On keeping a stocked truck: “I learned, as a young guy in this business you can’t sell out of an empty truck. So I have a massively full truck, and it works. Except it’s a little hard to keep tidy.”
On the mental part of the business: “At the end of the day, it always washes out. You can have the crappiest day, but at the end of the day someone might say, ‘Hey, I’ll take that $8,000 toolbox.’ Bingo.”
On the long-term relationships he has built with customers: “There’s probably no one on this route I wouldn’t go home and eat dinner with their family. That’s pretty neat… After a while you know the grandkids.”
On a varied customer route during a down economy: “Here’s the thing we learned with the truck shops: when the economy died, they did not. They moved right along. Because no matter what, freight has to move. The automotive people would hold off on getting something fixed until the last moment.”
On the warmer weather in the southeastern U.S.: “Probably three weeks out of the year I’m wearing long pants to work. My rule is, if I go out to start the truck, and my legs are burning, I’m gonna go get some pants on. Normally I wear shorts all the time.”
On how customers read the failure or success of a tool dealer: “What’s funny is, when you’re starting to fail, they [customers] jump all over that. They start paying you less. They’re waiting you out, because they know you’re going to go. They don’t want to have to pay. On the other hand, when you’re smokin’, it’s like they come out of the woodwork. When you’re on a roll, it’s like, ‘I don’t have no competition.’ My only competition is Mark [himself], to keep myself motivated.”
On having no reservations about putting money on the street: “This is no different than playing cards, the more you put out there – the more you gamble – the more you win or lose. You’ve got to put it out there and see.”
On his son getting into the tool selling business: "It’s so fun to see someone have some (enthusiasm) with that ... because I feed off that. It’s neat to see him [succeed].”
On plans to retire: “I’ll probably just go to [a three day work-week] or something. I’ve got to do something, otherwise I’ll go nuts.”
On being a mobile tool distributor: “I tell you, you will never get rich from this. But you can make a better-than-average living.”
Independent distributor Mark Remai is featured in the article "Leaving his Mark" printed in the October 2017 issue of Professional Distributor.
