If nothing ever changed, life would be boring. Automotive technology changes every year, and although will never change, for people who sell tools, this is a good thing.
For many of your customers, tools are more than just the way to get a job done. Whether it’s the delicate precision of a finely-made measuring tool, or just a big hammer that you swing for all you’re worth, good tools bring a satisfaction that deepens our appreciation of them. For people like that, discovering a new tool can really push some buttons.
Tools for professionals ain’t cheap, but that’s OK as long as there’s some assurance that they’ll return the investment. Pros expect to pay for value, and only pros can judge a tool’s real value.
That’s why we ask professional technicians to evaluate the tools presented each year for our sister publication’s annual Professional Tool & Equipment News Innovation Awards. These tools are either new or drastically changed in just the previous year (2010). Each is a response to the pros’ ongoing need for new tools, so each was developed to meet a specific need. It may be something completely new, like an offset wrench to reach a bolt on a new car model. It may be a modification that makes an existing tool easier to use, like a tester that’s updated with go/no-go lights so people don’t have to read a meter while working under a dashboard.
Our evaluators are not editors or journalists. They are techs and shop owners from all over the country, and taken together they work on cars, trucks, diesels, motorcycles, classic cars and even alt-fuel vehicles. They rate each tool on a list of objective questions and also provide their own opinions about them. The winners in each category receive the Professional Tool & Equipment News Innovation Award, presented at the AAPEX Show in Las Vegas. This year there are 24 winners.
If you can’t make it to AAPEX, you can still see the winners on our new website, VehicleServicePros.com. Everything you’ve seen on professionaldistributor.com is there, but now it’s combined with our sister publication’s websites so you can see the tools your customers will be asking about next time they see you. The new Website has more robust search capabilities, so it’s easier to find something specific. In the coming months, there will be lots more news and videos that show tools in action.
So we’re changing too, but not just to avoid boredom. Like the proud companies that participate in our Innovation Awards competition, we’re innovating to meet your needs, today and in the future.
