Convincing Your Customer: Using a RRP Sell Book
Resources of vital RRP information
Before you get in the truck for your next estimate, consider borrowing a page from the playbook of successful sales professionals. One of the sales techniques of successful salespeople is using a customized "sell book" - a three-ring binder with articles and information from third-party resources that prove the sales points being made.
Imagine the next time you are talking with a potential customer and they say "You are the first contractor to tell me this," or "I've never heard of this," that you can show documentation to prove your point.
The same holds true for customers who are skeptical about the dangers of lead-paint dust and may want to do the work themselves.
ForRenovationPros.com has collected a number of resources and suggestions for items that can be ncluded in your RRP Sell Book.
To make your "Sell Book" an effective sales tool, create a three-ring binder with the hard copy of the listed resources below. We've included links to these resources so you can quickly put together a sell book by downloading these documents. These documents would be in addition to the "Renovate Right" brochure.
Each week we provide additional information and articles that can also be appropriate to include, such as our May industry news article "Remodeler Accidentally Exposes Daughter to Lead Paint " about the contractor who came home with lead dust on his clothes and caused elevated lead levels in his daughter's blood.
Here are some resources to help you overcome common customer objections:
- For addressing the danger of lead dust in the home:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission: "What You Should Know About Lead Based Paint in Your Home: Safety Alert., Document #5054. Consumer Reports: "There is no safe amount of lead" - For addressing the harm lead dust ingestion can do:
Associated Press: "Lead paint linked to lower test scores" - For addressing the legal mandate to follow the EPA RRP Rule (in addition to the Renovate Right brochure):
The Washington Post: "EPA rules on lead paint in home renovations will soon take effect" - For addressing why homeowners should not do their own work:
New England Lead Coordinating Committee: "Don’t Spread Lead: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Lead-Safe Painting, Repair, and Home Improvement"
Note: This document contains some significant warnings to homeowners thinking of not hiring a lead-safe contractor and doing the work themselves: "If you are doing major repairs or renovations that may create a lot of dust - jobs like replacing windows - consider taking a training course in lead-safe work practices or hiring a contractor who has taken this training."
Document is also available through this direct link at docstoc.com - For addressing why homeowners need to do things correctly for resale:
About.com: "Lead Paint Disclosures and Facts: Buying a Home that Might Contain Lead Paint" - For addressing the forms homeowners will need to complete when selling their home:
EPA Form that Realtors Use: Disclosure Information on Lead-based paint and/or Lead Based Paint Hazards - For addressing lead dangers: the sugar packet comparison
EPA: "Sugar Packet Math": found on page 44 of the Instructor Manual - For providing one-page graphic documentation of sugar packet math:
Oregon State University, Western Regional Lead Training Center and Oregon Department of Human Services "A Guide to Lead-Safe Living." Page 14. - For making the case to test for lead (how often it is found):
Book: “Lead poisoning: exposure, abatement, regulation“, Joseph J. Breen, and Cindy R. Stroup, of the American Chemical Society. Page 8.NOTE: In the book, referenced on ForRenovationPros.com in John Jervis' blog of May 19, 2011, the article contains following statistics regarding the prevalence of lead in homes built before 1950 when LBP was used the most:
Interior Only -14%
Exterior Only 23%
Both – 37%
Feel free to let ForRenovationPros.com know about any resources that you have found that can be added to this list.
