In the April edition of Professional Distributor, the “Automotive Aftermarket Profile” shows that 83 percent of shop owners and technicians ask their mobile tool dealers about new tools they have seen in trade magazines and catalogs. Just like you looked at the ads in this issue of PD for what’s new, your technicians look at PTEN for the new items, too. Let’s make sure that you’re the mobile dealer they look to purchase what’s new.

Sure it’s an investment, but if you are the mobile dealer your customers can count on to have the newest and coolest tools, then you have a great shot at being the mobile dealer they buy their everyday and promotional tools from. The objective here is to get them in your store on wheels to see what’s new and to hopefully purchase something; any impulse item is more money in your pocket.

Devote a small 2’ by 2’ section of your mobile store to what’s new. Just like an endcap in your local grocery – you see an advertisement on TV or in a magazine and the next time you go shopping there it is right in front of you on an endcap. Invite your customers to come into your store to see your “new product” display and update this section often. For more expensive items or items that come in multiple sizes, it may be a good idea to just put a picture cutout on your “What’s New” board. This surely will solicit questions, which will lead to sales.