Growing up, I would beg to go with my dad to get his car serviced. The waiting room in the mechanic’s garage was filled with locals drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and exchanging gossip. Always prominent were the Snap-on Tool calendars.
Snap-on Wrench Company started in 1920. The company manufactured and marketed ten sockets that would “snap on” to five interchangeable handles. The concept revolutionized the tool industry. In the 1930’s, Snap-on continued its innovative leadership by marketing tools directly to customers at their businesses. It became the cornerstone of their success. They viewed themselves as a tool company selling through vans to vehicle repair technicians. They did it well then and now.
Wisely, Snap-on has evolved through the years.
As with other companies who carry strong name recognition, Snap-on has broadened its value proposition; today Snap-on “supports serious professionals in critical industries – inside and outside vehicle repair – by delivering a broad array of productivity solutions that make work easier, including tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions.”
Snap-on is constantly reinventing itself to stay relevant. Note the words blazoned on the truck pictured above:
If my contents were any more high tech,
you’d have to be beamed aboard.
Snap-on continues to be successful but looks very different today than it did even five years ago. How about your company?
- Have you evaluated the markets you serve and the problems you solve?
- How much have they changed in the last five years?
- How much will they change in the next five years?
- How have you responded to your markets?
- What new media and technology are you utilizing now?
- How are you preparing for future changes?
We know the only constant is change. What are you doing to stay ahead of the curve?
The road is easier together,
Linda Laitala, President
Raven Performance Group