Dan Jenkins Sr. has more than 30 years of experience as an independent tool distributor servicing the Bowling Green, Ky. area. His son, Dan Jenkins Jr., joined the business 15 years ago.
Both go by their given first names - which they say is not confusing for one another; but can sometimes confuse customers.
“Our trucks are very similar,” Jenkins Jr. says, laughing. “I’ll get customers that say, ‘I saw you yesterday.’ I know I saw you, I waved and you didn’t wave back.’ I’ll say, ‘No, you didn’t.’”
While it specifies the distributor’s name on the side of the truck, the tinted windows on the Chevrolet Express 2500 vans both drive make it difficult to see the driver.
“It’s just always fun,” he adds. “It’s our ongoing joke we have because it happens all the time.
Always independent
When Jenkins Sr. retired from the Bowling Green, Ky. city police department in 1982, he says he wanted to go into business for himself, and stay busy. He started as a “wagon jobber” the same year, working out of a Mazda B2000 pickup truck selling consumables such as alternators, hoses, belts, bulbs, chemicals and more, to shops.
“It seemed like every time I’d go into a place, they’d ask if I had this tool or that tool,” Jenkins Sr. says.
In 1984, Jenkins Sr. began selling tools at the request of many of his customers and established Dan Jenkins Sales Company.
Today, his route still consists of many of the same customers, and subsequently, some of the same stock.
Before joining his father, Jenkins Jr. drove a UPS route. He says the long hours were difficult because it didn’t allow him to spend time with his young children and growing family.
With that, Jenkins Jr. tested the waters of the tool selling business in 2003. Having three children in diapers at the time, Jenkins Jr. started his route in the family minivan -- car seats and all -- with tools stocked in the back to sell to customers. He first started by visiting any customers Jenkins Sr. was not able to service.
“I just started digging up customers, and I filled in my own route,” says Jenkins Jr. “I kind of went behind dad and picked up the stops he wasn’t calling on. That’s how I started; of course it’s evolved a little bit since then. Now we have our own routes. He’s got his own customers, I’ve got my own customers.”
Running routes with vans
After Jenkins Jr. graduated from his family minivan, he purchased a new 2004 Chevrolet Express 2500 van, which he still drives today. According to both distributors, there’s less overhead with the vans, and each has about the same amount of storage as a traditional tool truck.
“I had this a year, and dad had his big truck, and I was staying with dad in sales,” Jenkins Jr. says. “But he had so much more overhead than I did, with the maintenance for that truck.”
So in 2005, Jenkins Sr. also purchased a Chevrolet Express 2500 van.
“I get guys that say I have as much, if not more, than what the big guys have on their trucks. You just can’t walk through mine,” adds Jenkins Jr.
While the vans won’t allow for storage of larger shop equipment, Jenkins Jr. says when customers are interested in tool carts, RRR machines, floor jacks or the like, he’ll typically have the item drop shipped directly to the customer.
Because customers are unable to enter the vans, both distributors confirm they spend less time at each stop compared to traditional mobile tool trucks.
“People don’t get on there and loaf,” Jenkins Sr. says of the vans. “My longest time at a shop is, max, 15 minutes. Then I’m out of there and gone.”
“Before he can get his truck turned around in the parking lot, I’m already up the street,” he adds, regarding larger tool trucks. “These vans have just been great. I have put every bit of the tool inventory I took off my 20’ truck.”
Along with spending less time at each stop, the vans have allowed both distributors to cover more ground on a weekly basis.
“I travel almost 850 miles a week,” Jenkins Jr. says. “That’s a lot, but once again that comes down to the beauty of having a smaller vehicle. I’m able to cover that area because guys can’t get on the truck and camp out, and want to kill 20 or 35 minutes on the truck. They can come out and look, and they’re more apt to on nicer days, obviously -- but I try to be in, out, gone.”
Jenkins Jr. says this shorter turnaround at shops is respected by shop owners and service managers, because he isn’t impacting productivity as much for the repair shop. He’s quick to add he makes sure to address every customer’s needs, and will ensure he allows customers time to come out to the van to browse or service tools.
There is one primary drawback to running the routes out of vans: inclement weather.
“That’s my only complaint, is working in this thing when it’s raining,” says Jenkins Jr.
He says this can be especially challenging when rebuilding or repairing a tool because the vise and equipment is accessible near the side door of Jenkins Jr.’s van, which means he has to stand in the rain while he’s servicing the tool.
On the flip side, because of the smaller footprint of the vans, Jenkins Jr. is able to pull right into the shops of some of his customers.
As the vans age - Jenkins Jr. has 439,000 miles currently on his odometer - he hopes to upgrade soon. He’d like to purchase a vehicle with the same footprint, but possibly a higher roof to provide additional inventory space, and allow him to service customers without concerns of weather.
Established customer base
With an alternative storefront to traditional tool trucks, Jenkins Jr. confirms his customer approach is a bit different. Both distributors will provide flyers to customers, and will take special orders for products. But, not all customers will come out to browse the van.
Because Dan Jenkins Sales Company is well established, Jenkins Jr. says many customers are already familiar with the vans’ inventory.
“For the most part, the guys know what I have on here,” he says. “If they don’t have it, I’ll have it by the next week.”
Jenkins Jr. says the long-term relationships he and his father have established with customers speak to the way the two operate their own business.
“Over the years, you form these relationships and it’s just like an extended family,” Jenkins Jr. says. “You start learning about these guys, and their families. Then you eventually start selling to their kids one day, if they get into the market.”
These relationships have been established and maintained by providing thorough service to customers, he adds.
“The tool is only as good as the person that stands behind it,” Jenkins Jr. says. “You show up. Whether they buy anything or not, you show up. They know when I’m going to be here. They know they can count on me. I’ll get calls, texts, all the time saying ‘If you have this, I need it.’”
Both distributors service different customer bases, so while there’s similar inventory on both trucks Jenkins Jr. and Sr. do have some route-specific stock as well.
“His inventory and my inventory are different,” Jenkins Jr. says. “(Our) trucks are laid out different, but there are still common items that we both know the other one has.”
With the more common items, Jenkins Jr. adds he and his father are able to swap out inventory to make sure a customer gets the intended product as soon as possible.
Regarding new customers, both distributors are judicious when taking on new accounts.
“Our general rule of thumb is we want you employed at that one stop for 90 days before we extend you truck credit,” Jenkins Jr. says.
Jenkins Sr. adds he has a knack for reading people, and finds he can usually determine if someone will be a good customer.
Prior to having a truck account, Jenkins Jr. says customers have the option of putting product on layaway, or paying in full with cash or credit card.
This is partially due to the fact Dan Jenkins Sales Company does not offer separate financing; both distributors front all customer accounts themselves.
“We don’t charge any type of interest on any of the accounts,” Jenkins Jr. says. “We’ll maybe try to offset the price a little bit, especially if somebody is a credit card customer. Obviously, if someone wants to pay cash for something straight out, I will offer them a discount for paying straight out, instead of making payments on it.”
Challenges as an independent
While Jenkins Jr. and Sr. will readily drop ship larger equipment to customers, both say they limit the number of high-ticket sales and are cautious about new and high customer balances due to limited financing options.
“We don’t mind doing (financing personally),” Jenkins Jr. says. “But, being on the independent side, I think your resources are kind of limited.”
What happens to the customers who walk away from an existing truck balance? Jenkins Jr. says it’s harder to track those customers down, or be aware of known skip offenders.
“We don’t have a network to show if a guy has moved out of state, and if you enter is social [security number] it’s not going to flag in the system that he owes so-and-so down in Kentucky this money,” Jenkins Jr. says. “It’s not strong for the independent.”
Jenkins Jr. does add he has had some success finding his own skip accounts, by searching for delinquent customers on social media.
“I’m a Facebook stalker when it comes to bad accounts,” he says. “It’s amazing what you can find online, if you’re very patient and just look.”
Another drawback to being independent is the timeframe of when some new products are available from tool manufacturers. Jenkins Sr. says exclusive product availability with flags first can be a challenge.
While there are certainly challenges to being an independent tool distributor, both confirm the benefits outweigh those drawbacks. Jenkins Jr. says he enjoys his freedom most, when it comes to being part of an independent tool company.
“We can hit more stops,” Jenkins Jr. says, “That’s the beauty of being independent. We don’t have a territory. We can pick the cream of the crop in a lot of areas that we go into.”
The route today, and future of the business
Today, Jenkins Jr. and Sr. drive about 1,500 miles to service about 240 stops per week.
Jenkins Jr. says he never anticipated being a sales person, particularly with selling tools. However, he has learned from his father and from experience while running his route.
“What I have learned, and paid attention to over the years, you have to have a certain personality to do this job,” Jenkins Jr. says. “You have to have extremely thick skin. And you’ve got to be stern, whenever you need to be. I struggled with that early on. I’ve always been very non-confrontational.”
Jenkins Jr. has slowly been taking on a more prominent role with the business, as Jenkins Sr. continues his eye toward retirement. While Jenkins Sr. has slowly decreased his hours per week, he says he’ll continue to work part time until he’s able.
“The hardest part about this; it’s so hard to be able to find somebody you can trust to do it,” Jenkins Jr. says about finding a replacement for his father. “That’s why [Jenkins Sr.] said, even if he cuts down to two or three days a week, he still wants to be able to do it as long as he can, for that reason.”
Jenkins Jr. has five children – four daughters and one son – ranging in ages from 14 to 20 years old. There have been discussions on Jenkins Jr.’s sole son taking on the route, but there are always uncertainties with any family business.
“I would like to be able to stay around until [Jenkins Jr.’s] son gets old enough to see what he wants to do,” Jenkins Sr. says. “If he wants to get into this and carry it on.”
“But his name’s not Dan,” says Jenkins Jr., laughing.
“Now, he tells me, ‘I’m going to do it too, dad,’” Jenkins Jr. adds. “He’s 14. He’ll change his mind two dozen times between then and now.”
Until that time comes, both distributors will continue business as usual with continued success in the mobile tool selling business.
“If you’ve got good customers, you want to keep caring for them,” Jenkins Sr. says. “The Lord’s blessed. It’s been a great business.”
