Last time we caught up with Art Richardson was over 14 years ago. Back then he was working for a flag, but since 2017, he’s been flying solo as a part of the GEARWRENCH Street Team.
Want to catch up on Richardson's story? Check out our previous article on him here!
The Rhode Island-based independent is still hitting a variety of independent shops, heavy duty shops, auto body shops, trailer and snowplow businesses, and so on. However, after more than 20 years of selling tools, Richardson knows it’s not the type of accounts you sell to that matters, but the type of people.
“I look for very loyal customers,” he says. “People that will give me top-of-mind awareness and people that will prefer me…I look at the character of the customer I’m dealing with and then I’ll try to build my stop around them.”
Unfortunately, Richardson knows it’s impossible to help everyone. He’s aware he needs to budget his time wisely, as well as say no to customers when he knows it’s in their best interest.
Class is in session
With a master’s degree in business, 40 years of teaching marketing classes at Bryant University, and as the previous owner of a chain of auto parts stores, Richardson has quite a business background. His experience helps him to break things down for his customers into ratios and numbers and show them how a lot of the little things add up.
Regardless of his experience though, Richardson still faces the same challenges many other mobiles do, such as competing with online retailers. He notes that because the younger techs have grown up with computers, that’s where many of them turn when they need to buy tools.
“Usually, they’re of the opinion that, ‘When it breaks, I’ll just buy another one. If they won’t warranty it, I’m still saving money,’” Richardson says.
He explains that what they don’t realize is every time that tool breaks and needs replacing, the initial savings that came from buying online melts away, but if they bought from a distributor instead, they would have been better taken care of.
Tools of the trade
As someone who’s been selling in this industry, both parts and tools, for many years, Richardson has amassed vast knowledge on how to make the sale. If you’re someone who’s just starting out, he advises finding each shop’s “godfather.”
“Take care of him,” Richardson says. “Then he can tell you about the new hire. He can tell you about who's really having problems paying his bill. He'll tell you who's really a lousy tech and is going to get fired, but it's got to be a certain guy. He's worth it because he can save you a lot of grief.”
Apart from finding someone who can give you the inside scoop, one of the most important things you can do, Richardson notes, is ask questions, listen to the answers, and then take those answers and form them into a sales presentation.
“The greatest attribute a salesperson can have,” Richardson says, “is the ability to listen.”
