Are you a list maker? I plead guilty to that one.
Upon my return from a week-long odyssey to Vegas for another year of AAPEX and SEMA shows, I felt a bit overwhelmed. My list of to-do’s had big items and small items. Items in all shades of ‘high priority’. Things requiring long lead times and others demanding a quick turnaround. Where to begin?
I think there is nothing wrong with making lists, as long as you don’t see or interpret each item you want to accomplish as having a stop (or yield) sign. Rather than dwelling on that client who hasn’t called you back yet, or the customer conversation you are dreading, sometimes a simple “do it now” can come in handy. A swift kick, if you will. Repeating this phrase in moments of indecision can help us tackle not only all those little daily tasks we face, but even some of the benchmarks we hope to reach in life.
From what I’ve seen, a lot of mobile tool distributors have this “get in, get it done” attitude, and use it to the benefit of themselves, their business and their customers. It’s something I admire. I see this when a tool dealer jumps off the truck at a routine shop like it’s the first time, ready to demo a tool and make a sale, despite the fact that the shop’s technicians maybe haven’t been ready to make a purchase in some time.
Perhaps that “do it now’ mantra ignited the process of buying or rebuilding a new truck, or laying plans to take on an additional route. Sometimes you just never know whether a plan will pan out until you get the ball rolling.
Mac Tools Distributor Joe Hardin, based in Bowling Green Kentucky and this month’s cover story, is a good example of someone who makes up his mind to take action and then goes for it. Hardin just marked his twentieth year in the business and recently started his third truck on the road. He and his team sell an impressive amount of product – toolboxes in particular – to their loyal customer base. And Hardin is as quick with his gratitude as he is with his sales. Each toolbox sale is celebrated on social media.
“If you walk in with a [lousy] attitude they’re not going to buy anything that day,” Hardin says. “If you just straight out ask for the sale … you’ll get it.”
Hardin reminded me that sometimes we have to get out of our own way. Forget the history. Throw away any preconceived notions. Get in there and put your best foot forward. Mark it off the list.
I know repeating the phrase “do it now” has helped me to get out of my head and get cracking again (following the haze of a big tool show like AAPEX, for example). And sometimes, just a short phrase can take you a long way.
Do you have a mantra on the road?
