How to plan your stops

Planning your stops has two components: when and what. The “when” is based on what day, the time of day, and, of course, the most logical order to place the shops on your route. The “what” of planning your stops is based on what your plan of action is when you pull into each stop. This article will cover both components to help you effectively plan for every shop you visit.

Survey your route 

Starting with the “when,” the easiest way to figure out when you should visit a shop is by surveying your route.  Your route should have been surveyed prior to you starting your tool truck. At least, this is true for franchised tool trucks, but not necessarily for independent tool trucks. (It's a legal matter for franchised tool trucks.) Surveying is the only accurate way to obtain the customer head count and permission to call on the shop. It's also the best way to find out what days other tool trucks stop, where to park, and details on shop hours and special house rules. Remember, it's a privilege to be able to call on a shop.

Unfortunately, some dealers forget that. When surveying, I would always tell the owner, “Your shop, your rules. We just need to know what they are.” I'd explain that the last thing we want to do is jeopardize the privilege of calling on their shop. Some shops have strict rules on what time tool tucks are allowed to stop. It can be a challenge to accommodate the allowed time stop issue. Sometimes it's impossible to meet that requirement. You may need to explain that tool dealers have a lot of shops to call on every day, and see if you can work out another time to visit that shop.

Keep in mind, it's not in the dealer's interest to become a “professional visitor.” I.E., someone who’s just there to chat about sports or weather and not at the shop acting as a professional salesperson. Dealers need to be aware of the shop's time. It's tough to do, but sometimes you have to politely tell your customer, “I'd better get going. I don't want your boss mad at me for taking too long.”

Create your routine

Moving into the “what” of planning your stops, it’s time to look at creating a routine for your visits. When you arrive at your shops, your routine should be consistent when you drive in every week. Before you go into the shop, go through your mental pre-shop entry checklist. The first item to check is the route list you printed before you started your day. If you're not printing a daily route list prior to starting your day, you're costing yourself money. You have to have the printed list to check customer balances, last payment, customer needs, and the items you have put on a "want list."

The route sheet should be on a clipboard that you carry in your tote bag when you walk into the shop. Yes, I carried a tote bag, and I was also a distributor way back when they were metal tote trays. Your next consideration should be, what else do you need in your tote bag? You don't necessarily have to customize the contents to every shop, but if you’ve recently stocked a new item that's relevant to the body shop you're about to walk into, make sure to grab that.

Coming back to the “want list,” this is a great sales tool and another way to plan your stops. When you see an item from the "want list", even if it's from months prior, it may help you close a sale today. 

For instance, if a customer had mentioned wanting a 5-drawer tool cart a while back, and you’ll be taking one on trade soon, make a note to bring that up in your next conversation with them.

Take notes

To help plan your “what” for every shop visit, having notes to refer back to can help. I used a planner that I kept on my desk to take detailed notes of the happenings at each stop. I'd make sure to look at the prior week's notes on that day before I left the truck. There are just so many moving parts to running a tool truck, you need to keep good notes. Still, having what I thought was a good system, I'd occasionally come back home with a tool that a customer needed that I overlooked because of some other distraction at that shop. Making a note of that can help you fix that error for the next time you see that customer.

Plan to have a good day

After you’ve got your “when” and your “what” figured out, the last thing you’ll need is a positive mindset. The most successful dealers I know are the dealers who plan on having a great sales and collection day.