Learning to Sell Value Added Concrete

A simple way to turn a $6,000 job into a $20,000 job

By Todd Rose, Owner of Todd Rose Decorative Concrete

A guy once told me, "Provide solutions for your customers, no matter what business you are in". I don't remember that professor's name, but I remember that lecture. A new buzzword in concrete seems to be value added concrete. That simply means adding some type of benefit to concrete for my customers. Our company is lucky enough to get to do several restaurants a year, whether staining or polishing. Ask yourself how you can provide some type of solution to your customer with concrete. This is what I do.

I know the restaurant business is risky. I also know that Fast Track construction is important to the builder, the bank, and the entrepreneur. When we are asked to bid or help in the design of a new commercial establishment or restaurant I try and learn everything I can about the business and the owners. If I can learn what is important to them, then I can learn how I can provide a solution to a perceived problem with concrete.

Is their floor a central theme to the restaurant? Is money an issue? Is completing the job as soon as possible the biggest priority because of cash flow and interest rates?

We are usually called to stain or polish a floor on a new restaurant or commercial building because staining is one of our strengths. One of the first things I want to know after securing the staining job is can we pour the slab? Then I want to know what they plan for the floor in the kitchen area. Almost always they say quarry tile. I know in our area quarry tile goes for around $7.00 to $8.00 a square foot. Well, I know I can install an epoxy floor in most kitchens for $5.00 a square foot. This saves my customer money. That makes my customer happy and begins a relationship. Then we move to countertops. If they are getting granite or another expensive type of bar top I know I can cast in place a concrete countertop pretty competitively. My goal is to offer more services in the same mobilization.

If things are moving well I go in for the close. I offer a good discount if they let me have the main floor, the kitchen floor, and the bar or countertop at the same time. All contractors know that mobilizations are some of our highest cost. If I can turn a $6,000 stain job into a $30,000 slab, stain, epoxy, and countertop job we win on several fronts. First off our gross value is larger, and everyone knows it takes the same amount of time to manage a $3,000 job and a $15,000 job.

There are other more important benefits here as well. By offering more services we have provided solutions for our customers and whether it's the builder or the entrepreneur they tell others about what you did. Anytime a general contractor has a sub do more trades he is happy. It is less time to manage one sub vs. three or four subs. You are doing them a service.