SW Attack!

**tegrey** · 04-23-2009, 07:42 AM

Chris, I agree that the market they are selling to is not my market. However, I only brought up a fact that SW is a huge sponsor of PDCA on one hand, and the other hand telling folks to come on in. We'll train you to be a painter. I see you are more of a variety service. If you only painted and relied on the painting business for all your profit, you may see things a little different? Wait till every business you deal with tries the same approach. SW already sells PWers and they say they have a great system. Ask any SW rep. They may not have what anyone needs, but they will get it for you. A one stop shop for any HO.
I deal with many contractors Nationwide. They primarily tell me the same thing. "We only do high end jobs and make millions." Actually I only know a few who do make millions. They also paint apartments and do a front door when asked. Therefore, SW is coming after their work as well as mine and yours. If we all believe this will not affect us, we are sadly taken into the fold. The work they are taking from the little guy, will reflect all out bottom lines. Where do we think the guy that loses the HO job is going to look for work? Ours of course. They may not do as good a job as we do, but the people we deal with do have the price of our job on their minds. After all they just suffered one of the worst economic times in our life time. I wish everyone the best. But I also would suggest we all watch our backs. Thank you.

**makdeco** · 04-23-2009, 05:38 PM

I saw those ads as well I had the same intial thought as tegrey, and good for you for writing SW. I am not a SW guy so I guess it doesn't bother me as much. But I see how it affects the whole trade in general.

Neps, you make valid points as well. It would be interesting to see how it works out for SW in the long run. Maybe they will pull some people away from the big box stores.

**topcoat** · 04-23-2009, 05:49 PM

Interesting discussion.

I would rather see SW get the diy-ers than HD. SW is the company that I would rather see succeed.

A segment of the population is inclined to DIY, and SW is not going to make them too much more successful at it. They are not going to make too many DIY-ers out of homeowners who have never been inclined that way in the past.

The one thing that works to our advantage is that most people genuinely hate to paint, largely because they are no good at it. SW won't make them too good at it. Also, we have had several customers in the past couple of years who were failed DIY-ers and brought us in for a do over. There is something to be said for getting them to pick up a brush and see that its not all that easy.

I have enough direct communication with manufacturers to know that they do have to consider homeowners as a market segment. BM has come out with 2-3 lines in the past year, pretty much with the HO in mind. Whatever gets consumers into paint stores is good for the paint industry. Ultimately, whatever is good for the paint industry is good for us.

We (paint industry) survived vinyl siding, Azec trim, Hardie board/plank and Trex decking. This too shall pass. Its not any kind of a paradigm shift in the paint world. Its just a sign of the times.

**makdeco** · 04-23-2009, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by topcoat

Interesting discussion.

We (paint industry) survived vinyl siding, Azec trim, Hardie board/plank and Trex decking. This too shall pass. Its not any kind of a paradigm shift in the paint world. Its just a sign of the times.

Scott,

I think it has been proven time and time again to the HO that "maintenance free" does not and will never exist..

**neps.us** · 04-24-2009, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by tegrey

Chris, I agree that the market they are selling to is not my market. However, I only brought up a fact that SW is a huge sponsor of PDCA on one hand, and the other hand telling folks to come on in. We'll train you to be a painter. I see you are more of a variety service. If you only painted and relied on the painting business for all your profit, you may see things a little different? Wait till every business you deal with tries the same approach. SW already sells PWers and they say they have a great system. Ask any SW rep. They may not have what anyone needs, but they will get it for you. A one stop shop for any HO.
I deal with many contractors Nationwide. They primarily tell me the same thing. "We only do high end jobs and make millions." Actually I only know a few who do make millions. They also paint apartments and do a front door when asked. Therefore, SW is coming after their work as well as mine and yours. If we all believe this will not affect us, we are sadly taken into the fold. The work they are taking from the little guy, will reflect all out bottom lines. Where do we think the guy that loses the HO job is going to look for work? Ours of course. They may not do as good a job as we do, but the people we deal with do have the price of our job on their minds. After all they just suffered one of the worst economic times in our life time. I wish everyone the best. But I also would suggest we all watch our backs. Thank you.

Terry,
I am sorry if I sounded like I came off with a elitist attitiude ....not my intention at all. Painting is my primary business. I'm not sure were you thought I did other things. I do million dollar homes as well as apt turnovers and I would even paint your bird house if you payed me for it. The only time I ever turn down work is if I smell a rat ....and there are alot of rat's these days. My point was meant to be that I can live without the HGTV clients.

I agree that is is frustrating that a big supporter of the PDCA would make a marketing move that could alienate their contractor base. The little guy is inevitably going to get squeezed out of the market unless he is willing to adapt and overcome. In my ten years in business I have had to re-invent myself several times over, all of which has put my company into a position to hopefully survive this economic downturn. Take lemons and make lemonade.

Instead of turning away from SW try this: Be the contractor at all of your local SW stores to have a good relationship with your managers. Good enough that they will recomend your services to those same HO's that come in and need help. If you have a rep then hammer the crap out of him for leads. Ask him for Dodge reports and all of his lead generators. Call him 3 times a week to find out what bids are going on. Take him golfing and out to lucnh....build a relationship. These guys are a amazing source of leads. This is their job. They cold call jobs all day long. Show them some loyalty and you will gain a salesman for free.

I am watching the Red Sox - Yankees right now ...behind home plate is two signs for BM ...one is the standard BM sign and the other is for Natura.... and cheap HO green branded paint. Who do you think they are marketing towards? Not us painters. ... thats for sure.

**makdeco** · 04-25-2009, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by neps.us

Terry,
I am sorry if I sounded like I came off with a elitist attitiude ....not my intention at all. Painting is my primary business. I'm not sure were you thought I did other things. I do million dollar homes as well as apt turnovers and I would even paint your bird house if you payed me for it. The only time I ever turn down work is if I smell a rat ....and there are alot of rat's these days. My point was meant to be that I can live without the HGTV clients.

I agree that is is frustrating that a big supporter of the PDCA would make a marketing move that could alienate their contractor base. The little guy is inevitably going to get squeezed out of the market unless he is willing to adapt and overcome. In my ten years in business I have had to re-invent myself several times over, all of which has put my company into a position to hopefully survive this economic downturn. Take lemons and make lemonade.

Instead of turning away from SW try this: Be the contractor at all of your local SW stores to have a good relationship with your managers. Good enough that they will recomend your services to those same HO's that come in and need help. If you have a rep then hammer the crap out of him for leads. Ask him for Dodge reports and all of his lead generators. Call him 3 times a week to find out what bids are going on. Take him golfing and out to lucnh....build a relationship. These guys are a amazing source of leads. This is their job. They cold call jobs all day long. Show them some loyalty and you will gain a salesman for free.

I am watching the Red Sox - Yankees right now ...behind home plate is two signs for BM ...one is the standard BM sign and the other is for Natura.... and cheap HO green branded paint. Who do you think they are marketing towards? Not us painters. ... thats for sure.

Just one thing NEPS.. Natura may be marketed as a green paint but it ain't cheap.. especially from a HO's point of view :)

**topcoat** · 04-25-2009, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by neps.us

Who do you think they are marketing towards? Not us painters. ... thats for sure.

Pitchers, middle infielders and centerfielders mostly.

Seriously, though, its pretty cool for me watching the game to see BM and Natura out there so visible. Its solid brand building that is good for the industry. When I talk about BM and Natura to customers, it makes it that much more familiar and easy to sell. It does help to offset all the Behr and Glidden marketing. My wife was watching the game last night and she even noticed the Natura ad behind homeplate and asked me if thats the stuff I have been dabbling with. Natura, by the way, is a great product, we have been using alot of it, a good zero voc option in a lower price range than Aura.

**tegrey** · 05-21-2009, 07:37 AM

I believe we all feel the same about the ads. They (SW) are a HO market company and they want to rule the world. Of course this will not happen. All the suggestions madse have been done. Our reps were our business for years. They came to our home for a Christmas party with gifts, monthly lunches on us and many pats on the back. Funny as it is, SW killed that part of the business here also. We went from three reps to one. He covers 4,000 clients! I get his attention once a month no matter what. Of course if I call he calls back in a day or two. It certainly is not the way it was. I have since changed at least 50% of our business over to ICI, now the largest painting company out there. Over three times the size of SW. The same ad I originally wrote about is now in our local theaters. I like the old saying, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you!" Thank you.