Model Builders Inc Blog

Why sales kits with cutaway products increase sales.

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Thu, Jun 06, 2013 @ 02:17 PM

When you are selling an industrial product like a battery, electric winch, pump or valve that has superior features and materials inside the most important tool your salesforce can have is often a product that is cutaway to show those advantages and exactly how it works. The product  should be small and light enough for a salesperson to carry in a carrying case.

Battery cutaway

 Forklift cutaway with sales case

Forklift battery cutaway with sales case

This battery cutaway uses mostly real parts but was made much lighter by using a foam block behind the first set of positive and negative grids. The paste in the real grids is toxic so colored bondo in orange or gray was used and a matte finish created to resemble the real paste. The grid is real but the connector at the top of the grid is plastic to help reduce the weight of this battery cutaway.

Seeing the product with a cutaway showing its advantages means believing them. The black top, white housing, grid and battery strap are all real parts. Part of the battery strap on the top is cutaway so you can see the copper inside. The black label on the side lists three benefits and three technologies that help to reinforce the sales message.

This battery sales kit was so effective in generating sales that the company ordered additional cutaways of some of their other battery lines for their sales people.

Battery Cell Cutaway resized 600

 Battery cell prototype cutaway with sales case

This lithium battery cell fits into a small sales case.  The wood stand is easily removed and the battery cell slips down vertically into the stand. Weight, watt hours and other sales information is silk screened on the front of the battery. With the cutaway view the story of how it works can explained by showing the various sections inside.

Superwinch Cutaway resized 600

 Superwinch cutaway sales kit

Here a potential customer can see how this winch works from the inside out as well as see the quality of the materials, mechanisms and construction. If  a potential customer can't see that inside difference of the SUPERWICH first hand they may be more likely to buy a competitors product that is less expensive. Sales kits with a cutaway product  are often the closer that makes the sale.

Aircraft oil pump with clear housing

aircraft oil pump with sales case

Aircraft oil pump model with sales case

This full size jet aircraft oil pump model with a clear housing and translucent parts (metal parts in the real pump) shows clean or dirty oil and a separator part (each in one of three different colors). The aluminum base is 12" wide X 16" long. The rugged ATA style carrying case can also be used for domestic or international shipping.

A sales kit with a cutaway product (or model of the product) will help to show how your product works, the superior materials it is made of and other internal sales features. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773.586.6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

 

Tags: sales kit, sales kits, product cutaway, product model, training aids, model builders, model maker, model makers, training aid, product models, model builder, product cutaways

Product Cutaways Tell a Story

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Thu, Feb 16, 2012 @ 08:01 PM

Every product has its own story to tell. Often the best way is with a with a cutaway. Product cutaways are a dramatic way to show how a product works or how well it is made. Manufacturers of pumps, valves, storage tanks, power tools, transmissions and engines are frequent users of cutaways so they can show unique features and present principles of operation. Superior materials and craftsmanship can also be shown. To see quality is to believe it.

pump cutaway

The use of product cutaways is not always confined to tradeshows or sales calls. Other uses are for education, in museums, sales training, engineering training, assembly training, and photos for technical manuals or advertisements. Product models are useful anywhere a three dimensional product or process needs to be explained. Cutaways have a stronger impact than an illustration. 

There are many types of product cutaways. Some are associated with equipment that is contained in a metal casting - a hand held power drill for example, or a transmission. However you shouldn't confine cutaways to just those types of equipment.

You could:

  • encase the guts of a product, such as a switch, in clear plastic so that you can watch it work.
  • build a small cutaway model of a large product such as a turbine or a large model of a small product such as a microchip.
  • construct multiple cutaways to demonstrate a process.
  • animate the cutaway with mechanical motion or sequenced lights.

The success of a cutaway depends on how well you are able to show your product story. You could have someone just cut your model apart but you should use skilled professionals to help you. Some points to consider in having cutaways made are:

  • is the product the right scale or should you have a smaller or larger cutaway made?
  • does the cutaway need to have its parts move to demonstrate how it works?
  • should hot areas be painted red and cool areas painted blue?
  • should parts be polished, plated, painted, etc. to project a quality image?
  • should there be labels on the cutaway parts?
  • is what you want to show clearly visible or should more of the casing be cut away?
  • rather than simply cutting a product in half, should you have it cut at a dramatic angle to make it more interesting?
  • should you have small cutaways made for your sales representatives to use as a focal point of their customer presentations?

If you have a dramatic product story to tell from the inside out, use a cutaway. If you would like more information about getting a product cutaway done send an email to info@modelbuilders.net .

 turbocharger cutaway

Tags: industrial scale models, sales kit, product cutaway, product model, product models, product cutaways