Snap-on Tools
It is rare for a company to become so ubiquitous in the market place that its name becomes synonymous with its principal product. There are, of course, many examples, including Kleenex, famous for its tissues, Scotch, famous for its sticky household tape, and Band-Aid, famous for its bandages. Another such company is Snap-on Tools. Snap-on Tool has joined Kleenex, Scotch, and Band-Aid in the ranks of these eponymous brands.
Snap-on Tools is a household name when it comes to tool used in applications of all types. Snap-on Tools are made expressly for personal use, meaning that when you buy a Snap-on Tool set, you are purchasing a tool that was made specifically for the individual to use. With Snap-on Tools, you will not find yourself with a piece of industrial machinery reworked as a hand tool or with a tool that is so cumbersome or complicated that it is impossible to actually use.
According to the Snap-on Tools website, the company has grown to such popularity that it has the number one market share in the tool industry. With more than 19,000 products and franchises operating n 130 countries around the world, Snap-on Tools is definitely well-known. Further, also according to their website, they continue to employ 11,600 people worldwide and maintain a franchise network for 4,000 franchisees.
One reason Snap-on Tools are so sought after is that they are sold in exclusive franchises. You will not find Snap-on Tools at Wal-Mart or another local hardware store. Snap-on Tools are known for their high quality, and the company maintains that high quality by only franchising to knowledgeable, service oriented franchisees. But not only does Snap-on Tools sell personal tools, they also develop and manufacture them. Because they control the supply chain, Snap-on Tools is able to guarantee that all of their tools meet the same standards of quality across the board.
And what a broad board it is. Snap-on Tools product lines include all manner of high quality hand tools for the personal user, diverse tool storage solutions to fit any number of needs, diagnostic equipment, information and management systems, and auto shop implements. According to their website, Snap-on Tools is an integral part of the auto, marine and aviation industries, as well as assisting manufacturers of vehicles, utility companies, and government and industrial organizations.
Founded in 1920, Snap-on Tools is based out of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Worth approximately 2.4 billion dollars, Snap-on Tools has the distinction of being one of the companies traded on the Standard & Poor 500. As with many companies that show great success today, Snap-on Tools started out with a simple concept – marketing a simple set of interchangeable socket and wrench handles. Because of their first product, Snap-on Tools was originally named the Snap-on Wrench Company. And even though Snap-on Tools is now a household name, it wasn’t the company’s product line that originally branded them as successful innovators in the sales game. No, it was their style of marketing. Direct marketing was brand new and unknown until Snap-on Tools used it to transform their sales and, eventually, the entire sales industry.
Have you ever seen a salesman traveling around with a selection of vacuum cleaners or a sample case full of small items? Well, that salesman’s method comes from the early days of Snap-on Tools. In the early days of Snap-on Tools, its owners hired a salesman named Stanton Palmer who sold Snap-on Tools by taking them directly to places of business that would benefit from their use and demonstrating them right there. So not only is Snap-on Tools renowned for its superior product, it is also renowned for pioneering a new sales method that would benefit companies for generations and is still going strong today.
