Car enthusiast Chris Turner wanted to get off the management track, but wondered whether he had what it takes to sell tools full-time. Three years later it’s working out, to say the least. The Mac Tools distributor has more than 600 customers spread out over three territories northeast of Toronto, Canada. According to Turner, customers are Number 1 priority and a good attitude is essential. These were two powerful messages he took with him to show-and-tell recently.
Change of plans
Turner was a manager at home improvement retailer Lowe’s when he decided it was time to change course.
“When I turned 30 I decided I wanted to be a technician but it was kind of late,” he says. “I had a house and a mortgage and I didn't want to go back to school.”
One day he found a job posting that said “routes available.” In his mind, the gig was “kind of like the next best thing” [to being a technician]. “So I applied and got the job and I absolutely love it,” Turner says.
His territory includes the towns of New Market, Bradford and Keswick Ontario. Each day Turner services just about every type of shop you can imagine: automotive, truck, body, glass, anything to do with the automotive industry and marinas, too.
As a guy who’d owned sports cars and loves getting under the hood, Turner wasn’t sure if his passion would translate to a successful career.
“I wasn’t in the automotive business; I’d been in management positions all my life.” Turner says he wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell shop owners what they need.
“I’d say, ‘You know what, I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but I’m going to write this information down; I will research it for you and I will get the tool you need.’” It’s an approach that has served him well. Now Turner says it’s amazing what he’s learned in three years. He often has good recommendations for clients, or he simply listens to what a customer has in mind.
“My motto is: Customer service, Warranty, Sales -- in that order.” Turner says this is what sets him apart. “There’s a sign on my truck that says, ‘We are open 24/7.’ If I get a call on a Saturday or Sunday that a customer needs a tool and I have it on my truck, I take it to them.”
Bringing up future pros
As it happens, Turner ended up “back to school” after all.
“My boy, Christopher, just finished Jr. Kindergarten and he’s telling everybody that he’s going to take over the truck one day,” says Turner. “Every time I take him to school or pick him up from school the kids stop and ask questions.” Turner and Christopher’s teacher agreed it would be a great opportunity to bring the truck to school for show-and-tell. Four classes of kids climbed onboard. “They checked things out -- cordless tools, this and that, and they were just in awe with the way the truck was decked out. My truck is pretty full all the time,” says Turner.
He adds, “The area technicians all thought it was a terrific idea because ... up here in Canada technicians are getting harder and harder to find. Hopefully we're going to get a few more techs out of it one day when they all grow up. ”
When he returned to school later that day to pick up his son, Turner saw a roomful of kids creating mini trucks just like his.
“It was unbelievable. All the kids were making Mac Tool trucks in the class. It was really, really neat.”
