Tips on the Go: Selling MelaWood® SupaMatt™
Tips on the Go is a PG Bison series aimed at helping smaller companies who work with our products to improve the way they do business.
PG Bison has brought the latest in world trends right to your doorstep. And both homeowners and designers are loving the look and feel of the new MelaWood® SupaMatt™.
Its soft, silky-smooth and sophisticated touch adds that sense of elegance to any setting while its low reflective surface subdues colours bringing a sense of calm.
This new surface finish taps into the ultra-matt trend that’s sweeping the design world, as people look to create spaces of serenity and simplicity.
But sometimes, stockists and contractors find it difficult to convince homeowners of the value in choosing MelaWood® SupaMatt™ over other finishes, so we’ve got a few tips to help you in your showrooms and when preparing customer quotations:
Know the product
It’s much easier to sell a product if you or your salespeople understand the product’s pros and cons thoroughly and have the answers at your fingertips. If you’re uncertain, your customer will feel even more uncertain. Having the correct answers gives the homeowner a sense of confidence, helping them overcome their fears. Remember that their project is often a big investment for them, and they don’t want to get it wrong.
Here are some of the features and benefits you can emphasise:
- SupaMatt™ is durable
- A hot coated polyurethane (PUR) is applied to the board’s surface to ensure strong adhesion with the acrylic coats
- The surface is coated with layers of acrylic that are cured and hardened, to increase toughness, using ultraviolet (UV) light
- The uppermost surface coating is matted using, the latest international technology, Excimer lamps
- SupaMatt™ is recommended for vertical-surface applications only
- Such as doors and drawer frontals
- SupaMatt™ does require specific, yet very simple, cleaning
- Easy-to-use instructions can be downloaded from the PG Bison website
- https://pgbison.co.za/products/supamatt
- The ultra-matt surface of SupaMatt™ consists of micro-structures (tiny peaks and valleys) to help reduce the visibility of fingerprints under normal, day-to-day conditions*
- *Please note that it cannot prevent fingerprints entirely, as there will always be a transfer of surface oils from your fingertips to the surface of the panel, but with the correct care and cleaning, this can be kept to a minimum
- SupaMatt™ is made locally at PG Bison’s factory in Boksburg
- Your assurance of dependable, readily available product
- PG Bison uses international standards to ensure quality and consistency
- PG Bison’s Boksburg factory is certified ISO 9001 compliant
- SupaMatt™ is trendy
- Not only is this surface finish the latest trend, but the range of available colours is trendy too
- SupaMatt™ comes with a protective film to shield the surface during handling, processing and installation
- Only remove the protective film after the entire job is finished, including tiling and painting, but do not leave the protective film on for longer than 6 months.
- SupaMatt™ is value for money
- When compared with other ultra-matt surface options, SupaMatt™ is a cost-effective option
- SupaMatt™ is an investment
- Using SupaMatt™ elevates a project’s perceived value through style, sophistication and luxury, and can help add more value to a property
If you’re struggling to find stock of SupaMatt™, you can call the PG Bison Customer Care Centre on 086 057 9196 or fill in our website contact form and we will put you in touch with your nearest stockist.
- Look at the project cost as a whole
It’s often very easy to get caught up in a square-metre-for-square-metre price comparison between SupaMatt™ and, for instance, MelaWood® or MelaWood® SupaGloss™. But that’s not necessarily an accurate comparison as to how the product is going to be used in the overall project. While you will definitely use MelaWood® (or BisonLam®) for the carcasses and perhaps some doors, SupaMatt™ can be used more sparingly, as an accent, to draw attention or create a feature. (That is of course, unless your customer has the budget and wants to do all their doors and drawer frontals in SupaMatt™, then go right ahead.)
Start by looking at using SupaMatt™ in combination with MelaWood® SupaTexture™, MelaWood® SupaGloss™ or regular MelaWood®, to help manage the required square meterage and therefore some cost. Now look at the SupaMatt™’s cost as a part of the entire project’s cost to help put things in perspective. Customers may think that it’s difficult to justify the higher cost for SupaMatt™ at a square metre price, but by looking at the SupaMatt™ cost as a percentage of the whole project cost makes the difference that much smaller and that much easier to accept.
This is especially true in complex projects, like kitchens, that include several other elements, such as the hinges and hardware, basins, tapware, appliances, flooring and lighting. Supply your customer with a quote for all the elements that you can provide. Not only will this help you to price the SupaMatt™ in as an option but you can also assist your customer with their budget, and you have the opportunity to show everything you can offer, including different board and hardware choices.
- Provide design advice and options
Many people want to be more adventurous in their living spaces, but are not confident that they can make good design choices. Helping your customer with these things ensures a better customer experience, but also gives you the chance to suggest products or features they may not have considered otherwise.
For example, if your customer is looking for a sleek, modern kitchen colour combination, a good rule of thumb is to use two or three board colours. Using two solid colours with a wood or stone design can work so well.
SupaMatt™ can be used very effectively as a feature element and its surface is further accentuated when combined with the gloss or textured surfaces of other boards. This adds an interesting design element, but also assists your customer in managing costs.
Some of our favourite design and finish combinations using SupaMatt™ include (SupaMatt™ marked in bold):
- Petrol Blue™ + Calais™
- Caraz™ + Brookhill™ + Super Black™
- Azzano™ + Dunblane Grey™
- Caldera™ + Iceberg White™
- Super Black™ + Cambridge™
- Kalapana™ + Treviso™
- Storm Grey™ + Astana™
- Congo™ + Vence™
Remember that SupaMatt™ is a premium product, so help your customer to protect their investment by providing information on taking care of SupaMatt™ and proper cleaning tips. You can find these here.
For design examples and inspiration, follow the PG Bison social media channels, check out our website and chat to your PG Bison representative about product training and samples.
- Make sure your SupaMatt™ stock is tip top
Although SupaMatt™ is durable, it is still a premium product that should be afforded special care and attention. The last thing you want is for a customer to decide to install SupaMatt™ boards, only to discover that your stock is damaged.
To avoid this happening, create a space specifically for storing SupaMatt™ in your warehouse and follow correct board storage and handling procedures.
