Generally speaking, it isn’t hard convincing customers to use a top quality paint when doing exterior painting: Outdoors, using only the toughest, most durable paint is almost instinctive.

But it’s often quite another matter getting customers to put out a few dollars more for the best interior latex wall paint. Even the most quality-conscious individuals may balk at paying more for a paint that will share the comfortable confines of their living room or den.

What’s a smart paint seller to do? First, study all the features and benefits of your highest quality interior wall paint, and learn how it stacks up against the other paints in your store. Next, find out exactly what it is each customer wants and needs from his or her paint job. Then sell those features and benefits in a way that will matter most to your customers.

Mastering the Basics
Certain characteristics of top quality interior latex wall paints are likely to appeal to many of your customers. By becoming familiar with these benefits, you can easily explain the importance of using the highest quality coating. Here’s some background:

Good Hiding: This is the ability of the paint to obscure the color and pattern of the surface being painted. Top quality interior latex wall paint offers better hiding than ordinary wall paint for several reasons. First, these paints contain higher levels of high-hiding prime pigment. (See sidebar, “When Good Hiding Is Not Necessarily Good.”) Secondly, top quality paints are formulated with a higher solids content, and also tend to apply in a heavier coat, which are factors that result in a thicker dry paint film and better hiding. Also, higher quality wall paint tends to flow and level better, which contributes to good hiding.

Because of these hiding characteristics, a customer is most likely to achieve one-coat coverage with top-of-the-line wall paint, which will minimize the need for a second coat…obviously, an important selling point.

Better Durability: Top quality interior flat and eggshell wall paints have a higher binder content than do ordinary or economy wall paints.

One way additional binder improves the durability of the paint is through better adhesion. With more binder, the coating can form a tighter bond with the surface below.

Higher binder content also helps create a tougher, longer-lasting paint film that’s better equipped to withstand the high traffic and heavy wear encountered in residential hallways, for example, and in almost all commercial settings.

But be aware that a higher binder content can reduce the “deadness” of a flat formulation, so these products require extra care in touch-up situations, or the re-done spots can be noticeable.

Stain Resistance/Scrub Resistance: PQI market research shows that home- owners, in particular, regard stain resistance and scrub resistance as two of the most important attri-butes of an interior paint job.

Stain resistance is the ability of the paint to avoid retention of dirt or stains. Ease of stain removal is a related property that refers to how readily dirt, grime or stains can be removed from the painted surface. And scrub resistance is the ability of the paint to stand up to repeated washing or scrubbing without eroding or wearing through.

Among flat and eggshell paints, top quality interior products tend to have the best balance of these properties for ease of maintenance. This is largely due to the relatively high binder content of these paints, which makes them tougher and less porous than ordinary interior wall paints.

Spatter Resistance: Spattering is the tendency for tiny droplets of paint to be thrown off during application, especially by roller. Top quality interior wall paint often contains synthetic thickeners, called rheology modifiers, which help minimize spattering. They also enhance flow, leveling and film build to give a smooth, professional appearance to any paint job.

Addressing Your Customer’s Needs
Once you are conversant with the benefits of top quality interior latex wall paint, you will be better prepared to answer your customer’s questions and explain why higher quality paint is a better value, even though it is more expensive. This is where good selling skills come in.

Begin by learning as much as possible about your customer’s specific needs and concerns. One important question: Is he or she painting as part of a home decorating makeover, or to correct a failed paint job? If the impetus is decorative, you can explain how top quality interior paint has exceptional fade resistance and will maintain its color over time. Or, you might stress the better finished appearance that you get with a quality paint that offers good flow and leveling. If, on the other hand, the motivation is to cover an area marred or stained from high traffic, you can comment on the better hiding and stain resistance of your top quality interior paint.

Often, it helps to know which room will be painted. If the room is little- used — say, a spare bedroom — then you wouldn’t necessarily promote the better durability of higher quality paint; but you might convince your customer to contractor up to a top quality coating if its hiding power would permit the room to be painted with just one coat, rather than two. Conversely, if it is the kitchen that is to be painted, a presentation based on overall durability might be a very effective way to sell your highest quality coating.

It is also wise to be alert to any clues about the makeup of your customer’s household. Any mention of a playroom or child’s bedroom should trigger a discussion of the stain resistance and scrub resistance of top quality interior wall paint. A similar approach would likely be effective if your customer has pets.

Remember, by gathering as much information as possible about your customer’s environment, needs and expectations, you’ll be better able to craft a customized sales presentation that will be meaningful and — very likely — successful. And when you are successful in convincing customers to invest in a top quality paint, you’re doing both your customer and yourself a big favor.

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