Missed opportunity?

trainguytom · Post by **trainguytom** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:59 pm

I attended one of "The Woodworking Shows" in Milwaukee this weekend & had a chance to see & touch some neat stuff. I think my favorite spot was the Lee Valley tool area. Lots of woodworking suppliers were there showing off their wares.

But not Shopsmith.

There were a ton of attendees just gobbling up the demos for everything from nifty little razor blade hand planes to routers to bandsaws.
The interest level of everyone seemed off the charts. They came to learn. They came to buy.

So where was Shopsmith??? It just seems to me that this is a missed opportunity to get in front of large numbers of woodworkers. This was Milwaukee. I realize that's not the biggest city in the US, but it's not chopped liver. From the show website they do 12 shows throughout the east to the midwest. Seems like a great way to get in front of a lot of woodworkers.

algale · Post by **algale** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:16 pm

Which makers of large woodworking machinery were there?

trainguytom · Post by **trainguytom** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:31 pm

algale wrote:Which makers of large woodworking machinery were there?

None that I saw, now that you mention it. Is there some kind of restriction on them by the show? Maybe there is, so that would explain it. This was my first time attending this kind of thing.

The nature of Shopsmith sales seems to be that it's best sold by demonstration. Watching a seperate drill press or disk sander or lathe in action is pretty ho-hum for most woodworkers, but seeing a Shopsmith demo, if you've not seen one in action is pretty cool.

On the other hand, if there isn't any restriction, it seems a great way to get in front of lots of people motivated to buy woodworking stuff. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone knows if shows restrict certain types of vendors, or if Shopsmith just doesn't do this kind of thing?

algale · Post by **algale** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:50 pm

trainguytom wrote:None that I saw, now that you mention it. Is there some kind of restriction on them by the show?

That's why I asked. I don't think they are restricted. My understanding is the makers of most of the machinery have just decided it isn't worth their time to bring their stuff to these type of shows anymore. Too much work for too little reward, I guess.

trainguytom · Post by **trainguytom** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 8:27 pm

algale wrote:That's why I asked. I don't think they are restricted. My understanding is the makers of most of the machinery have just decided it isn't worth their time to bring their stuff to these type of shows anymore. Too much work for too little reward, I guess.

I suppose that would work for a company that sells table saws, big jointers, etc, and the popular guys who sell lots of stuff, but, unlike a table saw that everyone is familiar with, a Shopsmith really needs to be demoed. They're not too heavy to hit the road with, and it's not like they're selling all they could.

eagleta2 · Post by **eagleta2** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:20 pm

Considering their used to be a shopsmith retail store in Milwaukee...actually was in Brookfield I think... it probably would have Bennett good for them to be there.

I remember in the early 90's when shopsmith used to be at all of the home shows. I know, because I bought the demo mark v 500 that they had at the show.

Thanks
Geo

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:12 am

trainguytom wrote:I attended one of "The Woodworking Shows" in Milwaukee this weekend & had a chance to see & touch some neat stuff. I think my favorite spot was the Lee Valley tool area. Lots of woodworking suppliers were there showing off their wares.

But not Shopsmith.

There were a ton of attendees just gobbling up the demos for everything from nifty little razor blade hand planes to routers to bandsaws.
The interest level of everyone seemed off the charts. They came to learn. They came to buy.

So where was Shopsmith??? It just seems to me that this is a missed opportunity to get in front of large numbers of woodworkers. This was Milwaukee. I realize that's not the biggest city in the US, but it's not chopped liver. From the show website they do 12 shows throughout the east to the midwest. Seems like a great way to get in front of a lot of woodworkers.

Do you remember of the name of manufacture of the razor blade planes?
I had one I kept in my rough carpentry box that was ideal for removing a little wood here and a little there. when the blade got dull pitch it and get another. Loved it. But my rough carpentry tool box got stolen.

I really miss that plane and all the tools I had in the box from my grandfather. Who ever stole the box will never realize how precious that box was to me. Probably didn't get more than $25 bucks for everything in it but I would have paid $500 to get it back no questions asked.

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:49 am

FWIW, I think Shopsmith is doing all they can when it comes to showing what the machine can do. I believe that by going to Lowes stores is right for a couple of reasons: 1) This chain has enough foot traffic and 2) there is no admission fee. Woodworking shows, home and garden shows, state fairs are once a year.

We also need to keep in mind that it wasn't too long ago when there was serious discussion on this forum whether or not Shopsmith would be able to survive. However, though reorganization Shopsmith has been able to bring the PowerPro from concept to reality. At least through doing demonstrations at Lowes, this elevates the Shospmith name to the public.

BPR

rpd · Post by **rpd** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:51 am

This could be what you are looking for Lee Valley Razor Blade Block Plane .

trainguytom · Post by **trainguytom** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:06 pm

ryanbp01 wrote:FWIW, I think Shopsmith is doing all they can when it comes to showing what the machine can do. I believe that by going to Lowes stores is right for a couple of reasons: 1) This chain has enough foot traffic and 2) there is no admission fee. Woodworking shows, home and garden shows, state fairs are once a year.

At least through doing demonstrations at Lowes, this elevates the Shospmith name to the public.

BPR

Even with an admission fee, several thousand woodworkers (not just Lowes general customers) come in to a show in just 3 days at just one location, many with plans to spend woodworking dollars. This show has 12 locations all in major markets. Certainly some Shopsmith customers who might upgrade or need peripheral tools like a belt sander show up. It just seems to me that if you're going to send out a demonstrator to a Lowes store for whatever foot traffic they get on a weekend, it would be reaching far more motivated woodworkers at these shows.

I've been in sales & marketing for a lot of years and it has always been more effective to focus on a motivated target market than to just try for everyone who walks in the door.

I'm wondering if SS tracks $$$ sales from each Lowes demo. I would hope so. It would be interesting to have a rep "run the circuit" of woodworking shows & compare sales dollars from that to money generated from comparable time/money spent on the Lowes demos. (Maybe they have done this & that's why they don't attend shows)

I'd (like all of us) love to see Shopsmith flourish & grow, but it doesn't really seem like that's happening. Yes, I know that the world's changing and stuff just won't sell like it's the 1950's, but I guess I'm wondering about their marketing strategy. Maybe it's not appropriate to be too critical of SS on this site, so all I'm saying is that I hope they've done their homework & done some dollar results comparisons between retail store demos & woodworking shows before deciding not to attend the shows.