Distributors with a well established route make business look easy. Their customers buy, pay and encourage new techs in the area to do the same. But getting to this point, with loyal customers that call you first for inquiries and pay their balances every week, comes after years of hard work.
“I've had ups, I’ve had downs," says Cornwell Tool dealer Vito Abbinante. "Every tool guy has. You've gotta wake up and put two feet on the ground and go to work. You keep showing up and over time you’re going to build a clientele. You’re going to build an established business. And trust.”
Once a distributor hits their stride, that’s when true success comes.
“People are attracted to success,” Abbinante explains. “They see that I have a lot of stuff, they see that I'm a successful tool dealer. And people like that because they trust that I will be there. I’ve shown that I’ll be there and that’s why they’re loyal.”
“If you go walk out to my truck you’ll see all my inventory, all my stuff,” he says. “The chances are I’m gonna have something that you need. If you came on my truck and there were bare slots, like just very minimal … you’re not gonna trust that guy. You’re not gonna know that he’s gonna be there next week; he might go out of business. So I’ve been around and, like I said, I’ve built trust.”
