Scan tools are now a standard part of most technicians’ toolboxes and a basic requirement for any sort of professional automotive service. They’re frequently one of the most expensive things a technician or shop can invest in, and between a scan tool’s necessity and its price tag, it can be one of the most important things you stock on your truck.
Mac Tools distributor Ted Basile sells diagnostic equipment daily, but full scan tool sales come about every six weeks. He owns three routes in the San Antonio and Central Texas Hill Country, with stops ranging from custom trailer facilities to a handful of small airports and heavy duty facilities. Of course, the majority of his customers are at independent automotive repair shops. Basile has spent the past 18 years with Mac Tools, starting his career as a distributor after his wife’s job took them to Texas.
“More than anything, I got tired of making money for everybody else,” Basile says. “I wanted to do something for me and decided I needed to work for myself. This was one of a couple options I looked at, and I feel it was the right choice.”
Sorting scan tools
Scan tools can be roughly placed into two groups: pre-professional and professional scan tools. Pre-professional tools are mostly intended for DIY or at-home setups that will only deal with a handful of vehicles at most, while the professional tools carry the functionality to work on the thousands of vehicles coming in and out of the shop. Professional tools can be further separated by low, middle, and high price points, but separating scan tools by functionality instead of cost can make it easier to understand and sell these tools.
“For a professional scan tool, our main considerations are going to be the vehicle coverage and the capabilities of the special functions and bidirectional functionality,” says Haresh Gobin, vice-president of product and marketing at XTool. “The more bidirectional functions that you're able to perform on a wider range of vehicles, the more confident and equipped you are to see whatever drives up to your shop. The cherries on top are going to be the screen size and hardware, but coverage and functionality should be at the top of the list.”
Distributors shouldn’t try to memorize every detail about every model of scan tool – that's why we publish the Scan Tool Spec Guide -- but every customer deserves a distributor who has at least a basic working understanding of the tools they carry.
“I'll never hand a scanner to a customer unless it's set up and ready to use,” Basile says. “I'll get them whatever [tool] they want, but it has to be ready to use, charged, registered, downloaded, whatever that tool needs.”
Selling in every scenario
Like any tool, new technicians or apprentices will occasionally need to buy their starter scan tool. However, the real share of sales will come from the journeyman and veteran technicians who already own one or more scan tools already.
“It's paying attention to what they have, what they love about it, and where their frustrations are,” Basile says. “Sometimes they get frustrated because they have something that's overkill and too complicated for what they do. Other times, they don't have something that does enough; they need something bigger. Every scenario is different.”
As a distributor, it’s important to remember that every stop is different, too. Take a fresh look at each of your stops and consider their perspective. A shop with multiple bays can benefit from investing in a standardized set of scan tools, driving productivity up while reducing technicians’ day-to-day frustrations. Your smaller independent shops may prioritize long-term support or limited-time package deals to defray the investment.
“I have the most success just trying to find out what they're using over a period of time -- what they like, what they don't like -- and seizing opportunities when we have promotions or an opportunity to sit with the decision maker and talk about it,” the distributor explains.
By listening to what frustrates your customers about their current scan tool setup and taking a look at the bigger picture, you can recommend a newer alternative that specifically addresses their concerns or issues, like a decreasing amount of functionality.
“New protocols and security gateways hinder older software and scan tools from connecting,” says Jimmy Singh, TEXA tech support lead. “When shops invest in the latest scan tool providers, they’re investing in vehicle access to increase their repair profits as well as investing in new feature efficiencies to empower their technicians to blueprint vehicle repairs faster the first time.”
Finding support
Scan tools are so multifaceted that it can feel impossible to keep track of the updates and new features from every manufacturer, and the truth is that it may just be impossible to do that while still having time to do anything else. It’s also true that there are far better ways to find out exactly what you need to research: ask your customers and take advantage of your resources.
“The biggest thing is staying in tune with your customers,” Basile advises. “We learn more from our customers than any other source. Customer feedback is absolutely number one. Otherwise, it's the Internet, social media, and Mac's dedicated diagnostic team.”
Your resources also include the ones provided by manufacturers. Demonstrations don’t have to start and end with passing a scan tool back and forth, so lead your customers to the resources available to them.
If customers are worried about getting full functionality from their tool, point them to resources like the TEXA EDU training that the company provides with every purchase. If support has been an issue for your customer in the past, prove that you’ve got a solution by reaching out to support with them then and there.
“Many of the mobile dealers and tool distributors will call into our TEXA tech support line to demonstrate how quickly their customers can get access to support and diagnostic assistance,” Singh says.
If a technician is struggling with having to move back and forth to check their computer, then they might be interested in hearing about the Identifix Direct-Hit integration that comes with XTool’s Prodigy and Compass scan tools.
“It just changes the workflow so much since guys trust this database,” XTool’s Gobin says. “A Nissan Altima comes in with 50,000 miles with this specific code. [The database] is the first thing they're checking because they don't want to waste time, and it gives them the fix.”
Spreadsheets of subscriptions
Just like with most of the things you sell, your commitment to your customer doesn’t end when they walk away with their purchase. Scan tools are no different thanks to subscriptions and updates. Keeping a copy of the Scan Tool Spec Guide handy can give you a quick and easy way to reference all of the different options available. How a tool handles subscriptions and updates is just as important as the functionality it brings to the table.
“One key feature is understanding how the updates and subscriptions work,” Basile adds. “Some competitors require you to buy updates for every year missed, but we don't do that ... if you understand what your competitors are doing and offer solutions to those frustrations, you'll win them over every time.”
While every manufacturer handles them in a different way, the same fundamentals used to find out your customers’ concerns apply. Once you know what your customers expect, you can provide them with a solution that meets their needs, whether that’s based on monthly costs or free updates. Then it’s just classic customer service.
“You've got to support it, service it, and pay attention to when their updates run out. Tell them in 11 months. That's continued sales,” Basile says. “Keep a spreadsheet, Apple Calendar, Outlook, whatever it is, and remind people. The tool reminds them, but they don't read it. You have to tell them.”
Heavy duty service
Servicing heavy duty facilities turned out to be another good choice for Basile, giving him the opportunity to sell some of the higher-end heavy duty scan tools that sell for far more than their standard counterparts. The same is true for the software and subscriptions technicians need to keep their scan tools working as effectively as possible. One of Basile’s recent sales came from a fleet mechanic who needed very specific functionality. Basile was able to quickly provide a package that solved his customer’s issues while adding a sizeable sale and future subscriptions to his books.
Possibly even more important than the sale was the fact that, after hearing about his customer’s situation, Basile organized a hands-on learning session with one of Mac’s diagnostic teams. A Mac district manager and another customer even joined in on the demonstration, and the group as a whole got a far more engaging and educational experience than if Basile simply passed his original customer a scan tool still in a box. The distributor didn’t need to know the statistics or special functions of every model of scan tool on the market – he simply had to listen to what his customer needed.
