Contractors who want to sell more steel siding need to answer one basic question:

Where does steel fit in the presentation?

If SteelTek Supreme® appears suddenly at the end of the appointment as "the expensive option," the homeowner has very little reason to consider it.

Steel needs a defined position.

One of the cleanest ways to create that position is through a good-better-best presentation.

Gentek currently offers a wide selection of vinyl siding products as well as SteelTek Supreme Steel Siding, allowing contractors to build a legitimate product progression without pretending that the lower-priced option is a bad product.

At Suburban Wholesale & Supply, contractors can compare vinyl, steel and aluminum siding products, colors, profiles and accessories side by side before creating their own sales presentation.

Do Not Build a Cheap-Good-Expensive Presentation

Good-better-best is not simply three prices.

If your entire presentation looks like this:

the homeowner's eyes will naturally go to the smallest number.

Your job is to make the differences between those numbers visible before the homeowner is asked to evaluate the investment.

Build Three Clearly Different Product Levels

Notice that the SteelTek Supreme box does not say, "Vinyl is bad." It explains what changes when the homeowner moves into steel.

Step 1: Present the Good Option With Confidence

Your good option should never sound like the product you hope the homeowner will reject.

If your starting point is Gentek vinyl siding, explain why you carry it.

Gentek currently offers several vinyl siding families with a wide range of profiles, colors and price positions. Its current lineup can be reviewed through the Gentek Vinyl Siding Product Catalog.

Say:

"This is our starting siding package, and it is a product we are comfortable installing. It gives you a quality exterior at a practical investment."

You have now established that good really means good.

Step 2: Make the Better Option Meaningfully Better

Your middle option needs a reason to exist.

It should not simply be the same product with a slightly higher price.

Depending on your lineup, a premium vinyl option could include products such as Sequoia Select® Extended Length Vinyl Siding.

Gentek states that Sequoia Select Extended Length panels can reduce overlaps by up to 50% compared with standard 12-foot siding, helping create smoother wall lines.

Say:

"The first option gives you a quality siding system. This next option starts adding upgrades in appearance and design. Let me show you exactly what changes."

Good-better-best works only when the homeowner can see why each step exists.

Step 3: Introduce Steel as a Different Category

This is where many salespeople make the mistake.

They say:

"And if you really want the best, we have steel."

That statement is weak because "best" has not been demonstrated.

Instead say:

"The first two options are both vinyl siding systems. This third option moves you into a different material category. This is SteelTek Supreme steel siding."

Now the homeowner understands why the third box deserves a separate position.

Put All Three Samples on the Table

Good-better-best should be physical.

Lay out:

Then ask:

"Before I tell you what these cost, what differences do you notice?"

Let the homeowner touch all three.

Let Steel Earn the Premium Position Physically

Hand the SteelTek Supreme sample to the homeowner.

Turn it sideways.

Tilt it into the light.

Show the profile and finish.

Gentek identifies SteelTek Supreme as heavy-duty Galvalume AZ-50 steel with a Kynar PVDF coating system.

Say:

"When you move from the first two options into this one, you are not simply changing the thickness or style of vinyl. You are moving into a steel cladding system."

The premium position is now based on a demonstrable material difference.

Make Steel Visually Different in the Presentation

Steel should not receive the same two-minute explanation as the other products.

Give it a premium presentation.

Show SteelTek Supreme's Four Profiles

Gentek currently offers SteelTek Supreme in four profiles:

Current profile details are available on the Gentek SteelTek Supreme product page.

The profile choice gives steel another reason to occupy a distinct position in the presentation.

Compare the Three Options by What Actually Changes

Use the Warranty to Support the Premium Position

Once steel has earned the homeowner's interest, show the actual warranty.

Gentek's current SteelTek Supreme Lifetime Limited Warranty provides lifetime limited coverage for the original property owner, subject to its terms, as well as 50-year limited hail protection and 35-year limited chalk and color-change protection.

Instead of saying:

"Steel has a way better warranty."

say:

"Each product has written protection. Let's compare what Gentek actually puts in writing for the steel option."

That is much more credible.

Design the Three Exteriors, Not Just the Three Products

This is where a good-better-best presentation becomes much stronger.

Do not simply show three pieces of siding.

Show three finished exterior concepts.

Now the homeowner is comparing three different visions for the house—not merely three line items.

Ask Which Exterior They Prefer Before Showing Price

This question belongs in almost every good-better-best siding presentation:

"If all three of these exterior packages cost exactly the same, which one would you choose for your home?"

Their answer tells you what they actually prefer.

Then pricing becomes a discussion about whether the upgrade difference is worth obtaining the exterior they prefer.

Present the Investment as a Ladder

Then say:

"You told me the steel exterior is the one you prefer. The question is whether moving from the Better package into SteelTek Supreme is worth an additional $_____ for your home."

You have isolated the upgrade decision.

Do Not Hide Steel in the Proposal

A SteelTek Supreme option should not look like this:

Give the premium package detail.

Make the premium proposal look and read like a premium package.

Never Destroy the Good Option to Sell the Best Option

If you tell homeowners the Good option is junk, you have created a serious problem.

What happens if they choose it?

Now they believe they bought your bad product.

Your presentation should sound like:

Build the Presentation Around the Homeowner's Priorities

Good-better-best does not mean giving every homeowner an identical speech.

Premium selling works best when the premium features answer priorities the homeowner has already identified.

Use the Same Color Across All Three Options When Possible

This is an underrated sales technique.

When comparing products, color can distract from the material and profile differences.

If practical, demonstrate similar color families across your Good, Better and Steel options.

Then let the homeowner concentrate on:

• Material
• Profile
• Texture
• Finish
• Construction
• Warranty

Contractors can review Gentek's coordinated color offerings and exterior design considerations through Suburban Wholesale & Supply's Gentek Color Collections Guide.

Final color selections should always be confirmed with actual samples.

The Closing Question

Then be quiet.

The homeowner has already seen the products. Let them make the decision.

If They Choose Vinyl, You Still Win

A good-better-best presentation is successful when the homeowner confidently chooses any product you are willing to install.

If they choose quality vinyl, say:

"Great choice. That's exactly why we offer it."

If they choose premium vinyl:

"That gives you the upgrades you liked without moving all the way into the metal option."

If they choose SteelTek Supreme:

"Excellent. Let's finalize the steel profile, color and exterior package you selected."

Three good choices give you three ways to earn the project.

Build a Good-Better-Best Wall in Your Showroom

Do not limit this presentation to the salesperson's sample bag.

Build a permanent display with:

Suburban Wholesale & Supply provides product demonstrations, contractor consulting and a showroom where contractors can see exterior product options in person.

Learn more about Suburban Wholesale & Supply's contractor resources and showroom.

The Good-Better-Best Presentation in Eight Steps

Build Your Good-Better-Best Presentation With Suburban Wholesale & Supply

Contractors sell premium siding more effectively when they have real products to compare instead of relying on brochures alone.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply carries Gentek vinyl, steel and aluminum siding options along with siding accessories, samples and contractor support.

Contractors throughout Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois can use Suburban Wholesale & Supply as a resource for siding samples, exterior design discussions, product demonstrations, material quotes and jobsite delivery.

Visit the Suburban Wholesale & Supply showroom in Davenport and start building a good-better-best siding presentation your sales team can repeat at every homeowner appointment.

The objective is not to push every homeowner into steel. The objective is to make sure steel has a clear, professional place in the lineup so customers can actually understand what they receive when they move from good, to better, to premium.

Sources & Contractor Resources