Professional Distributor - 27

Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Tool

Golden suggests demonstrating the
product. For a cordless impact wrench,
he says to have a spare tire with fastened lug nut bolts and let the customer
use the tool to loosen the bolt.
Last, but certainly not least, is
safety. Safety is always a concern no
matter the size of the shop or number of technicians. Note that with
cordless tools, technicians are not
tethered to cords and hoses; this can
help prevent trips and falls. Not to
mention, without a cord or hose, they
can move around the vehicle and shop
more easily without the risk of getting tangled or having to stop a task
because the cord or hose got in the way.

THE FUTURE OF
CORDLESS POWER TOOLS

tools to technicians and shop owners.
First, ask what platform is best
for them.
"Technicians are looking for a platform," Makita's Rivera says. "Not necessarily what tool, but what platform
- such as brand or battery system - [is]
going to cover most of their needs."
Compatibility is important in
shops. Being able to have tools that use
the same battery and battery charger
is important.
Many technicians also like to have
the same type of battery or tool in their
toolbox as they do at home. They like
familiarity and, if allowed, the option to
bring a tool home for a project.
It's also important to ask customers what applications they will be performing the most to help point them
in the right direction when selecting
a platform, Milwaukee Tool's Conrad
notes. Are they going to be working on

passenger cars, pickup trucks, heavy
duty diesel equipment? This is a good
starting question to ask.
Another selling technique is having a cordless tool on display with an
already charged battery. Technicians
want to hold the tool, pull the trigger,
and feel the power. Having access to it
and seeing exactly what the tool can do
is beneficial.
"In some cases, there's a resistance
to using cordless because there is a
concern that the power is not going to
be there when they are used to using
an air product," says Hunter Golden,
cordless product manager at Ingersoll
Rand. "So really looking at the power of
the tool and its breakaway - or what we
call nut-busting torque with an impact
wrench - is very important because
that's going to show [the customer] that
the product can actually replace some
of their air tools."

Going cordless is becoming more and
more prevalent in the automotive
industry and shows no sign of slowing down. This is true especially when
tools that were once only thought
of being air tools are now converting
to cordless.
"The future looks bright," says
Omar Macon, product marketing
manager, vehicle service at Chicago
Pneumatic. "Everything in the market is trending upward, and [cordless
tools] are the preferred choice of tooling
for technicians."
As advancements continue, so
does convenience.
"Continuing to push the limits on
power for the tool, weight production, [and] durability enhancements
across the full product range, whether
it's impact tools for bolting or more
body type work, you'll see more cordless products replacing air [tools] just
because of [their] convenience," Ingersoll Rand's Golden says.
Cordless power tools are here to
stay and will only continue to gain
momentum within shops. Increase
sales by learning what applications
customers are performing and what
platform best fits their needs.

Professional Distributor I December 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com 27

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