettes. Sometimes, the location of the home and its architectural style, more than the whim of the homeowner, will dictate what colors are used. Where less ornate colonial-style homes are prevalent, muted, earthy colors are often popular. These homes are typically wood, and frequently are painted with colors that are seen in the surrounding landscape: forest green, deep gold, browns and rust. Even on these homes, however, it is not unusual to find multiple colors – as a means of accenting shutters, trim, and doors, for example. So the opportunity for an “expanded” sale is still there.

“ONE PICTURE IS WORTH. . . ”
When it comes to selling the aesthetic benefits of an exterior paint job, the adage “One picture is worth more than a thousand words” rings especially true. The ability to show customers photos of other homes can help them visualize their own home with a similar color scheme. For this reason, it is important to start a photo library of eye-catching homes. There are a number of ways to stock your library:

• Take your own photos. As you travel a round your community, keep your camera handy and take pictures of appealing paint jobs. Do the same when you are on vacation, when visiting friends in another community, or when you are on a business trip. It ’s better to have too many photos, rather than too few. Be on the lookout for homes with paint-accentuated areas like shutters, trim, gutters, step risers, etc.

• Use other people’s photographs. Flip through consumer magazines and cut out photos of appealing paint jobs. In a similar vein, use the photos that appear in PQI Magazine. Many photos are also available on the PQI Homepage at www.paintquality.com . After you’ve accumulated a good selection of photos, insert them in a three-ring binder with plastic sleeves. The binder will help p rotect the photos and make for a very professional presentation. Organize the binder by color group or architectural style to make it easier to work with a customer.

BEFORE AND AFTER
If you really want to make an impact, include a section in the binder with “before” and “after” photos. These kind of images are especially effective if they depict homes in your own area where your customers can go out and see the newly painted homes first-hand.

“After” photos are relatively easy to obtain, since the job is finished and the home is just sitting there, waiting to be photographed. However, it’s not always easy to obtain the all-important “before” shots to create the comparison. If you are having a problem in that re g a rd, here are some suggestions:

• Conduct a contest. Run an ad or post a notice on your bulletin board asking customers to submit “ before” and “after” photos of their projects. To judge your contest, enlist the help of local celebrities, officials or newspaper reporters .This will add credibility to your competition (the re p o rters may even give you some free publicity). Consider offering gift certificates to your store as the prizes.

• Ask DIYers. Do-it-yourselfers are like new parents: They are usually so proud and excited about their p roject that they are happy to discuss the particulars with anyone who is willing to listen. When such a “project planner” comes to your store, suggest that he or she take “ before” and “after” photos, and request a set for your library. Odds a re, they’ll be happy to oblige.

• Contact contractors. Ask your contractor customers about upcoming jobs. They’ll likely be able to provide leads on i n t e resting projects where you can go to take the “before” shots yourself.

HELPFUL QUESTIONS
Once you’ve convinced homeowners to add more color to their home, you may find they still need advice on choosing their new colors. If that’s the case, here a re some questions to ask:

• What is the current color scheme on the home? Are photos available?
• What are the colors of the neighbors’ homes ?
• What is the architectural style of the home? Does it have any interesting details ?
• Do any local ordinances or deed restrictions specify or restrict paint colors?
• What are the customer’s favorite colors?

After you have the answers to these questions, the choice of colors will be a lot easier. At that point, it is important to steer your customers toward quality paints and coatings. Not only are top quality coatings more durable than ordinary paints, but they also retain their color longer.

It’s important for homeowners to realize that breathing life into a tired exterior can be as simple as applying a fresh coat of paint. Toward that end, you can take the sales initiative by putting some of these ideas to work in your store.

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