Traversing the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Matco Tools distributor Nate Zeglen visits a variety of customers. Ranging from independent shops to dealerships to chain businesses such as Firestone, he makes sure everyone has what they need. Previously being a technician himself, Zeglen knows the industry and is aware of some of the pain points technicians may face with their tool distributors.

“I try to be the tool guy that I always wanted,” he says. In order to be “that guy,” Zeglen runs his business with consistency, compassion, and confidence.

How it started

The prospect of becoming a tool distributor was a thought Zeglen always had in the back of his mind, and after 16 years as an automotive technician, that thought became a reality.

“When I was in my 20s, I had a pretty serious shoulder injury that ultimately, years down the road, led to needing a full shoulder replacement,” he says. “I got to a point where I physically couldn't really do the job anymore.”

Knowing that he wanted to stay in the industry, Zeglen decided to give selling tools a try. He signed with Matco in March of 2018, and after two months of training was out on the road.

Fresh on the tool truck, one of the biggest challenges he faced was juggling the many roles he has to play and the long hours that come with self-employment.

“You're kind of playing all roles as a self-employed individual — the janitor, the cashier, the stock boy, the everything. So, the days can kind of get long,” he explains. “[And] it doesn't shut off … it's a constant thing that I need to maintain. But you get used to it, and you get into the groove of things … and figure out what works for you.”

Luckily, Zeglen’s family is also happy to lend a hand. Though his wife, Arica, has her own full-time job, she’ll still help with some of the behind-the-scenes work like checking in products or getting tools that need to be sent in for repairs boxed and ready for shipping. Their two kids will also help out, sometimes riding along for the day to be an extra set of hands for whatever needs to get done.

How it’s going now

Having been at this for eight years now, Zeglen’s seen plenty of distributors come and go, so his biggest piece of advice for anyone wanting to break into this business is to come into it with confidence. 
From the outside, he notes that this job seems pretty easy – you spend the whole day talking about tools and then go home. But anyone in this business knows there’s so much more to it than just that, both on and off the truck. If you falter at the first obstacle and start believing, ‘This is too hard,’ then you might be right. The job could overwhelm you.

“I hear new guys get discouraged right off the bat because they're not selling a toolbox every week or getting these giant sales right away. And they almost talk themselves out of wanting to do it,” Zeglen says. “And it's like, ‘No, you have to stay steady with it and show up week in and week out.’ You definitely have to have the mentality that you're not going to fail.”

Though it’s not always easy to keep a positive mentality, Zeglen pushed through his first year to win Matco’s Rookie of the Year award. And then later, in 2021, he was the No.1 diagnostics distributor in his region – a product category that many distributors struggle with. Remaining confident in his abilities has helped him achieve this success.

Building customer relationships

Another key to Zeglen’s success comes from the relationships he’s built with his customers. He tries to develop more personal relationships with them and not just bombard them with sales pitches.

When given the opportunity to sponsor a race team, the Bandoleros, for one of his customers’ two boys, Zeglen was more than happy to help out. It’s gestures like this and more that help him create (and maintain) these relationships. However, getting to this level of trust with his customers took time and effort. To achieve this, there are a few practices he never falters on.

1. Never ignore anyone

Whether the technician is new, young, old, or just there part-time, it doesn’t matter; Zeglen makes sure to greet and check in with everyone he sees in each shop he visits. He notes that you never know if someone is just starting and trying to build their tool collection or if someone has just started a new job that needs a particular tool. 

And with the more “senior techs,” he knows that this weekly chat goes a long way in building their confidence in him.

“At first, they might not really give you the time of day,” he says, “but as time goes on and they see you're there and you're still checking in with them every week — whether they're buying something or not — I've had that go really well for me.”

2. Rely on your experience

When interacting with his customers, Zeglen uses experiences he had with distributors when he was a technician as a way to guide how he acts now. For example, when a customer comes to him with a broken tool, he just takes care of it. 

“I know as a tech, it kind of bugged me when I would spend a premium price for a ratchet or whatever it might be, and then I’d get hassled if I were to need to warranty something out,” he recalls. “They would come up with an excuse or a reason why they don't want to warranty it. To me, that's not what I cared for as a mechanic.”

3. Keep things fun

To help engage his customers, Zeglen frequently runs raffles on his truck. 
“The guys love contests, and they will do anything and seemingly buy whatever is necessary to get in on it,” he says. The distributor has given away prizes like Bumpboxx speakers, a bag toss set, and a dirt bike.  He also has a small fridge and freezer on his truck, so that when customers come out, they know they can grab a free soda or an ice cream sandwich and just take a break.

Additionally, Zeglen has worked with a local apparel shop to create a logo for his business to make hoodies and T-shirts. He likes to give these away as a thanks to customers who make larger purchases. He notes that now customers are asking about these all the time.

Planning for the future

Though Zeglen has no current plans to add a second truck and buying a custom-built tool truck is still a few years down the road, his future plans consist of doing what he’s always done — be the tool distributor he always hoped to have. One that puts the customers’ needs first, works to earn their trust by showing up every week, and has confidence that their business will thrive, so it does.