ITW Ramset looks to
electronic media
for competitive advantage
 Making
a great product is not enough anymore. Somehow, you have to get the
word out that what you make is different or better or more cost effective
than your increasingly tough competition. How do you do it?
The
answer at ITW Ramset/Red Head, makers of concrete fastening systems
for the construction industry, is more and more a reliance on electronic
media for product information and LCD projectors for group presentations
and training. The firm recently went to a CD-ROM and a series of PowerPoint-based
training programs to help customers understand and choose its offerings.
The
CD, according to Kim Menke, assistant to the firm’s national sales
manager, provides very complete information on the Ramset and Red Head
product lines plus software tools that help architects and engineers
calculate the types and quantity of fasteners they might need for a
particular job. “We started using LCD projectors at our national
sales meeting,” says Menke, “but we soon saw the value of
taking PowerPoint presentations into our customers and distributors
on job calls.” The CD, according to Menke, grew out of the firm’s
increasing use of electronic presentations.
Before
they had the CDs, Ramset/Red Head would distribute three-ring binders
full of product information to customers. “Everything that we have
has been in a separate piece of literature,” says Menke, and that
means customers get a lot of paper. The firm has had a great deal of
success in mailing the CD to architects and engineering firms as well
as its network of distributors, but the CD alone does not close sales.
It’s meant as a technical reference tool and a call-prompter; the
firm relies on its sales force to contact and support its customers.
That’s
where the LCD projectors come in. The sales reps and trainers all needed
a way to project the new materials to various size audiences; some sort
of portable projector was an obvious choice. Menke says they switched
to InFocus for their most recent purchase based on its size, portability
and resolution. The newest projector would be taken on the road by their
training manager and it seemed to fit his needs best out of several
that United’s Brian Sheridan showed them.
Menke
says Ramset/Red Head staff have been very happy with the electronic
media and the LCD projectors after more than a year in use. “The
projectors have been really useful to our trainers and our salesforce.
We’ve definitely grown our business based on being able to visually
show our customers the value of our products.”
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