Distributor Name: Don Cowden
Affiliation: Independent
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Independent distributor Don Cowden likes to provide his customers with the same shopping experience he expects when he’s making a purchase.
“I spend money when I go to buy things if I’m left alone. So, I want to attract that same kind of person,” says Cowden, of his customers. But he’s quick to add: “If someone needs help when they’re on my truck, I’m definitely right there to help them.”
Based in Sacramento, Calif., Cowden has been a mobile tool distributor for seven years. He went independent in May 2014.
“It’s tough; but it is different,” says Cowden. “There is nobody to blame your success or failure on other than yourself. I like that.”
To know what to stock, Cowden stays in constant communication with his customers. As an example, he didn't put much thought into stocking gloves when he first started out, but has since found great success in offering those consumables. "I do not have a display of gloves but I stock up to 100 boxes at any given time."
“I always have what my customers ask for. You can have a million things on your truck, but if you have things customers don’t want, then you don’t sell anything,” he says. “I follow the advice of my customers.”
