The most important lesson of all that Shane Sutton gained from his district manager role was not to take any shortcuts on the job.
In addition to spending time chatting with customers, other aspects of the job require attention.
There is also a lot of time spent searching for tools that aren't stocked on the truck.
Ordering inventory is also time-consuming, as is restocking the truck.
Since most of the manufacturers he carries offer to repair broken tools, Sutton accepts most repair requests, which take extra time. "It's a service to keep them coming back," he says.
Selling large items like toolboxes takes extra time. When he sells a toolbox, Sutton has to drive 20 miles to get it from his local distribution center, rearrange the truck to make room for the toolbox, deliver it to the customer, then rearrange the truck again.
But, all of the time-consuming work pays off in the end in the form of higher sales.
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