Sales Tip: Be on good terms with a shop owner to prevent theft on your truck
Being on good terms with a shop owner or manager at stops can help when it comes to skips and thefts. Mac Tools distributor Chris Nelson recounts multiple instances in which a shop manager has helped him recover goods stolen from his truck by a customer. In one case, a shop manager came to him. In another, he reached out asking about the missing tool.
“I had a guy at a shop that took a set of sockets off my truck on a Monday during a flyer sale,” Nelson says. “I had them all laid out perfectly, so I knew something was missing. I called the [shop’s manager], and in 15 minutes he sent me a picture back [and asked], ‘Is this what you’re looking for?’ And I said, ‘Yep.’ Those guys will help you out. If they don’t like you, they’re not going to spend their time or risk [angering] a fellow co-worker to help a guy they don’t really care about.”
Whether it’s getting a foot in the door starting out or recovering product from a sticky-handed customer, it’s well worth it for a tool dealer to put in the time to build a relationship with shop owners and managers. Of course, that will also extend to customers, since they’re the ones spending money on the truck. Mobile tool sales has a lot to do with forming positive relationships.
