Sales aids for radiant barrier coating

I have been involved with our Energy Star 'Cool Roof' Radiant Barrier coating for 25-years.  I am also the person responsible for meeting with and training applicators / contractors in my half of the state.

What I have found in all these years is that, when it comes to homeowners at least, you can talk til you're blue in the face.  You can show them a book of statements, pictures and energy calculations as thick as a phone book.  You can even show them before and after electric and gas bills.  They will still be somewhat unbelieving and skeptical.  Unfortunately, that is the nature of our industry.  A whole lot of bad products with untrue and deceptive advertising.

What I also found out many years ago;  Give them something to touch that proves the point AND THEY ARE SOLD!

The most applications of our coating go like this;

1.  Exterior walls as paint.

2.  Rooftop AC units and ducts.

3.  Interior walls and ceilings as paint.

4.  Ashalt shingle roofs.

5.  All other applications.

To demonstrate on the exterior walls of someones home.  I would ask them for permission to apply a test patch on a West or South facing wall.  If they were going to re-paint the house anyway, even if they did not choose our coating, MOST of the time they allowed me to do that.  After that I asked them to go to their local hardward store and buy a quart of white standard exterior paint and place a test patch of that right along side our coating.  Then I took the measurements and quoted them a price.  I asked them to feel the difference in the two test patches and then give me a call if they wanted me to return with the contract.

Here is one example where I did that.  He called back that same night and said bring the contract, it was a #14,000.00 job.

For residential (and commercial) rooftop AC units and exposed ductwork.  19 years agio I stopped by a remodel job going on.  I fished a 4-foot long piece of AC duct out of the scrap pile.  Took it home and cut a piece of 3/4" plywood to exactly fit inside to seperate the two sides.  One side I coated with our coating, the other I left bare.  I filled both sides with two layers of R-13 to minimize any chance of a heat transfer from the air.

When going to a home presentation  I would take this piece of duct out and set it on the lawn, then go inside.  About 30 minutes later I would take them out, let them see the thermometers.  Then, what seals the deal:  I let them touch the coated side first, then the bare metal side.  They would almost always touch it with the flat of their palm, after touching the coated side.  On a 100-degree day, the bare side would be around 190-degrees :)  Let them burn their hand and feel pain, they will NOT forget you.  They might cuss a little at first, but they'll never forget you.

Find a piece of duct like this and make one.  I used to carry it in th back of my truck and drag restaurant owners, convenience store owners, hospital plant managers, anyone that wanted to feel the difference.  Again, ALWAYS have them feel the coated section first.

I also had to come up with a simple demonstration to show that the same coating applied to the outside of the building would also retain heat in the cold months.

I took stitch-bond polyester roofing cloth and applied the coating to that.  I let it hang, like clothes on a line and cure for a few weeks.  Then I cut them into 6" X 1" strips.  I would have a home owner turn their hot water on at the sink, just a slight dribble to get the hot water moving through the pipe..  Then we went to the hot water heater, pulled a little insulation back and wrapped that strip around the hot pipe.  Pinched it so that it was tight against the pipe.  Then, I had the customer feel the coated strip and then feel the bare pipe.  This little demonstratioon sold more residential applications then anything else.

I would also set an asphalt ashingle, half coated and half bare on the lawn for them to feel.

For a few cases, homes in the country, I would coat their water tanks when they said the cold water coming in was quite hot.  Iy also sells the job of painting the house.

Give your prospective customer something to touch, something to feel.  It makes all the difference in the world.

Whatever insulating products you work with, figure out a simple believable touch-and-feel demonstration for your residential customers.  It can make all the difference in the world.

Hal Skinner

www.ct-texas.com