How to deal with burnout

It doesn't matter what career you have or how much you might love how you make a living; burnout is a serious concern. The norm for a standard work week is 40 hours. However, I've never known a successful tool dealer who works a normal 40-hour week. I would say most work 60 hours a week at a minimum. And then, there are those dealers who work in excess of 70 or 80 hours a week. The mobile tool world is more of a lifestyle than simply an occupation.

The cost of the 80-hour work week

You might be able to withstand that pace for a number of years, but at some point, it's going to take a toll on your health ... and likely your personal life. After all, many dealers work those kinds of hours to provide a quality lifestyle for their families. But, if you're always working, you can't always have the presence at home you and your family deserve.

I loved being a tool dealer. I had a lot of fun dealing with my customers. I knew the pace was taking its toll on my health, and somewhere along the way, I forgot how to have fun outside of my business. My wife would tell me, “Your customers get to see the happy, funny tool man,  and all I get to see is the tired and cranky husband.” As usual, she was right. I had to come up with some kind of solution if I wanted to stay in business.

Combating burnout

Service is the primary reason this industry exists, and I didn't want my customers to suffer a loss in quality service. I've always believed that every other week isn't quality service. It might be a solution for a small handful of shops, but it wasn't a solution for my regular weekly customers.

I decided I was going to rotate one day a week to do the things I usually did all day on Saturday. The first week, I used Monday as my own “service day.” The second week I used Tuesday, the third week Wednesday, and continued the pattern through the weekdays. This way, I was only missing my customers once every five weeks. My customers were aware of the hours I put in, and 100 percent supported my new schedule.

The “service day” was always a full day of work. It was somewhat of a break as I didn't start as early, nor did I have to race the clock trying to maintain my route schedule. Most of the time, I was able to have all of Saturday and Sunday for myself.

How to use a "service day"

I used my “service day” to clean the truck and take care of warranties. I also used the day to deliver and/or pick up trade-in toolboxes and equipment. It also gave me a day to demo a scan tool or take care of a customer's broken toolbox slide. I'd also deliver customers' orders from the prior week.

I had two days I traveled to neighboring towns. Any items that might need to go out of town, I'd drop ship to the customer. If the item's cost wasn't enough to make the minimum freight, I'd order items that moved fast on the truck to have the order ship freight-free. If I knew someone in the shop had shown interest in an item, I'd include it in the shipment. It worked as a great silent salesman.

Is it going to affect your sales? Absolutely. You'll need to determine if you can afford a modified schedule and still stay in your comfort zone. If you decide to do something similar, post your schedule on the truck. Make sure your customers understand that even if you're not there next week, you'll still take care of any 911 calls they might have.

Set up payments for the next week. The new schedule doesn't have to affect your collections, but as I stated, it will have a negative effect on your sales. Like most things in life, it's a trade-off. The most successful dealer I know has a three-week route month with a week-long “service week.” Keep in mind, this dealer was in business for over 25 years before he went to this schedule. During the "service week," he is still working and doing the things I did on my “service day.”

This dealer had been number one with his flag nationally for more consecutive years than I can remember. The trade-off for him is “settling” for the No. 2 spot nationally. I can say this as a friend, this dealer is not a normal person, he's a machine! I don't know if anyone else could continue to stay so successful with a similar schedule, but I do know that the additional time he gets to spend with his family is priceless.

Do what works for you

Using a rotating schedule worked for me. But I also know dealers who take a week off every quarter. There are obviously other schedules that would work too. I'd only recommend modifying your schedule if you have a mature, successful business. The tool business is full of demanding, long workdays, so it's important to take the needed time off to avoid burnout. The old phrase is true: "If you don't manage your time, it will manage you."