HardlinesJobs.com

Yesterday, I received an email introducing a new website from The National Hardware Show and Reed Exhibitions called HardlinesJobs.com. This seems like a great idea and long overdue. What better than a niche service for this industry put together by the same people who put together the largest gathering of industry executives in the first place. If executed well, I think this could be a big success.

New Heating System for Cold Weather Caulkers

Back in the days when I was involved with the development of the Essex dispenser for windshield adhesives, I met Bruce Christiansen. Bruce was developing a heating system for adhesives that would make it possible to dispense material in cold weather without rupturing the package holding the material. Water based materials can be extremely difficult if not impossible to dispense in cold weather. Conventional construction workers and tuck pointers have long kept tubes of adhesives and sealants over the vents on the dashboards to heat material. I have even heard of people using duck tape to strengthen the tubes so they are less likely to rupture.
Good News! Bruce has developed a family of products to solve that problem. For more informaion, visit http://www.ezgunn.com .

Check out the Flex-time article in USA Today

Last week I received a phone call from Stephanie Armour of USA TODAY. She was writing an article for the Money Section about the decline in flex-time in the work place. I explained that the decline was related to the economy and the poor economy over the last four years meant employers didn't have to offer that benefit to hold employees. She offered that her research showed that flex-time employees were more productive. I believe that as the economy continues to move ahead there will be more job changing and flex-time will once again be offered as an inducement to get the best talent possible. This is a difficult thing for employers as it means giving up control and demands that they be more attentive to actual results. It is much easier for a manager to count heads than it is to measure output.

Click on the headline to read the article at USA TODAY.

SK was sold prior to the Stanley offer for Facom

Earlier this week I wrote about the news that Stanley had made an offer for Facom. At that time, I wondered what would happen to SK. Little did I know at the time that Michel Moulin, President and CEO of SK had purchased the company from Facom back in May. This resolves the issue of how Stanley would handle SK, Proto and Mac. We now know that SK will continue to be a competitor to Proto and Mac.

The press release that I linked to in the title talks about the changes Michel has made at SK and their hopes for the future. It really sounds pretty interesting. Check it out.

Selling New Products to the U.S. Hardware Market

Ever see a new product and say to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Well, if you stop to think about it, probably everyone one of us has either had an idea for a new product, believe we are capable of a new product idea or knows of someone else who has had a new product idea.

To get an idea of the magnitude of new product ideas and activity, I did a quick search on the word “inventor” on google and back came 9,300,000 websites. If you do the same thing with “invention” you get 18,000,000 listings. We are not talking hundreds or even thousands, but tens of millions. The generation of new product ideas or inventions in our world is huge. Yet when most people stop to think about the people they have been exposed to with new ideas, they are lucky to think of even one who has achieved any kind of success with their idea.

How many of you have successfully marketed a new product or know someone who has successfully marketed that new product idea? My guess is few if any.

Why is it that with so many new product ideas, there are so few commercial successes?

My experience both in the corporate world and as an independent consultant leads me to believe that it all boils down to a lack of understanding. First and foremost is a lack of understanding of who the customer really is, what they expect of the product and what they are willing to pay for it. This by far is the most common shortcoming in most inventors offering. I can’t even begin to count the number of people who have spent their entire budget on producing product, getting patents and developing sales materials without knowing who the customer is, how the product will be used and what the consumer is willing to pay for the product.

In today’s world, knowing all about the customer is critical. Almost 40 years ago when I started into business, the buyers of products at the different retail chains knew more about the customers than did anyone else in the marketplace. Today, people move so quickly that there is very little knowledge about the consumer. The inventor must now do the work that used to be done by the retailer and the distributor and make the buying decision so easy that it is a no brainer for his channel of distribution partners.

As if that weren’t enough, the inventor also needs to understand the option that are available for getting the product to market and balance that against the time, money and drive that are available to devote to achieving success in the market. The more the inventor knows about their own motivation, the easier it will be to choose among the options. While it is not impossible to figure out what options are available, this is an ideal time to get outside help in outlining the options and evaluating how each option fits that particular inventor. This can be done with an industry knowledgeable advisor, a consultant or possibly with a careful reading of the “Guide to the U.S. Hardware Market.”

After the inventor has developed a clear picture of the product, the consumer and the options available to market the product, they must then understand the different channels to get your product to market and how to present the product to that particular channel. How to present the product includes things like pricing, packaging, promotion and service. All need to be tailored to the particular channel that best fits your needs.

Once you have addressed all of these areas of understanding, you have the basis for a plan to go to market and the next step is execution. Even the most well thought out plans can fail if there isn’t a means to gather feedback and modify the plan as needed.

There are so few people who go through the necessary steps to introduce an invention or new product idea, that it is no wonder we don’t know more successful entrepreneurs.

If you would like to know more about the steps to achieve success in preparing your new product for the U.S. Hardware market, visit http://www.cannonadvantage.com/guide.html.


 Copyright Bob Cannon/The Cannon Advantage, 2006. All rights reserved.

Byline
Bob Cannon helps people with new products for the U.S. Hardware Market find the best way to take their new products to market. Check out other interesting articles available in the Taking Aim newsletter available at www.cannonadvantage.com . Bob can be reached at (216) 408-9495 or mailto: bob@cannonadvantage.com

This article courtesy of http://www.cannonadvantage.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Accelerated Product Evaluation Program

For over 20 years, I have been working in the Hardlines / Hardware industry and during that time I have been involved with and written about all aspects of new products from development to introduction and everything in between. In fact, I have even written about how to do product variations, re-engineering, re-positioning and re-introductions in my online course on the Product Life Cycle.

One aspect of the process that frequently slowed the whole process was product evaluation. Recently, I discovered an alternative to the traditional do-it-yourself approach to product evaluation and I found it right in my own backyard. OnSpex is a Cleveland based company that helps manufacturers speed up the process and can provide assistance on compliance with UL, CSA, ASTM, ANSI, EMC and FCC standards as well. In addition, their credibility with retailers can have a positive affect on the acceptance of your new product.

If you need accelerated product evaluation for hardlines products like: plumbing products, electrical and gas appliances, power tools, and personal protective equipment, you might want to consider contacting OnSpex. If on the other hand you need to develop a plan to take your new product to market, then you might want to consider my "Guide to the U.S. Hardware Market."

Stanley bidding for Facom

Consolidation in the Hardware / Hardlines Industry continues and each change has the potential to dramatically alter how manufacturers go to market and the products available to consumers. Today's Wall Street Journal reported that Stanley placed a bid of 410 million EUROs for Facom. This would significantly expand Stanely's presence in Europe and has some interesting implications for the U.S. Market as well. It is interesting to think about how SK might fit into this equation. With a strong presence in both industrial and automotive, it will be interesting to see how this might be folded into Mac and Proto or left as a competitor.
This could be the shot in the arm that Stanley needed. It could also be another deterent to Snap-On raising their stock prices. In any event, it will be interesting to watch.