The applicator category involves more than just selling brushes and rollers, it’s an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate expertise and boost your margins. At Golden State Paint in Salinas, California, and
The Paint Factory in Bozeman, Montana, applicators are front and center, serving both pro and DIY customers.

Applicators are high-margin items and, when paired with employee expertise, can be a high-performing category.
Learn four best practices that help these stores sell applicators effectively.

Put Applicators Where the Conversations Happen

Where you place your applicators in your store can shape how well your team engages with customers about them.

Both stores make it a point to merchandise applicators close to the sales counter, not just for convenience, but to spark conversations with customers.

“We keep them up front so we can interact with customers,” says Jeff Keller, owner of The Paint Factory. “It’s easier to have that question and answer moment if you’re right there. It’s not just about grabbing a brush—it’s about helping someone choose the right one.”

By placing applicators close to where transactions and conversations take place, stores create more educational opportunities for both employees and customers.

“I tell my new employees to stand by the brush wall and listen to what the experienced staff are recommending,” Keller says. “That helps them learn what questions we ask to figure out the right applicator for the job.”

Train Staff to Ask the Right Questions

One key to selling applicators is understanding the full scope of the project to recommend the right product. Training staff to listen closely and ask relevant questions is key to selling more applicators.

Before Golden State Paint owner George Acevedo opened his store, he was a paint contractor, which taught him how to sell to professionals.

“It’s all about the application,” Acevedo says. “If someone is painting trim, we’re going to guide them to a brush that gives a smooth finish and holds up to what they’re doing. But if it’s for fencing, they won’t need a top-of-the-line brush.”

Acevedo says he emphasizes the importance of listening to the customer with his employees. Once they know what the project entails, they’re able to recommend the right product.

“Our store looked completely different one year ago,” Acevedo says. “Now our shelves are full because we’ve swapped products out based on what our customers tell us they need based on the projects they are doing most often.”

Stock Tiered Options and Know When to Upsell

A strong applicator category should offer products at various price points and performance levels. Both stores carry good, better and best products, offering something for every price range.

“Our customers have begun to trust us because we don’t point them to the most expensive brush,” Acevedo says. “We look at their project, comfort level and help them find what’s right. That builds loyalty.”

When he was planning his applicator category, Acevedo visited other local paint stores to see what products they sold and which products performed better than others.

“I’ve gone into dozens of paint stores around the Bay Area to see what products people love, and then we brought those products in,” he says.

Keller says his goal is not to overwhelm his customers with options and has trimmed his SKU count to include different price points, but still offer quality products.

“When you tell them a better brush will hold more paint, leave fewer brush marks and last longer, it’s an easy upsell,” Keller says. “But only if it makes sense for the project.”

Utilize Markets to Restock and Try New Products

Applicator preferences can evolve, but many professionals stick to products they know and trust. Keller says he uses buying markets to discover new products and find deals when restocking his applicators.

“We start planning in February for what we’ll stock going into the season,” Keller says. “We look at what sold last year, what’s getting old and what our customers have been asking about. Then we go to our distributor’s show and meet with vendors to restock the staples and pick a few new things to try.”

Keller does most of his buying for the year during his buying group’s spring show and takes advantage of bulk buying discounts to save money on inventory.

Keller says he doesn’t immediately stock the latest and greatest brush or roller at the market, but uses this time to see what’s new and decide if it’s something he feels will work in his store. Compared to other categories, Keller says his applicator category hasn’t changed dramatically besides stocking the updated versions of the brushes his brand carries.

“We don’t just load up on what’s flashy,” Keller says. “But if we see something that fits a gap, or that might help our pros work faster or get a better finish, we’ll test it out.”