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

Sales kits demonstrate product advantages

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Sun, May 20, 2012 @ 09:33 PM

A sales call is one thing but a sales call with a sales kit is more likely to focus the potential client's attention on the advantages of a product.

Shown below is a sales kit that demonstrates how this particular storage silo works. The silo is hermetically sealed to keep oxygen out, thus keeping the feed fresher longer.  However, without a special feature, the silo would split open from expansion pressure if the inside air became much hotter than the outside air. If the inside air got much colder than the outside air, the silo's walls would collapse inward.  To prevent that, the top of the silo has two breather bags vented to the outside air. The bags collapse when it is hotter inside than outside and expand when it is colder inside than outside. This design enables the storage silo to keep the feed inside hermetically sealed without splitting open or caving in.

sales kit, sales kits, product model, product models

The question for the salesforce of well over 500 was how to show this breather bag process to potential clients so they believe it and remember it. The answer was the sales kit shown above.

In the bottom of the model silo is an emply aluminum soda can with the bottom missing. When the salesman lights a lighter inside the can the aluminum quickly heats the air inside which in turn collapses the two breather bags. He can then spray a can of fast freeze on the side of the aluminum can to cool the air inside and expand the two breather bags. This quick and memorable demonstration is a powerful factor in the sales process.

Sales kits often double as training aids. Shown below is a sales kit that is also used in training sessions to show how to adjust a crawler track for much longer wear.  The red rings show wear where they meet the white rods. The blue rings/rods are new with no wear. As the red rings wear down, eventually the track loosens up and the rings have to be replaced. 

However this particular design can be adjusted for wear so the track lasts about twice as long. The sales person can rotate the red rings and white rods 180 degrees with the steel tool in the middle of the yellow gear on the left so that they are facing the outside instead of the inside of the track. This puts the unworn half of the ring/rod facing the gear. You can hear and feel the difference by manually rotating the yellow gear on the left while holding the small steel rod in the gear.

sales kit, sales kits, product model, product models, training aid

Use sales kits like those above to help sell your product on sales calls or at trade shows. Give your product an edge by focusing on the key product advantages with an impact the client will remember.

If you would like more information on developing a sales kit for your product contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net

Tags: sales kit, sales kits, training aids, training aid

5 ways product models can increase sales

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Fri, Apr 06, 2012 @ 12:59 PM

Product models are an investment that often pays off big by increasing product sales. Here are five ways that product models boost results.

1) Product models attract attention to sales presentations by communicating in three dimensions.  Models tell a story your client can see immediately, even without words. The visual story combined with your comments have a powerful, long-lasting impact. Perhaps my father, William H. Chaffee, a model maker for most of the 20th century, said it best: "Models enable you to visualize an idea or product in a scale you can relate to."

product model, product models

2) Product models are used to draw people into a trade show booth and start the sales conversation. They are an attention-getting focal point in the sales process.  Just changing the scale of a product can command attention.  Small objects become gigantic and large objects can become small enough to fit in a 10' wide trade show booth. A 7' high detailer motorized brush as shown in the above picture, 8' tall drill bit, a 9' long windshield wiper blade with some new features, and a 6' tall toothbrush with lighted fiber optic bristles drew heavy traffic into their exhibit booths. Ordinary products command attention when produced in an unexpected scale and their unique benefits are immediately obvious.

3) "New" is one of the most response-generating words in advertising. Models can get new products in front of customers immediately through quick fabrication for presentations at a sales meeting, trade show, or photography for public relations releases. Prior to the first production run of a new industrial pool pump, a full scale exterior model was built for a trade show to introduce the product. The model was detailed down to the surface which had a casting texture painted on it. When the original product engineers first saw the model, some of them thought the model had come straight from the production line. Without the product model the company could only have shown two dimensional photographs or drawings with less impact.

product models, product cutaways

4) Models can highlight product advantages by showing how the product works or revealing certain features. A cutaway model of a real product can show any unique feature and the quality of the materials used inside.  For example, one product model used a clear plastic housing and some internal translucent parts combined with some real parts to create a jet engine oil pump that revealed where the oil flowed and the unique parts that made it work. For another client, a 2X scale oven with 2" wide red/orange fluorescent plastic "heat arrows" inside showed the even flow of heat.

5) Closing a sale is often quicker when you use a  model. For exmple a scale model of a trade show exhibit booth can sell the client on the booth design. Clients often cannot visualize a 3-D booth design as well as the designer. A model facilitates communication and clarifies any changes to the trade show booth design in order to gain a commitment to go ahead with construction of the booth. A model quickly and clearly shows the interior design, space planning, sight lines, traffic patterns, engineering, materials, colors, signage, and the interrelationships between various elements. The model helps to answer questions and solve potential problems. It is a fast way to understand a complex project and hence shorten the sales cycle.

Done artfully and with skill, product models like those described above help increase sales. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773.586.6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

 

Tags: industrial scale models, sales kit, product cutaway, product model, prototype, prototype models, product models, medical models, props

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