Over the past three years as a Mac Tools dealer, Tom Seagraves has learned how important honesty is to his business.
One of the most important traits a distributor needs to win customer trust is to be honest with them, Seagraves says. If you forget to bring them something they asked for, just be honest about it and they will not hold it against you. "These guys will sniff you out in a heartbeat," he says. "They all know each other. All it takes is one time to break that trust."
When a new tech comes on board at a shop, the other techs tell him to buy their tools from Seagraves. "That makes it all worth it," he says. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it is the most rewarding."
"I'm not in it for a one-time quick sale; It's a relationship," he says.
Seagraves visits a shop at least six times before deciding whether the shop is worth keeping on his route.