What do you think is the most important part of your business? A good inventory? A good route? A good name on your truck?  I am sure most of us would say the customers are the most important. Without customers, we have no business, obvious, right? But how did we get those customers, and how do we keep them? We all have different selling styles, but we all need the same type of customer — ones that buy and pay well.

Customers don’t buy the product; they buy “you”

I am sure you have heard many times that the customer is not buying your product but buying you. While that statement is true, there are many factors that go into it. Building strong relationships with your customers is the core of it all. When you have a good rapport with them, your customers know you are selling them a quality tool, with you and your reputation standing behind it. If we think about it, we do the same thing in our business: where we get our fuel, who services our truck, or any purchases we make. If we look at it, the place and people make a difference. 

Creating loyalty

Customer loyalty is very important, and not something you can buy. It is built, not bought. Giving a customer a super discount or letting them get a big balance only trains them to think they can get a super discount or big balance. This does not equate to loyalty. 

Loyalty is built on trust. Both parties should treat each other with respect and honesty. This is nothing new to anyone. I found that running an honest business is pretty easy to build. If I take care of my customers, they take care of me. For me, customer loyalty starts with running an honest business and taking care of my customers as I would expect from someone I do business with. 

Finding new customers 

 Finding new customers can be challenging at times. If you are a franchisee, your designated area or route is what you have to work with. If you are independent, then the world is your oyster, and you’re free to go wherever you wish. Finding new customers in your current call list is not impossible, but it takes a little thought. For example, in a dealership, you already talk and sell to the techs, but what about the service writers or parts people? Yes, they don’t work with tools all day, but maybe they do at home. I am sure a lot of them work on their own vehicles or even their family and friends’ vehicles. It only takes one or two extra customers to really improve a stop. 

Also, look into some of the non-automotive shops in and around your area. Manufacturing companies have staff for equipment or facility repairs. When I first started, someone stopped and asked me about some hand tools, and it turned out they worked for a business that made machines for shipping boxes. They turned into one of my best Thursday stops. I drove past that building for a year or two and never thought about stopping in. 

Do you do all the fleet companies around you? How about the home improvement vans or trucks we see? Some of those bigger companies have their own repair garages. All it takes is a quick conversation with one of the drivers to find out. Thinking outside of the regular stops we call on can open us up to more available customers and potential business growth. 

Bringing back inactive customers

Another way to connect with your customers is to renegotiate with those who haven’t bought in a while or those who have paid off their accounts and don’t seem interested in starting up again. Sure, there comes a time in a technician’s career when they get really tooled up, and it is hard for us to sell them tools. But there is one thing all tool distributors know — almost all technicians are “tool junkies” and love new tools. No matter where in their career a technician is, if we have a tool that makes their job easier, it is an easy sale.

For the customers that haven’t been buying, is it because they are tooled up, or are they upset about something? Maybe you made a mistake and charged the wrong price, forgot the price you quoted, or didn’t put a payment in your system. While it is an uncomfortable conversation, asking if you have done something that caused this is a start to getting them back. Over the years, I have been faced with this many times, and as tough as it is to do, asking what I did wrong, at the very least, allowed me to fix it and make it right. You are not going to get all of your “lost” customers back, but if you “repair” a couple of them, then that is all the better.

Know your customers

I’ve found that if I take care of the relationship side, the sales come fairly easily. Ask yourself, do you really know your customers? I try to not only know their names and how much they owe me, but also something personal about them. It can be anything, like asking them about something that you know is going on in their life, how their favorite sports team is doing, or how their vacation was. It doesn’t take much, so show a customer that they are more than just a number to you. If the other tool guys on your route are only about the sale or their money, then that extra little sign of caring can really set you apart from them.

We are all out here trying to make a living, and we all know it is not easy. It is hard, but it is no excuse for treating people poorly. Taking care of my customers has allowed me to build a good reputation for myself. Simply doing good, honest business and a little extra effort got me there. I try to treat my customers right, and they have been treating me right for 30-plus years.