FEATURE


January 2019? – It’s Christmas for TOOLBANK


FOR the team at TOOLBANK HQ in Wednesbury, Christmas starts in January – just after the last Christmas sales promotion.


This year, the strapline for the Christmas 2019 promotions is ‘The Magic Starts Here’ – but after the presentation from Simon Bicknell, Marketing Director at TOOLBANK, it is clear that it is not magic that makes things happen; it is the sheer hard work of the TOOLBANK teams that gets the show on the road.


A potted history TOOLBANK promotions are not a new idea. The first one was launched 33 years ago in 1986 – the year of Chernobyl and, of course, at a time when internet access was but a gleam in a computer geek’s eye and computers were a novelty. In the days when ‘cut and paste’ meant using using real scissors and glue, the production of publicity material was a lot harder than simply clicking and dragging text and pictures onto a formatted page and then pressing ‘print’. Inevitably, this meant that much printed material was generic and needed to suit the wider range and interests of TOOLBANK’s customer base.


It is to TOOLBANK’s credit that each year the Christmas promotion has shown a steady increase in sales figures and popularity. One of the reasons why this is so is that the promotion’s stakeholders have been willing to listen, learn lessons, try new approaches and change tack when necessary. With IT systems currently available, feedback can be almost instant. Sales figures can be analysed


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and comments from dealers, etc, can be categorised and understood in detail – and yet Simon was slightly abashed to point out that the inclusion of a stamped addressed envelope in feedback requests is still the most popular method for dealers to respond. That, in itself, tells a little story, I think! Is it the personal touch or the relative lack of IT skills in some quarters?


To help give readers some idea of the complexity of the promotions, we should really start in January. This is when the dust from the previous Christmas promotions has settled a bit and some sense of perspective can be gained from the sales figures and feedback from dealers, sales reps and other interested TOOLBANK parties.


The process of analysis needs to be as inclusive as possible because trying to spot trends is a difficult business. Trends can be notoriously fickle, especially as the rationale for a Christmas present purchase may be completely different from a necessity purchase.


It would be easy to stick to old Christmas favourites like sets of accessories for example, but TOOLBANK has literally thousands of suppliers who need to have an equal chance to pitch for an opportunity to be included in the promotion. I can only imagine that some of the diplomacy might be even more delicate than some of our most recent Foreign Secretaries have had to deal with, since the list of brands included in the promotion will only be around 90 to 100


By PETER BRETT


and chosen to comply with a range of criteria and cover the widest spectrum of tool users.


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How do dealers choose their products and promotions? Once the TOOLBANK teams have made their promotional product choices, the IT systems are really used to full advantage in producing a ‘Real Deals For You’ product guide. This 20-page document illustrates all the deals available, from the simple set of paintbrushes to a top-of-the-range branded power tool. In the document are high-resolution pictures of the products with information on purchase costs and quantities along with Point of Sale information, etc. I also liked the little grey box next to each product in which the dealer could note quantities they wished to order. So much easier to make your choices and then pass it on to a younger member of the staff who might be more adept at TOOLBANK’s online ordering system…


There is no point in having a promotion if you don’t have the stock to fulfil the orders.


But I also noticed that there are three printed order forms included in the promotions pack – one for the products, one for the promotional material and one for the TV advertising and personalised


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