Thule vs. Yakima- True Competitors

We will be going through a rack vendor transition this month, and the road may seem bumpy in this decision. I’d like to suggest that you look forward to this. If you’ll think through all the roof rack customers that you have ever worked with, how many of them have bought more than one base rack system from you? Not too many, right? How many have bought more than two? Almost none, right?

Buying a base rack system can be compared to buying a house. Once you have a house, you then buy the things that make it a home. In your house there are a number of accessories. Refrigerator, TV, sound system of some sort, and on and on. It’s not a “home” until you have it fixed up just the way you like it.

Over the last four years we have really focused on selling base rack systems. Selling “houses” and less of selling “homes”. I’m not backing away from that philosophy, but it lacked vision. Instead of telling the customer about how to get the base rack we should be talking about how to use it. And digging a little to find another way they could use it. We should be selling the experience of being outdoors, not selling hardware! Here’s an example; Cargo boxes. If someone had only told me years ago how useful cargo boxes were I’d have bought one sooner. Don’t tell me the price. Don’t tell me what it weighs. Don’t even tell me if it’s in stock! JUST TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO WITH IT!

“Sir, the space inside your car is for PEOPLE. If you had a cargo box your camping gear could go in it. If you’re going skiing/boardin’ all of that could up there. If you’re hauling the kids to the soccer field, the bag of practice cones and balls goes up there. Think of all the dirty gear that goes in your car now, and how easily it’ll go in there…”

Had I only known. The company we are partnering with has the easiest to load hitch bike carrier, the T2. They offer the best consumer truck rack, the Xsporter. They make more cargo boxes than the other company by a factor of twelve. They offer the easiest to load kayak carrier, the Hull-a-vator. For a traveling fisherman, see the Cast-a-way. How about a ski/snowboard carrier that doesn’t make you monkey-climb all over your ride in boots after a full day? (PullTop) Open up their catalog and you’ll easily find this info.

The difference in accessories is only one of the reasons we are changing. Yakima is a great company and makes great products, but the time has come for a change. You may hear me say we sell and install base systems in classes, but on the sales floor we’ll be selling an experience and the accessories that’ll make it happen.