lnflate your sales of pneumatic tools & fasteners

TFOOLS and fasteners are among a I retailer's high margin items, among which pneumatic tools can pump up the highest margins. And if merchandised properly, pneumatic nailers, staplers and fasteners offer six to eight inventory turns a year.

These tools are used by contractors, remodelers and builders for a variety of home construction jobs, including framing, laying flooring, building decks and installing drywall, paneling, trim and moulding.

The key to proper merchandising of these professional products is remembering who buys them. Since most dealers cater to both contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners, and many products sell to both markets, retailers tend to merchandise them

Story at a Glance

Watch pneumatic tool and fastener sales soar with proper merchandising ... tips on best usE of displays, promotions.

without any distinction. But pneumatic nailers and staplers, and the nails and staples they drive, are seldom bought by homeowners. The second key point to remember is that the real money is not in the nailer or stapler, but in the nails and staples. During its lifetime, a $500 tool may drive $10,000 worth of fasteners.

Here are some tips on how to sell more tools and fasteners:

(1) Product displays should ideally be close to tbe contractors' counter, not necessarily in the front of the store. Most contractors seldom go o the front area. To make the products visible to them, the display should be located wherever contractors visit most often. Displays are usually available at no cost from the manufacturers if the retailer orders a certain amount. Duo-Fast Corp., for example, has a complete "Profit Center" !o help retailers effectively merchandise is products.

(2) Merchandising can take rhe form of cross promotion witb other products, such as "purchase so many windows or so much lumber and get a framing nailer or air compressor free." Or give a discount on the tool if they purchase a certain volume of fastenen. This last promotion is very effective in keeping the contractor from going to another retailer for nails and staples after he has bought the tool. Assuming a $500 tool will drive $10,000 worth of fasteners, no retailer can

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. Stapler

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Impacl wrench

. Rarchetnnench

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. Grease gun

Blow gun

Sand blast gun Tank

. Compressor

Spray gun kit to lose the repeat business in fasteners. So offering couponing or a "frequent buyer program" on fastenen is advisable.

(3) Most pnerrmalic nailers and staplers accept only certain types of fasteners, and a cbart that explains tbe courpuibility of tools and fasteners is essential. In most cases, Oe tool manufacturers will provide such a cbarr

(4) These poducts are ideally promoted by the retailer at "sawdust ptrties" or a contractors' open house. Again, remember ihe distinction between these professional products and your store's consumer p'rodncts.

(5) Finally, employee training is a necessity. Most pneumatic nailers and staplers are designed fu specific tasks, unlike a drill or a power saw. A framing nailer and a finishing naikr arc two very dilferent lools" and one will not do tbe other's job. Therefore, employees must be faniliar with the function of the tools and what types of fasteners they drive.

After-sale service is crucial to maintaining the r€peat busiress in fasteners. Either the rctailer should brn to perform the simple repairs or do business with a manufacturer thet has service centers close by. Manufacturers, such as Duo-Fast, also sell repair kits that contractors can buy to perform simple repain themselves.