What Should Be in a Steel Siding Sales Demo Kit?

If you want your sales team to sell more steel siding, start by looking at what they actually carry into the homeowner's house.

A brochure is not a steel siding demonstration.

A color chart is not a complete presentation.

And telling a homeowner that steel is "stronger" or "premium" does not give them enough information to decide whether the additional investment is worthwhile.

A proper steel siding sales demo kit should allow the homeowner to touch the product, compare it against other siding choices, examine the finish, understand the profile, explore colors and review the manufacturer's written warranty.

Gentek's current SteelTek Supreme® Steel Siding lineup gives contractors four profiles, a Galvalume® AZ-50 steel substrate and a Kynar® PVDF finish system. Those differences are much easier to sell when the homeowner can physically see them.

At Suburban Wholesale & Supply, we encourage contractors to build a repeatable steel siding demo kit instead of collecting random samples in the back of the truck. Every piece in the kit should have a job during the sales presentation.

The Goal of the Demo Kit

Your kit should help the homeowner answer five questions:

If an item in the demo kit does not help answer one of those questions, ask whether it really needs to be carried into every appointment.

1. A Full SteelTek Supreme Panel Sample

This is the most important piece in the entire kit.

Do not depend on a photograph of steel siding.

Bring an actual piece of SteelTek Supreme.

The sample should be large enough that the homeowner can:

• Hold it comfortably
• See the face texture
• Examine the finish
• Turn it sideways
• See the formed profile
• Compare it with other siding products

SteelTek Supreme uses heavy-duty Galvalume AZ-50 steel with a Kynar PVDF coating system. Gentek also lists a 35,000 PSI yield strength for the product. Those specifications become more meaningful after the homeowner has an actual steel panel in their hands.

The physical sample should be the center of the presentation—not something you pull out after twenty minutes of talking.

2. A Quality Vinyl Siding Sample

If steel is part of your good-better-best presentation, bring the other products you genuinely sell.

A quality vinyl sample gives the homeowner context.

Place it beside the steel sample and say:

"These are both siding products we are comfortable offering. I want you to understand how they differ so you can decide which one fits your project."

Do not carry a deliberately weak vinyl sample just so steel looks better. That damages credibility and makes your good-better-best presentation feel manipulated.

3. An Aluminum Siding Sample

Contractors selling metal siding should also consider carrying aluminum.

Steel and aluminum are both metal exterior products, but they are not the same product.

Having both samples available lets the homeowner physically compare:

• Material feel
• Rigidity
• Panel construction
• Finish
• Profile
• Available design choices

This can be especially useful when the homeowner has an older aluminum-sided home and assumes every metal siding product is essentially the same.

4. Samples of the SteelTek Supreme Profiles

Steel should not be presented as one profile and one appearance.

Gentek currently offers SteelTek Supreme in four profiles:

These current specifications can be reviewed on the Gentek SteelTek Supreme product page.

Put the profile pieces together and ask:

"Which of these looks closest to the exterior you would like to create?"

Now steel has become a design decision instead of merely a material decision.

5. A Cutaway or Side-View Sample

One steel sample in your kit should make the profile easy to demonstrate from the side.

Contractors frequently show only the face of siding.

Turn it.

Show:

• The butt depth
• The formed panel
• The locking edge
• How the profile creates dimension

A good demonstration line is:

"You see the face when you're standing next to the house. What I want you to notice here is the profile that creates those shadow lines when you step back."

That is far more effective than simply stating the butt dimension.

6. Current SteelTek Supreme Color Samples

Color should be part of the sales presentation, not paperwork completed after the contract is signed.

Gentek's current SteelTek Supreme lineup includes twelve classic colors.

Your demo kit should include the manufacturer's current physical color samples whenever possible.

The colored boxes above are only visual organizers for this article. They are not intended to reproduce the exact Gentek colors digitally.

Gentek specifically recommends making final color selections using actual product samples because screen settings can affect how colors appear.

Your demo kit should make it easy to take real samples outside and compare them against the homeowner's roof, brick, stone, windows and trim.

7. Coordinating Soffit, Fascia, Trim and Rainware Samples

Do not stop your presentation at the siding panel.

Gentek's Color Clear Through® system coordinates colors across siding, soffit, fascia, trim and rainware within its product families.

Build a small exterior-design section into the kit:

Then ask:

"Would you like to look at the complete exterior together instead of selecting the siding, soffit, fascia and gutters independently?"

That question turns the siding appointment into an exterior-design appointment.

8. The SteelTek Supreme Brochure

Yes, the brochure belongs in the kit.

It just should not be the entire kit.

Use the current SteelTek Supreme brochure to reinforce documented product information including construction, finish and performance characteristics.

The current brochure identifies the product as roll-formed 29-gauge Galvalume AZ-50 steel and discusses its Kynar coating, low thermal expansion, impact resistance and other product characteristics.

Use literature as supporting evidence after the homeowner has handled the product—not as a script that you read aloud.

9. The Actual Written Warranty

A premium steel demo kit should always include the manufacturer's current written warranty.

SteelTek Supreme is currently backed by a lifetime limited warranty for the original property owner, with additional written hail, chalk and color-change protections subject to the terms and limitations of the warranty.

Keep either a printed copy or an easily accessible digital copy of the SteelTek Supreme Lifetime Limited Warranty.

During the presentation, say:

"Rather than me telling you what the warranty covers, let's look at what Gentek actually puts in writing."

That is a credibility-builder.

10. Installed Steel Siding Project Photographs

Samples explain the product.

Project photographs explain the house.

Build a steel siding photo library organized by:

• D4 projects
• D5 projects
• 8" Single projects
• Board & Batten projects
• Light colors
• Dark colors
• Whole-house steel projects
• Steel accent applications
• Before-and-after transformations

Whenever possible, use your own completed projects. Local project photographs help establish that your company has actually worked with the product instead of simply adding it to an estimate.

11. Access to the Gentek Visualizer

A small steel sample cannot show a homeowner what the entire house will look like.

Gentek's current SteelTek Supreme product resources include access to the Gentek Visualizer, which allows users to explore siding, trim, roofing, front-door and window-color combinations.

Keep the visualizer bookmarked on your tablet or laptop.

Use it to create:

1. A quality vinyl exterior.
2. A SteelTek Supreme exterior.
3. An alternate steel color.
4. A Board & Batten accent concept.
5. A complete steel-and-trim exterior package.

Then ask which design the homeowner prefers before discussing the upgrade investment.

12. A Good-Better-Best Comparison Sheet

The homeowner should not have to remember everything you said.

Create a simple side-by-side sheet.

Keep the comparison factual. Do not add claims you cannot document simply to make the steel column look stronger.

13. An Upgrade Price Worksheet

The demo kit should help you explain the financial decision clearly.

Show both the total project price and the upgrade difference.

Then say:

"You've already decided the siding project needs to be done. The question is whether the additional investment to move into the steel system gives you enough additional value."

That is easier to understand than presenting two large totals with no explanation.

14. Your Company's Installation Story

Do not build a complete SteelTek Supreme presentation and forget to explain why the homeowner should trust your company to install it.

Your demo kit should also contain information about:

• Your experience
• Your installation standards
• Your workmanship warranty
• Your local references or reviews
• Who handles service after installation
• How the project will be managed

Homeowners are choosing both a product and a contractor.

15. A Simple Steel Presentation Checklist

Your salesperson should not have to remember the presentation from scratch every time.

Put a checklist inside the kit.

What Should Not Be in the Steel Demo Kit?

More material is not automatically better.

Remove items that create clutter without helping the presentation.

Avoid carrying:

• Outdated brochures
• Discontinued colors
• Old warranty documents
• Broken or badly damaged samples
• Unlabeled profile pieces
• Stacks of literature you never actually use
• Comparison sheets containing unsupported claims

A clean, intentional kit makes the salesperson look more prepared and makes the product easier for the homeowner to understand.

Build Two Kits: Full and Grab-and-Go

Contractors may benefit from creating two versions.

The smaller kit makes it easier to introduce steel on appointments where the homeowner originally asked for another siding product.

Audit the Kit Every Quarter

Sales kits become outdated surprisingly quickly.

Set a regular schedule to check:

• Current profiles
• Current colors
• Current literature
• Current warranties
• Updated project photos
• Current pricing templates
• Condition of physical samples

A premium sales presentation should never depend on outdated information.

Build Your Steel Siding Demo Kit With Suburban Wholesale & Supply

Contractors sell steel more effectively when their salespeople have the product in their hands before they walk into the homeowner's house.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply supports professional contractors throughout Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois with steel siding, aluminum siding, vinyl siding, samples, literature, accessories, contractor education, material assistance and jobsite delivery.

Explore siding and exterior products available through Suburban Wholesale & Supply, or stop into our Davenport showroom to start building a steel siding sales kit for your team.

The best steel demo kit is not the one with the most pieces. It is the one that makes the sales presentation easier: show the product, demonstrate the differences, design the exterior, prove the claims, price the upgrade and let the homeowner decide.

Sources & Contractor Resources

• Gentek Building Products — SteelTek Supreme Steel Siding — current product features, profile lineup, design tools, colors, literature and warranty resources.
• Gentek Building Products — SteelTek Supreme Product Details — current D4, D5, 8" Single and 12" Board & Batten specifications, colors, Galvalume construction and Kynar finish information.
• Gentek — SteelTek Supreme Steel Siding With Kynar Brochure — manufacturer literature covering 29-gauge Galvalume AZ-50 steel, Kynar coating and documented product characteristics.
• Gentek Building Products — Warranty Center — current access to Gentek exterior cladding warranties.
• Gentek — SteelTek Supreme Lifetime Limited Warranty — written warranty terms, including hail, chalk and color-change protection and transfer provisions.
• Suburban Wholesale & Supply — contractor siding samples, exterior products, education, material support and distribution throughout Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.