Article on The Retail Customer - Decorating Retailer

On Whose Side Is Time?

When it comes to customer service in an independent paint and decorating store, storeowners and sales staff have a delicate balancing act to follow. On one hand is the contractor customer who needed supplies about an hour before he even came into the store. Then, on the other hand is the retail customer, who may need extra attention before deciding on the perfect color and corresponding sundries to complete a project. Who deserves the most amount of time? How do you divide your time so everyone is served and happy? Can an independent retailer cater to both sides of the market or is one side eventually going to suffer?

"Contractors are our big, big customers. The professional really is where it is right now," said Eliot Greenburg, the general manager of the paint division for Ring’s End, an eight store operation located in Connecticut. "We have well-trained professionals working our counter and we do have a phone-order business, so being efficient is critical for our contractor business. Time is money for these guys. We have to give the customers product by the time they need it. It’s basic but it’s critical to our success."

In fact, the contracting business is so important to Ring’s End that Greenburg said all big professional accounts are assigned their own outside sales representative (Ring’s End has five outside sales reps). Greenburg said this group of sales reps has the experience to answer all questions and solve all problems. Contractors simply don’t have the time to wait for help.

When stores do serve both contractors and retail consumers, storeowners have to make the decision on how to work with both groups. Some stores, like Miller Paint, have a separate counter for professional sales and retail sales. "You need to define who your customer is and what is that person’s level of expectation," said Steve Dearborn, president and CEO of Miller Paint. "There’s a big difference in the expectation of a contractor who is out of paint versus a woman wanting to paint her kitchen. It’s critical in our overall business plan to serve both customers and one way to do that is to know what each person wants. The contractor wants it now, the woman wants us to spend extra time with her."

Sawyer of Miller Paint said having a separate counter for contractors and retail customers has helped the company serve both sides of the market. "Contractors get their order quickly and receive urgent service," Sawyer said.

Lynne Whitney, national market manager for Miller Paint Company International (which manufactures the Devine Color line), added that it’s clear the female customer wants something completely different than the contractor, which is another reason why the split contractor-retail service idea works well. She said a well-organized, neat and clean store appeals to females, as well as offering a variety of color tools so they can select the perfect color. It’s a time-consuming process but once a retail customer comes to trust a store, it’s safe to say she’s coming back again and again.

"A friend of mine who has a loft downtown said she was worried about a painting project, so I sent her to one of our stores," Whitney explained. "When she came out of the store, she called me immediately to tell me how wonderful the service was and how the staff helped her pick out everything she needed for the project. This gave her the confidence to get the job done correctly."

However, Goldmeier at Sappanos Paint said he never would consider splitting up the contractor and retail counter. He said it’s not fair to alienate one set of customers and, overall, both groups understand this. "When you go to a grocery or clothing store or restaurant, you wait your turn. We do about $8 million in our four locations, so we have some busy locations," he said. "Sometimes contractors get annoyed. But, a retail customer who regularly redoes their house and buys all their products shouldn’t have to wait for a one-time contractor getting his one gallon of $12 paint. Obviously, there are exceptions to the every rule. When my bigger customers come in the door, I am obviously going to do what I can to get them service. But, it’s just not fair to people to get cut (in line) when they’ve been waiting."

No matter how you decide to serve your contractors and retail customers, Boyajian said taking the time to get to know people is key. While that’s easier to do on the retail side, he mentioned that storeowners should be more willing to host a breakfast early one morning for contractors or maybe have a contractor night with displays of product and services offered. "If you’re trying to battle big boxes strictly on price, you’ll lose every time. Get to know your customers. It goes a long way," Boyajian said.