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Mike West is the first to admit that time management is quite the challenge. Like most mobile tool dealers, he often struggles to fit in all of his daily stops.
“I have a good size territory to cover, but I don’t want to rush. By the end of the day, I’ve run out of time and I’m trying to figure out how to squeeze them in the next day,” says West, a Cornwell Quality Tools dealer in Quinton, Oklahoma, who is also a volunteer fire fighter.
For West, being honest with the customer about his time management struggles helps build strong relationships and they are often sympathetic to the situation.
“I want to make sure I’m putting a customer first. If I do miss a shop I say, ‘Hey look guys, I’m sorry, I got tied up over here, it’s my fault, didn’t mean to cut you out, I just got caught up,’” he says. “You need to be honest with the customer.”
If the apology doesn’t suffice, West will surely win them over with his fully stocked beverage and candy selection on the truck. He has a mini fridge with a selection of drinks, including Monster, Coke-Cola, and Mountain Dew, along with a candy bar display rack with Reese’s peanut butter cups, Snickers, and Hershey bars.
West’s route takes him around rural Oklahoma to a mix of car dealerships, independently owned shops, and mom n’ pop shops. He also serves paint and body shops, heavy truck shops, and a couple of lawn mower shops.
Last year, West decided to up his focus on scan tools. If a customer is interested in a scan tool, he lets them borrow a demo for a week to see if it’s the right fit for them.
“They can test drive it to see if it does what they want,” he says. “They like to try it out first.”
This demo approach along with having more conversations about scan tools with his customers has resulted in West seeing increased sales in this category. His best seller is Autel, but he also sells Texa, Can-do, and OTC.
West says that Milwaukee’s electric tools essentially “sell themselves” off his truck. He got a new tool truck two years ago — a freightliner M2 with 24-foot chassis — and he made sure he had a dedicated Milwaukee display area.
“It’s the one thing that comes off the shelf quick. Everybody can’t get enough of it,” he says.
He also moves a lot of tool storage and tool carts, too.
When it comes to tips for new mobile tool dealers who are just starting out, West stresses the importance of being consistent.
“Be there at the same time, same day of the week and take care of their needs,” he says.
He also says it’s important to listen to the customer and make sure you have the right inventory on your truck for them. When he was starting out, West was serving body shops, but he didn’t have that background, so he made sure to act fast if he needed certain item on the truck.
“If they wanted something I didn’t have, I would get one for them and one for the truck, that way I would be ready for next time,” he explains. “Listen to your customer, find out what they’re working on and what they need.”
Having been a mechanic for 18 years prior to becoming a mobile tool dealer, West says learning the business side of things was a learning curve. Fortunately, his wife is “really good with numbers” and she helps out on evenings and weekend.
West is hopeful that one day his 17-year-old son will be interested in joining the business as well.
“Maybe down the road we could add another truck and bring him on,” says West, adding that he son sometimes helps him stock the truck. “Down the road if he decides he wants to be a part of it, I would definitely support it.”
