Content brought to you by Professional Distributor. To subscribe, click here.
Even though independent mobile tool dealer Jason Nelson has only been selling tools for just over a year, he’s been on tool trucks for most of his life – just as a customer. After 15 years of turning wrenches, he decided to step away from his position at a dealership to follow his ambition.
“It was a hard decision to leave my job as a technician to become a tool guy,” he says. “Being a technician is all I had ever done, and I was good at it.”
He had always thought about owning a tool truck and after talking to local tool dealers, he decided it was time to make a career change and go for it.
Now as his own boss and part of GEARWRENCH’s Street Team, Nelson services automotive and farm shops throughout central North Carolina. Although it was tough at first, he’s glad he made the leap.
“It’s been a really big change up and was scary in the beginning, but to be where I’m at now, I think it’s been going great,” he says. “After the first few weeks of running the tool truck I realized I had made the right decision. I have lots of really great customers who have helped make this transition easier for me.”
By having years of experience in the field, Nelson has a good idea on what type of tools to stock, but he also understands the value of keeping up on new tools.
“If you’re the first guy with a new product, you’re going to sell more of it,” he says. “So, it’s trying to stay on top of getting new products before other distributors. You have to be active about it and pay attention to new things being released.”
It’s just as important to keep an open, constant line of communication with your customers, he adds.
“When you see something in the product making, talk about it with your technicians and say, ‘Hey, I saw this tool I think you would like’,” he suggests. “They will say ‘Well, not really’ or ‘Yeah, that’ll be a very helpful tool’ and then you know if you should get a couple.”
Nelson also keeps in close communication with tool distributors from the surrounding area. They found it to be beneficial to work together and share what tools are doing well for them, especially when it comes to new tools.
However, there is one definitive thing that makes Nelson stand apart from other tool dealers. And that is his trailer. Instead of a traditional tool truck, Nelson operates out of 20’ enclosed trailer.
“Everybody knows me as the guy with the tool trailer,” he says.
When he first started out, he wanted to keep startup costs minimal, and he already owned a 2017 F250 so a trailer seemed to be the best option. Besides, the trailer offers nearly all the same amenities of a tool truck, including heat, A/C, electricity, and Wi-Fi.
With already many ideas for the future, Nelson eventually hopes to have his wife and/or son join him (by possibly adding another truck), but at this point he’s “still seeing how things are going”.
