Lista pricing...

[Linda@Lista]

We're trying to figure out what would make you go out and buy a Lista cabinet.
Would financing help? How are you comparing our pricing to our competitors? The way we've seen it is that compared to franchise pricing we're a lot more affordable but of course if you compare us to Craftsman we're in a completely different price bracket.

Share your thoughts and I'll pass them along to management. Thanks guys!
Linda@Lista

 

[pl_silverado]

I'm sure financing would help a lot of guys, but the price is also an issue to contend with as i am sure many people would rather spend the majority of their money on more tools that they need, as opposed to 2-4k on a toolbox.

Personally, i won't buy anything but lista boxes anymore, i think their a bargain for what you get after buying a few, however it would be nice if Lista offered scratch and dent specials directly. Shipping costs also have killed a lot of deals out there, truck freight is not as cheap as it used to be.

I've bought boxes from Motorhead Extraordinaire, there are some good deals out there. We had a small issue on one box, where it was mis-represented in the post...and i didn't quite get what i wanted, but we resolved it.

 

[larry_g]

We're trying to figure out what would make you go out and buy a Lista cabinet.
Would financing help? How are you comparing our pricing to our competitors? The way we've seen it is that compared to franchise pricing we're a lot more affordable but of course if you compare us to Craftsman we're in a completely different price bracket.

Share your thoughts and I'll pass them along to management. Thanks guys!
Linda@Lista

Linda

I've worked in both the mechanics world and the industrial world. I have bought both tool boxes and Lista/Vidmar style boxes. In the mobile tool box/mechanics world you are virtually unheard of. In the industrial world you are but even there it is not easy to get a box spec'ed out. I know that I have spent more than a few hours learning what is offered and then how to spec out correctly so I get what I want. You are not easy to buy from.

It is not unusual for me to go to a auto show or swapmeet and find a tool truck presence giving out small tokens. A free mug or hat buys a lot of loyalty. Go to E-bay and look at the tons of collectable stuff out there that has Snap-on printed on it. How much do you find with Lista on it? The tool guys are out in every town making a presence and probably every guy wrenching has heard of Snap-on and Craftsman. Speak Lista and you get a blank look. Once you get your name recognition up the sales will follow.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[rburke65]

I'm retired from GM as an Electrician and we had tons of Lista products. You guys and gals make a great, damn near indestructable product, but as previously said, outside of my work place, Lista isn't too commonly recognised....in my opinion. Hope this helps.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Hi guys,
thanks so much for your feedback. I've shared your opinions with management. It definitely helps to get the users point of view on things!
Linda

 

[Linda@Lista]

Linda

I've worked in both the mechanics world and the industrial world. I have bought both tool boxes and Lista/Vidmar style boxes. In the mobile tool box/mechanics world you are virtually unheard of. In the industrial world you are but even there it is not easy to get a box spec'ed out. I know that I have spent more than a few hours learning what is offered and then how to spec out correctly so I get what I want. You are not easy to buy from.

It is not unusual for me to go to a auto show or swapmeet and find a tool truck presence giving out small tokens. A free mug or hat buys a lot of loyalty. Go to E-bay and look at the tons of collectable stuff out there that has Snap-on printed on it. How much do you find with Lista on it? The tool guys are out in every town making a presence and probably every guy wrenching has heard of Snap-on and Craftsman. Speak Lista and you get a blank look. Once you get your name recognition up the sales will follow.

lg
no neat sig line

Larryg, you should follow us on Facebook. We have a contest coming up and the lucky winner gets a t-shirt, lanyard and two decals. The questions are pretty easy, you just have to take a look at some of our older postings to get the answer.

In terms of other swag, I make sure to send a bunch of lanyards out to the tradeshows we go to, the last one in terms of trucking was the Mid America Trucking Show in Kentucky.

I appreciate your comment and will see if I can incorporate some of these ideas into our contests and tradeshows going forward.

Linda

 

[Linda@Lista]

I'm sure financing would help a lot of guys, but the price is also an issue to contend with as i am sure many people would rather spend the majority of their money on more tools that they need, as opposed to 2-4k on a toolbox.

Personally, i won't buy anything but lista boxes anymore, i think their a bargain for what you get after buying a few, however it would be nice if Lista offered scratch and dent specials directly. Shipping costs also have killed a lot of deals out there, truck freight is not as cheap as it used to be.

I've bought boxes from Motorhead Extraordinaire, there are some good deals out there. We had a small issue on one box, where it was mis-represented in the post...and i didn't quite get what i wanted, but we resolved it.

Thanks for the comment pl_silverado! If you're interested in a toolbox, we still have free shipping going on on the toolbox products through August 15! Thanks for liking our products
Linda

 

[PaulR]

The way I see it, and I'm no marketing guru, I just have a 4 year degree from a really expensive business school in Rhode Island:

Look at the Harbor Freight threads here: 600 pages of them, always near the top, always in discussion every day. Look at how Harbor Freight has exploded as a company. Is this what Lista wants???

You asked the question "what would make us go out and buy a Lista", this infers you're asking "us", meaning 90% of "us" is the cheap, mostly blue collar, paycheck to paycheck, wanna buy nice american stuff but can't afford it kinda guys.

Does this then infer that Lista as a company wants to go after "us" as a market segment? Or dip its toes into the cheapo market? Or much lower price points than the Craftsman boxes? Which "us" are you asking?

How are Listas sold now? Most say they see them in industry. I now see lots of used Listas on craigslist that used to be in industry.

What do I do when I want to buy something expensive?
I try factory direct, I google, google, google, prices.
I see if I have a gift card.
I look for group buys going on.
I look for close-outs, scratch and dents.
I look for slightly used.
Financing.

Lets not kid ourselves, Lista has a niche market, the average Joe aint it. The economy will not get better any time soon and the average Joe is not going to go out and fill his garage with Listas.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Thanks for the comment PaulR. You are correct in the sense that usually the buyer that buys our products is a bulk buyer. Meaning it's someone looking to outfit a dealership, a shop floor or a power equipment shop. We do however have the guys who do, individually, purchase our products to outfit a garage.

Our hope was that the current free shipping promotion on our toolboxes would help the other guys, "wanna buy nice american stuff but can't afford it kinda guys", make that final leap to becoming a new Lista owner.

I completely understand where you are coming from, so I ask, would financing these big purchases help with the buying decision or is something else at play?

Again, thanks for giving your opinion.
Linda

 

[larry_g]

Larryg, you should follow us on Facebook. We have a contest coming up and the lucky winner gets a t-shirt, lanyard and two decals.
Linda

Linda
Being a bit of a crusty ole fart it is not up to me to join face book to follow you. This and a couple of other forums is all I do for social media. I won't join any of the 'social media' things. Just me . You are doing the right thing here in connecting with a segment of people who could use your product. Here you are targeting mostly people who are home use buyers. If you want to get into the retail market then your marketing will have to change to target a non-industrial marketplace.

I think that you should ask the question " What other forums should I be hawking my products on?" I will start you by sending you to the Practical Machinest. Beware that Don, screen name Milicron, is a bit of an *** so approch him carefully. Be up front and ask if he will allow you to play in his sandbox.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Boiler]

I'd love to have Lista in my garage. Unfortunately the full setup would probably cost as much as my HOUSE did. So, I keep on the lookout for used stuff and maybe someday I'll have something like that in there.

Don't take this to mean "we want $50 per drawer new Listas". If you make them cheap, we'll be able to buy new, but no longer will want to...

I saw what looked to be about 25 vidmar cabinets in a John Deere dealerships parts department the other day. THIS is your target audience IMO. Yes we like them too but that is where the money is. Factory parts rooms & floor stock, dealerships, etc. Figure out where they are shopping and build a presence there.

Actually this forum has been good for you IMO. We've got some rich guys on here, you've got the whole "look how awesome MY garage is" aspect, and you've got guys like me learning who you are that had never heard of you before.

For me personally, financing options mean nothing. I pay cash these days.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Hi Larry,
I totally know what you're talking about in terms of how Don views newcomers to the site. I've commented on Practical Machinist and have had good and somewhat not so great experiences. I'll check back in with Don and see if I can go back to posting answers and questions on his forum.

As for spec'ing out our products, you should feel free to call on any of our direct reps. They'll be more than happy to help you save some time with figuring out what fits where and how

Thanks for the tip about the other forum!
Linda

 

[PaulR]

I think it really comes down to dollars and cents.
Free shipping or not, financing or not, the average Joe homeowner can go out and buy three or four (or many more)Craftsman or Harbor Freight cabinets for the price of one Lista. For me personally I do see and understand the quality difference, but it's not enough to justify the price.

Specifically regarding financing: Everyone financing everything these days. There are multiple places to get financing. So really if an individual (not a garage business or shop) is buying your product more than likely they will be financing anyways....and more than likely they will have their own type of financing perks available to them, eg airline miles, disney points, UPromise or whatever other perk.

Financing isn't really going to be a big attraction to the small fish, we already have it, price is the gorilla in the room.

.02 P

 

[Linda@Lista]

Good to know, Paul. You make a good point!
Linda

 

[PaulR]

If I were in marketing for Lista and I was tasked at going after the small guy here's what I'd do:

Attack the cheap competitors directly.

"Do you want to pay $300 for a cheap cabinet that will bind up, fall apart, and begin to rust out months after you buy it?"

"Do you want to not be able to load your drawers because the slides will bend and break"

"Buy this ONE cabinet that will be USA quality, the showpiece of your garage, and this ONE cabinet will outlast the three imported pieces of junk (you could have bought), and will then be handed down to your children for them to use in their garage.....Lista, beyond a Lifetime" (r)




Then again, I'm sure you all understand your market better than I, I'm preaching to the choir.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Love it! May I quote you?

 

[HotRodKush]

Yeah, if you can push your quality and durability in the face of higher prices, you'd likely be able to grow your market while maintaining your price point. Snap-On is a bit pricier than other brands, but they push their long-term quality and have kept their momentum going as a result. People will generally spend a little extra for a higher quality product if it's something they'll use enough to break an inferior one.

 

[PaulR]

LOL, sure. I tried to do the "restricted" patent R with the circle but didn't work, maybe the copyright will (c) .

 

[Linda@Lista]

aha, gotcha. Not a problem! If it was mentioned anywhere, I would of course give you the credit and link poeple to this thread.
Linda

 

[PaulR]

I'm being silly.

If my slogan gets used, I'll settle for a free cabinet.

 

[Strouty]

Linda,

If Lista could make changes to offer a homeowner line, it might help. Basically don't allow custom configurations, have standard set designs. Make the sheet metal a little lighter and the capacities a little less. And maybe take a hit on your profit margin. Your facebook contest should offer the winner a new cabinet and everyone who signs up gets a couple of stickers. You may be the best cabinet in the world, but the pricepoint is out of my and many of my fellow GJ members reach. I look for used cabinets, but they are pretty pricey too. Another idea would be to sponsor a TV show like Trucks or something like the old Monster Garage.

 

[UncleJoe]

Linda, who is your primary target market? From the image I see it appears to be the industrial buyer who has a Purchase order in his hand and is spending company money not his own. That may not be correct but that is the image I get. Your website is aimed 100% at the industrial/commercial buyer. A second website is cheap and you could repackage your products in a "Mechanics Line" with built in financing. I think if you asked 5 SnapOn. toolbox owners to look at your current site they would not feel welcomed, it is just too industrial for the little guy.

Now if you want the professional mechanic as a market then you will need to do what your competition does. Offer financing and place ads where the professional mechanic will see them and take the time to introduce your product line to them. It would be real interesting to go to the largest car service shop in your area, get the managers approval and have lunch catered in and sit down with those mechanics and ask them what they want and need in tool storage. Then demo your box and get their opinions.

When people have an objection or complaint do not try to explain or justify why you do it that way just record the information and then make decisions about it.

I worked with a team of engineers on a project once and we did this with some of our customers. Every time a customer wanted to bring up an issue our engineers jumped up to defend themselves. I told them to stop that and we took the information back to the office and slowly realized that just because we had what we thought were valid reason for doing something if the customer hated it then that had to change. We had one issue where the customer hated an item and we used that item because it saved us some money in the manufacturing process. After some consideration we realized that the cost savings in manufacturing was not worth the aggravation it was causing our customers. If we had not been persistent in listening we would still be aggravating our customers and that is never good.

As for the homeowner hobbyist, I think your products are suited to the high income bracket with large disposable income. A few nice garage pictorial ads in Forbes and Money magazine may tap into that market. For that market you may need a dealer network that does installs and turn key man cave garages.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Linda,

If Lista could make changes to offer a homeowner line, it might help. Basically don't allow custom configurations, have standard set designs. Make the sheet metal a little lighter and the capacities a little less. And maybe take a hit on your profit margin. Your facebook contest should offer the winner a new cabinet and everyone who signs up gets a couple of stickers. You may be the best cabinet in the world, but the pricepoint is out of my and many of my fellow GJ members reach. I look for used cabinets, but they are pretty pricey too. Another idea would be to sponsor a TV show like Trucks or something like the old Monster Garage.

Hi Strouty,
We would of course want to appeal to the average homeowner, but don't want to compromise on the quality by going to a lighter metal/steel. We want you to feel like this is the cabinet that will last you a lifetime. Just like a car, it's an investment which is why we're thinking financing options.

We do however have preconfigured options that you can choose from, you would find them on the Lista Xpress site.

As for the sponsorship, Paul Jr and American Chopper actually has our products, which is pretty exciting.

Have a great 4th, Linda@Lista

 

[Linda@Lista]

Linda, who is your primary target market? From the image I see it appears to be the industrial buyer who has a Purchase order in his hand and is spending company money not his own. That may not be correct but that is the image I get. Your website is aimed 100% at the industrial/commercial buyer. A second website is cheap and you could repackage your products in a "Mechanics Line" with built in financing. I think if you asked 5 SnapOn. toolbox owners to look at your current site they would not feel welcomed, it is just too industrial for the little guy.

Now if you want the professional mechanic as a market then you will need to do what your competition does. Offer financing and place ads where the professional mechanic will see them and take the time to introduce your product line to them. It would be real interesting to go to the largest car service shop in your area, get the managers approval and have lunch catered in and sit down with those mechanics and ask them what they want and need in tool storage. Then demo your box and get their opinions.

When people have an objection or complaint do not try to explain or justify why you do it that way just record the information and then make decisions about it.

I worked with a team of engineers on a project once and we did this with some of our customers. Every time a customer wanted to bring up an issue our engineers jumped up to defend themselves. I told them to stop that and we took the information back to the office and slowly realized that just because we had what we thought were valid reason for doing something if the customer hated it then that had to change. We had one issue where the customer hated an item and we used that item because it saved us some money in the manufacturing process. After some consideration we realized that the cost savings in manufacturing was not worth the aggravation it was causing our customers. If we had not been persistent in listening we would still be aggravating our customers and that is never good.

As for the homeowner hobbyist, I think your products are suited to the high income bracket with large disposable income. A few nice garage pictorial ads in Forbes and Money magazine may tap into that market. For that market you may need a dealer network that does installs and turn key man cave garages.

Hi Uncle Joe,
I really appreciate your well put together comment. I have shared these thoughts with those above me. I really like some of the ideas you have shared about the website and testing the cabinets.
Linda@Lista

 

[PaulR]

It's all about distrubution channels these days in the corporate world isn't it?....and who's carrying your product.

I'm trying to think of a good distribution channel for a high-end box company like Lista. It's hard, all and I mean ALL channels are FLOODED with cheap chinese boxes, err at least retail channels are: The orange store, the blue store....Tractor Supply? They're all china **** too. Advanced Auto, Auto Zone....do they even carry boxes?? They have a tool aisle at best any one I've ever been in.

The only store I can think of that runs the gamut from cheapo to high quality stuff is Sears. In my mind they are the only national retailer/big distribution channel where I would not be completely suprised to have Lista boxes.

Googling Lista that I can see reveals NO retail brick and mortar stores carry them. Pretty damn exclusive product. Either that's what you want or you probably should clear out your marketing team and start again.

 

[BHR4CE1]

We do however have the guys who do, individually, purchase our products to outfit a garage.

That would be me. I am VERY happy with the Lista products I got. But keep in mind...I had NEVER heard of Lista before I joined this forum.

 

[omr]

i got an idea , how about you put prices on your website ...

dont you hate it when people post for sale threads with no price ?

dont you hate it when people put cars out on the street for sale with no price ?

dont you hate it when you walk through a car lot and there arent prices on the cars ?

dont you hate it when there is a product on a shelf and you have to hunt some one down to find out how much it cost ?

i know i do ..

 

[Lt CHEG]

I do think that financing would help. I was primarily looking for a used rollaway recently but was seriously considering buying a new one from Snap On or Matco and financing it over a year. I even had the permission of the wife to do so as long as I paid for half up front. I looked into Lista and even liked some of what I saw, especially the roll cabs with 3 full width drawers. However as just a non professional tinkerer I didn't want to drop all that coin at once. I ultimately did find a great used Matco roll cab. I can tell you this though, when I begin construction of my new house, garage and shop on the land that I already own I will consider Lista for outfitting that space. I will likely consider a more integrated total storage approach than just my roll cab for my car working area, and will also be looking for a nice setup for my gun cleaning and reloading area.

I will also second the suggestion for more readily available pricing on your website.

Lastly keep up doing what you're doing. Not just Lista as a company but you personally Linda. Your presence and participation in forums like this appeals to many people like myself and in and around my age demographic (31).


PS: For someone like myself that doesn't live too far from MA, is there a way to spec out what I want directly from the factory and pick it up? It'd be even better if there was a financial incentive to do so (instead of using the free shipping promotion for example). Feel free to PM me about this if you'd like.

 

[madmikeee]

I am a home hobbyist not a proffesional so Lista is beyond out of my price range. My Craftsman boxes have been going strong for 15 years and I know pros that have bought craftsman and their boxes are still going strong, so while their co-workers are making payments on their boxes the rest of us are spending our money on important things like tools, pizza, and beer

 

[Linda@Lista]

i got an idea , how about you put prices on your website ...

dont you hate it when people post for sale threads with no price ?

dont you hate it when people put cars out on the street for sale with no price ?

dont you hate it when you walk through a car lot and there arent prices on the cars ?

dont you hate it when there is a product on a shelf and you have to hunt some one down to find out how much it cost ?

i know i do ..

Hi omr, I'm sorry for your frustration. However, our distributors are the ones setting the prices so we couldn't possibly list everyone's price for one, let alone 100's of products.

I hope you understand. Our reps and distributors would be more than happy to help you figure out what works best. As far as toolboxes go, we do give pricing for those, you can also take a look at our www.listabox.com site for our toolbox prices.

Linda

 

[Linda@Lista]

Lastly keep up doing what you're doing. Not just Lista as a company but you personally Linda. Your presence and participation in forums like this appeals to many people like myself and in and around my age demographic (31).


PS: For someone like myself that doesn't live too far from MA, is there a way to spec out what I want directly from the factory and pick it up? It'd be even better if there was a financial incentive to do so (instead of using the free shipping promotion for example). Feel free to PM me about this if you'd like.

Hi Lt CHEG, thanks for the kudos
You should check our BMWpower's garage build, http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4372 . He actually picked the cabinets for his garage up himself at our factory. As for specing out exactly what you might need, one of our sales reps would be happy to help you do that. I'm not sure where in upstate you are...PM me and I'll put you in touch with someone.
Have a good 4th!
Linda

 

[omr]

Hi omr, I'm sorry for your frustration. However, our distributors are the ones setting the prices so we couldn't possibly list everyone's price for one, let alone 100's of products.

I hope you understand. Our reps and distributors would be more than happy to help you figure out what works best. As far as toolboxes go, we do give pricing for those, you can also take a look at our www.listabox.com site for our toolbox prices.

Linda

no it doesnt show prices there either lol

 

[Linda@Lista]

Hi omr,
they're under the configurations tab, here is a sample: http://listabox.com/model-750/single-bank/full/config.php

I hope this helps.
Linda

 

[omr]

Hi omr,
they're under the configurations tab, here is a sample: http://listabox.com/model-750/single-bank/full/config.php

I hope this helps.
Linda

aahhh thank you , i think you should make it easier to find a price though ...lol

i guarantee you there are people that will loose interest in a product quick when they cant find a price easy ..

 

[BoostAddiction]

Linda,

If Lista could make changes to offer a homeowner line, it might help. Basically don't allow custom configurations, have standard set designs. Make the sheet metal a little lighter and the capacities a little less. And maybe take a hit on your profit margin. Your facebook contest should offer the winner a new cabinet and everyone who signs up gets a couple of stickers. You may be the best cabinet in the world, but the pricepoint is out of my and many of my fellow GJ members reach. I look for used cabinets, but they are pretty pricey too. Another idea would be to sponsor a TV show like Trucks or something like the old Monster Garage.

IMO, taking Lista down-market, with a cheaper "homeowner" line is exactly what Lista shouldn't do.

They have tremendous brand equity, all of which would quickly be diluted by the presence of a cheaper line, especially if it were made overseas.

Building a cheapy line is one more step in the WalMart-ization of our manufacturing base, by which I mean the tremendous pressure to see price reduction and volume as the only True Gods, without regard for a minimum level of quality, and the value of sourcing product domestically.

Lista is the one company that continues to build tool box product in the USA (and in a very high-tax, union state, for those who care about that) and has AFAIK, resisted the urge to import product from China.

You can't have low prices for most manufactured goods and still have them sourced domestically- you have to choose something other than price on which to compete, at least normalized for quality.

You can buy low-cost Chi-com stuff all day long at HF if low price matters way more than quality. Heck, I have some HF stuff in my own shop, as sometimes that really is the best value for my use. But for high-quality, domestic-sourced toolbox and storage systems, Lista is in a pretty good place on the value board.

 

[Trucky]

Honestly, keep doing what you're doing. The only place I've ever seen Lista at was at college (The college uses only Vidmar and Lista cabinets through the entire place.) Some of those drawers are filled to the brim with scrap metal parts, solid billet blocks, fly wheels for tractors, and tons of other things. Just solid metal. It seriously amazed me how much weight the drawers can take, and operate just as good as anything else I've seen.

A few years down the road, if I myself can weasel myself into one of these amazing garage builds, or something of the sort, I know what company I'm going to for tool storage. Expensive? Absolutely. It almost has to be. I really don't want to see the quality go anywhere but stay where it's at. I don't even think it can go up, it's just that good. It's a long way down the road, but I fully expect to own some of my own Lista boxes in time.

Lista is sold mainly to those folks with contracts, buying up large amounts at once (as stated). And that's how it should really stay. It would be nice to have something more affordable, yes. But affordability often lowers quality, or some other aspect of the way the product gets made, to when it gets to the customer.

 

[Roots]

It's all about distrubution channels these days in the corporate world isn't it?....and who's carrying your product.

Googling Lista that I can see reveals NO retail brick and mortar stores carry
them. Pretty damn exclusive product. Either that's what you want or you probably should clear out your marketing team and start again.

Grainger.

Lista makes a phenomenal product btw, keep up the great quality work

 

[MeentSS02]

The reason I bought Lista cabinets for my garage was so I could have a really high quality box without a huge markup...plus I was able to customize them to my needs. Yes, I had to go through a distributor, but that worked out great because he knew the product backward and forward, so I got exactly what I needed and nothing I didn't.

That said, I probably wouldn't know who or what Lista was unless I saw it in a Griot's Garage catalog. That was my first exposure, and a little searching brought me to this forum, where I found the distributor I ended up working with. Was it a little more legwork? Yes, but most things in life that are worth it require a little extra effort.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Thanks for all of these great responses. I promise you we have no intention of lowering the quality and your comments prove why we have to keep things the way they are.
I'm glad so many people have had a good experience with our products and that some of you still aspire to own a Lista

Linda

 

[CamarosRus]

I'm suggesting that many potential buyers (like myself) would ask that the LISTA Technician Boxes on wheels have a little "Bling" such as polished Stainless or Anodized Aluminum on vertical cabinet corners.....

Something to "doll" up the appearance.........not just a good quality utilitarian BOX

my .02