Sales Tip: Keep your repair advice to yourself

In Brian Fahlgren's latest Tool Dealer 101 article, he discusses the benefits of not having an automotive background.

"Dealers with a technical background and little customer service skills might focus on vehicle repair advice as opposed to selling the tool," Fahlgren explains. "It's meant with the best intentions, but it can be taken the wrong way."

"I recall having a shop owner warn me not to bring another new dealer who would tell them how to do a repair," Fahlgren says. "He told me, 'If I have another new tool dealer walk in and tell me how to fix cars, I swear, I'll kick him out!' I had a body shop owner relate a similar experience with a new dealer from a competing flag on my route. The new dealer told the body shop owner he wasn't doing a repair correctly. The dealer's father had owned a body shop for years, and 'That's not how we did it.' As you can imagine, that shop owner didn't buy from the new dealer."

Sometimes the best thing to do for your business, is keep your own technical experience and expertise to yourself.