Business Tips for Applicators

Venetian Plaster application can be very profitable - Page 3 of 5

- Make lots of samples. This is probably the most important piece of advice. You should be able to make a great sample before doing the real thing. Samples are very important to show any client. For presentations, you should have at least 10 great samples (four Marmorino, three Veneziano, three Lime Paint). If you're just starting out, you should make dozens of samples just to practice. You don't have to order all of our colors to do so. You can purchase a few gallons of untinted products and purchase tints from your local paint store or pigment sellers.

- Making samples. There are 2 sizes in which you can make samples: 2' x 2', and 1' x 1'. This is done on ¼" drywall (sheetrock). ¼" drywall is usually sold in a store that sells a range of drywall products, like Home Depot or Lowe's, for example. In more general construction stores, drywall is sold as ½" to 5/8" sheets. These are very heavy to carry around. The ¼" sheets of drywall come in sheets measuring 8' x 4'. This is awkward to haul home, so, with a razor knife, measuring tape and a pencil, cut your pieces on the spot where you purchase your sheetrock. Ask the salesperson at the store how to cut drywall. It's very simple. Take the pieces home. You can now cut them to smaller pieces of 1' x 1' or 2' x 2'. The 2' x 2' samples are much better for samples as they let the client see the variation of color and texture better. Use smaller samples for color matching samples. Prime your samples using Zinser123 Acrylic Primer, Fresh Start, Killz Acrylic, or something similar. Use a miniature paint roller for this; it is less messy. When priming, be sure to get the side edges so that the samples don't leave a trail of drywall dust. Then follow the instructions in the Applications section of this website. If you can do this successfully; be confident that you can do a whole house successfully.

- Sell your clients. You need to be a convincing salesperson. Here is what your pitch could sound like: "Venetian Plaster is simply the best wall finish in the world. It is the Rolls Royce (or whatever fits your client) of wall treatments. It is what those faux finishes try to imitate (and it comes out at the same price, ironically). It is made of crushed marble, aged lime and natural pigments from Europe. The pigments used originate from the same place as the pigments that Michelangelo used for the Sistine Chapel (really). True pigments are crushed crystals and mineral, which reflect light like tiny mirrors; synthetic pigments are chemically made and are 'dead' when reflecting color, depth and light. Venetian Plaster is durable, healthy to live around, easily reparable and timeless in its beauty. While most faux finish looks are outdated in 10 years, Venetian Plaster only improves with time. It can be used in contemporary or old world settings. (This is not only some Tuscan thing.) Venetian Plaster is the same as the wall treatments used throughout Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years… Not only do you want to let your clients know they are getting the absolute best product, but it is important to make them feel educated and part of something bigger.

- Call the professionals and set up an appointment to show them your samples: Interior Decorators, Custom Home Contractors, Architects, Designers, High-end furniture stores, and high-end art galleries. Don't let them tell you to send a card or a brochure. This doesn't work. Rather, if they really don't want to meet with you, ask for their e-mail address so you can send them pictures of samples, prices, and information about how fabulous the product is. Don't rely on paint stores to refer you to clients. With art galleries and such, you can offer incentives such as doing a wall for them for free, or a 10% sales commission from their referral. Crunch the numbers for them; Interior Decorators do 20% to 30% markups, so give rates accordingly. In the interim, try to convince these potential 'partners' to allow you to set up your own little display at their place of business as a "value-added" service to their customers.

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