When I’m writing an article, I always have a set word count in mind that I know I need to reach in order to fill the page. Whether it’s Show Me Your Truck, our cover story for the month, or Tales From the Road, that number sits in the back of my mind and dictates how I write that article.
For you, the mobile tool distributor, I’m sure you have your own set or sets of numbers that you live by — the number of stops you have to make each week, the number of sales you’d like to hit by the end of the month, the number of ratchets, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. you need to keep in stock.
In this month’s issue, we have our ninth annual Aftermarket Profile. This yearly purchasing study offers a few more numbers for you to take into consideration as you conduct your business. We gathered data from shop owners and technicians across the country, asking questions about the types of repairs and services they perform, the tools and equipment they own, their current and future purchasing plans, and much more.
According to this year’s study, 84 percent of shop owners and technicians are buying from a mobile tool distributor. That means they’re coming to you first over every other option available, so you’ve got to be ready.
Some of the top tool and equipment categories technicians and shop owners are planning on buying from this year include hand tools, shop equipment, and cordless power tools. Talk with your customers about their needs in these categories. Perhaps a technician has just busted their favorite impact wrench, or as temperatures continue increasing, a new fan for the shop may be in order.
You should also check out the diagnostics section of the report. Eighty percent of shops have a diagnostic technician on staff and even those that don’t still need diagnostic tools and equipment to perform many repairs. We go over a list of common diagnostic equipment that shops and/or technicians own, but only 19 percent say they own a noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) analyzer, which leaves you with 81 percent of them to convince why they need this tool.
Our goal with this report is to provide you with the purchasing habits of shops and technicians for you to, hopefully, use as a valuable reference for your business. If you have any questions or just want to discuss the findings in this report, feel free to reach out.
