Can The Canards

No, I’m not talking about hordes of protesters putting stone shops in the same league as whaling fleets, although some of that may be on the way. Let’s take a look at a group that can cause real problems: customers.
The problem isn’t with bad credit or snarly attitudes. Instead, it’s the baggage they bring from what can politely be called a large spate of image trashing of stone. Much of it comes from the Internet, where it’s a hit-and-miss proposition – where information that scores hits on Google searches often misses the point.
I came across a severe example of this recently with a blog on design, home decor and going green. The writer ground out the standard cute headline along the line of “granite doesn’t rock,” and then went on about the perceived failings of the material. Chief among the complaints was the idea that granite was wasteful because, once out of the ground, “that’s it,” and it mainly comes from faraway places – “India and Egypt, I think.”
I didn’t step into the discussion – trying to answer all the things I find on the ‘Net would stop other important work, like putting out a magazine. However, within a week, some 30 other people chimed in, with more than a few offering the likes of, “Wow! I didn’t know that! Thanks for setting me straight!”
The trouble with the online world – and the blogosphere in general – is that misperceptions and uninformed opinion often get taken at face value as fact and good advice. And it’s what you’ll face, more and more, as customers come in the door. Often, it’s skepticism without reason … and we need to deal with it as part of the sale.
The following are a few of the main themes rattling around online, and likely in a prospective customer’s head. We’ve heard them before, but it’s worth a quick review to help all of us anticipate and answer some subliminal – but powerful – concerns.
• Stone is too expensive. Actually, stone is close to the perfect case study in global economics. There’s more stone coming from more places on the planet than ever before. The abundance of supply means that consumers get more for their dollars; factor inflation into the mix, and stone costs less than it did five or ten years ago. The larger supply also led to more people selling and fabricating stone, making the market (and prices) more-competitive.
And, in the long run of ownership, stone’s a great value. It doesn’t wear out.
• Stone looks cold. It’s not that people don’t like what they see; they really haven’t seen enough. While the big-box emporiums serve to bring stone to the attention of more people, those consumers also tend to see the same dozen stones over and over.
Purveyors of other surfaces can pride themselves with offering more than 75 different looks, while most stone shops could come up with 100 different marbles alone from, say, Spain. There’s a riot of color and pattern with stone that meets anyone’s varied taste; the key is to make sure customers get the full palette when shopping.
• Everyone has granite countertops now. We’d all be a lot richer if they did. Some of this stems from people seeing too few varieties going into too many houses. Some of it also comes from not getting the message that other types are available, such as soapstone.
It’s also the push to be waist-level-centric. We’re not just countertop outlets; stone can go beyond cabinets and vanities, how about stone-clad walls, floors, patio decks, stairs, fireplaces, foyers … anywhere around the house and business. BTW – what’s on the floor in your showroom?
• It’s not green. What part of the word natural doesn’t apply to stone? Yes, it’s extracted from the earth, but so are most of the materials for nearly any other surface offered in the market. Pound-for-pound and inch-by-inch, it likely holds up well when comparing carbon footprints for transport and production.
It’s also unlike other resources like coal and gas; it’s not immediately consumed and gone forever. Stone is almost certain to outlast the structure where it’s installed. And, while it’s not ultimately renewable, stone can be recycled through re-cutting or crushing.
• Stone needs to be resealed (insert any number here) times a year. You can find granite that needs twice-a-year resealing. Other granites can get by with one. And plenty of stone needs sealing only every couple of years, if at all. But who’s telling customers the last part?
Like it or not, the industry needs to be careful of the goose-and-golden-egg syndrome here. Service after the sale can lead to some nice high-margin returns, but when consumers get the idea that stone costs too much to keep up, it’s going to affect the real profit engine of fabrication and installation.
• It’s not safe around the house. Theories and picocures are starting to make the rounds again. Nobody’s produced a documented case of Killer Countertops yet, either.
The only unassailable fact is that every piece of stone and every installation is unique. The likelihood of unsafe radon-gas emission is extremely, extremely low from natural stone. Radon is a whole-house concern with much larger contributing factors, including fill dirt for foundations, concrete and even drywall.
Yes, we’ve heard it before with all these concerns, and we’re going to hear them again. They’re legitimate to customers, and – while they may not say them – they’ll appear through the wording of questions and comments. There’s one place to tackle them: the point-of-sale. And you need to be prepared.