With the sketch of that logo, they became Trail Blazer Saws. “That’s my Dad’s logo. We’re not changing it. I don’t care how much it’s going to increase sales. It’s never been about the sales, it’s about what we do. When people look at the Trail Blazer logo I don’t want them to see the lawn and garden people, I want them to see Curtis and Shawn and those guys who’ll do anything for you.”
The Trail Blazer logo might have been new but customers already had a clear understanding of the Trail Blazer brand. Anyone who had dealt with Curtis or Shawn, from the local adventurer at the flea market to the national buyer at Home Hardware, had experienced the quality, ingenuity, honesty, service and integrity that are still characteristic of Trail Blazer today. “Of course, I want the brand to stand for quality,” Shawn affirms, “but I don’t think quality is a selling feature—it’s a requirement. And it’s a lot more than price. We don’t sell on price, we sell on customer service and bend-over-backwards-for-you relationships. I mean that’s what you’ve got to focus on to succeed and win.”
Trail Blazer is passionate about its customers. Whether it’s the small-town hardware store that might only sell a dozen products a year, or the multi-location retail chain, each is considered important. “I pay to have more customer service people,” describes Shawn, “because I have 20,000 of those small businesses and when they call us, we should be front and centre for them.
I respect what they do. It must be hard to run a hardware store in a small town with no people. They’re probably not doing it for the money.”
On the other hand, though at first the American market with its immense buying power seemed tough and impersonal, Trail Blazer took the time to take a closer look. “Everybody is after the American market. The competition is fierce. And the buyers work probably 14 or 16 hours a day, six or seven days a week. When I learned that I said, ‘Never be afraid to call me on a Saturday or Sunday. Never. If you’ve gotta work, I’ve gotta work.’”
“We make sure we take care of our customers,” says Shawn. “It is so critical to us. We’re going to get beat on price, there’s no doubt in my mind. Yes, we’re innovative but there are more innovative people out there. I also don’t think we’re the best quality. We have been told that we’re the best quality out there but I’m still not prepared to stop improving our quality. So I believe our strength has to be customer service. I mean, I’ll take a loss before upsetting a customer.”
When Shawn sees a replacement piece going out, he always questions it, “Why are we sending the screw? Send them a whole new saw.”