{"id":12899,"date":"2024-02-15T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?p=12899"},"modified":"2024-03-11T13:49:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T21:49:53","slug":"4-product-submissions-4-buyer-meetings-4-deals-how-gearhaul-did-it-with-rangeme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/4-product-submissions-4-buyer-meetings-4-deals-how-gearhaul-did-it-with-rangeme\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Product Submissions, 4 Buyer Meetings, 4 Deals: How GearHaul Did it with RangeMe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the benefits of being a RangeMe Starter or Premium subscriber brand is the opportunity to submit products to buyers who have immediate, limited-time opportunities that take place throughout the year. During these campaigns, retailers, distributors and foodservice operators invite brands that meet specific criteria to submit their products to be considered for placement on the shelf or in a menu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why this is such a great opportunity is a matter of timing. When one of these limited-time campaigns is held, it means the buyers are actually searching for a product in their category, and for brands with products in that category, there is no better time to have these products in front of them. Indeed, it\u2019s the most proactive way for a brand to leverage the RangeMe platform.<\/p>\n\n\n

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GearHaul<\/a> is a perfect example of this. The RangeMe Premium subscriber brand markets products \u2013 all manufactured in Kansas \u2013 that safely and securely transport outdoor equipment such as chainsaws, buckets, and assorted tools. It caters to a very niche market, and getting its products in front of the right retail buyers would be a daunting task if it had to do it all on its own. But within just a couple of years, GearHaul secured deals with four of the largest retailers of outdoor equipment: Walmart, Lowe\u2019s, Tractor Supply Co. and Rural King \u2013 each accomplished via retailer campaigns hosted by RangeMe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have no idea how we would have gone about getting into these stores without RangeMe,\u201d says GearHaul Founder Kenny Finley. \u201cIt has been such a blessing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019ll cover GearHaul\u2019s experience with these campaigns, and learn some best practices for success with them. But first, let\u2019s start with a little background on the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A happy accident<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m the idiot who ran over his chainsaw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, according to Finley, is how the GearHaul got its start. He was a senior resident claims adjuster in his hometown of Chanute, Kansas, and during the slow winter seasons he would cut hedge posts and firewood to make some extra money. To make his job a little easier, his wife had bought him an expensive chainsaw as a gift. But just two weeks after he received it, the chainsaw bounced out of his tractor when it hit a pothole and was run over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grief of destroying his brand new gift, however, served as a source of inspiration. \u201cI realized that there was no good way to securely carry tools or equipment, and so I came up with a solution that would work on any mobile machinery,\u201d says Finley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He built the first prototypes for his idea with the help of a CAD program and a local high school class that had access to 3D printers. What resulted was the SawHaul, a universal chainsaw carrier that can be mounted to practically any piece of equipment, such as pickup trucks, tractors, and utility task vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Finley didn\u2019t stop there. \u201cOnce we did that with the chainsaw, we expanded into other types of equipment such as weed eaters, long handle tools, gas and oil, literally anything that you use in the outdoor industry,\u201d he says. \u201cWe started in the agricultural industry and once we built our brand reputation there we launched into the fire industry, then utilities and OEM. We can help any industry that utilizes equipment outdoors. It\u2019s a niche demographic, but the niche is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the demo may be huge, to spread the word, Finley went small \u2013 building his brand reputation one customer at a time, by using one of the most valuable skills any inventor has in his arsenal: the ability to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listening to the customer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finley scoured Facebook to find every group he could that was related to outdoor equipment such as tractor groups, forestry groups, and utility groups, to name a few, and developed relationships with the admins and the moderators \u2013 in essence, those people who controlled the content of those groups. Through countless conversations with group members, they discovered potential early adopters of their equipment and then sent them some samples to try out in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t ask them to promote the products,\u201d says Finley. \u201cWe just asked them to use it for a while, and tell us what their thoughts were, whether positive or negative. Everyone expects to just hear the positive but that\u2019s not what you need to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the feedback they received would help the brand evolve its products to better accommodate customers\u2019 needs. For example, the SawHaul chainsaw scabbard was originally made without a tool holder attached to it. But when out in the field, chainsaw users need to carry tools for tightening and sharpening the saw\u2019s chain. So a holder was added so that these tools were always handy. \u201cIt\u2019s listening to the small things like this that helped us to change the designs for the better,\u201d says Finley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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