Use Color to Win

3 min read

Turn color into your competitive advantage

Even though you may feel like more of an expert in products than color, that’s no barrier to helping your customers in their color journey. Thanks to a suite of innovative tools from Sherwin-Williams, you can direct your customers to find the color they’re looking for, learn which colors are trending, and meet virtually with an expert design team to find the perfect palette for them.

These three services can help you leverage color to succeed.

Color Toolkit

The Color Toolkit is an all-in-one feature within the PRO+ App that offers a variety of simple services that add up to ease the color journey. To use it, link your PRO+ account to the app, tap the Tools tab, and you’ll have the Toolkit right at your fingertips.

Through the PRO+ App Color Toolkit, painters can quickly share links with their customers by ease of text or email to:

  • view the 50 most popular colors
  • order color chips and color samples to ship directly to their home
  • schedule a free color consultation virtually with a Sherwin-Williams color expert

Use the Color Toolkit to save time and show your customers you’re prepared for anything.

ColorSnap App

Need to perfectly match a prior paint color? Tell your customers they can cut out the guesswork with the ColorSnap app (available on Android and iOS). They can open the app and use their phone’s camera to scan any flat surface and identify its color, without even having to go to the store.

For contractors seeking more advanced features—including sheen identification and more precise scans—try ColorSnap Match PRO, a small external device which can be used in combination with the app to scan any flat surface.

Contractors say ColorSnap Match PRO accurately identifies color and saves them time on the jobsite. In a May 2021 survey of pro painters and designers, one respondent said, “It works—I’ve tested it with finished products asking it to provide me with the Sherwin-Williams paint color, and it matched it every time.”

“I bought this as a tool to match paint for repairs, and it saves time since I don’t have to cut a sample size out to match at the counter,” writes contractor Rey Ortiz. “I just call in the paint color rather than have them match it, which takes time as well. All said, this one device saves about 2-3 hours in time per job. It’s well worth it.”

Virtual Color Consultation

For customers who require additional expertise, invite them to schedule a free virtual color consultation. Customers can get 30 minutes of expert color recommendations with one of Sherwin-Williams’ Color Consultants, during which they can get a personalized project plan as well as color chip samples sent directly to them.

To get started, simply share the link from the PRO+ App Color Toolkit or direct them to swcolorconsult.com. Within minutes, your customer can instantly schedule their free 30-minute expert color consultation as early as the next day when available.

Sherwin-Williams’ Archie Bartel says this service is a win-win for contractors and their customers.

For your clients, he says, “this is a benefit of doing business with you, because you partner with companies like Sherwin-Williams to ease their pain in this part of the process. You’ll be ready to start their project faster and get it done promptly.”

Contractors agree. In a November 2022 survey of professional painters on Sherwin-Williams’ advisory board, they reported that the consultations helped customers feel more confident about their paint selections, resulting in more peaceful jobs. One painter wrote, “Helping the client choose color choices not only saves me time but it adds a level of professionalism for a next-level experience.”

Conclusion

You don’t need to be the color expert—because you’ve got a team of color experts on your side.

Color is a powerful tool. Tap into its potential.