Before J.D. Whittington got into the tool selling business, he turned wrenches for 12 years as a diesel technician. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Whittington pushed himself to become one of the top diesel technicians at the facility he worked, and a team lead, before his aspirations got bigger than his opportunities.
When deciding on a career change, Whittington had thought, “I'm 30 years old, my 401k sucks and I'm never going to retire. There's no end in sight. I need to do something that I can do [long-term].”
Whittington said he had weighed his options when determining if he should commit to the tool business. He opted to start a franchise with Mac Tools, because he had bought from and appreciated his previous Mac Tools distributors when he was a technician.
“Everybody scares you [about getting into a business],” Whittington says. “I've learned if you have an idea you just need to ask a few people that you know and then make your decision, because everybody has an opinion. No matter what you do in the business, you're going to lose a little bit of money. You've just got to keep control of it.”
He decided to go into business for himself, understanding the risks behind it and knowing he could fall back on his technician background if it didn’t work out.
So far, though, he won’t be turning wrenches any time soon.
A learning curve
Whittington got his start selling tools in January 2013. After nearly five years in the business, he has learned a few things to run his operation more efficiently.
The first year, Whittington says he realized he needed to have the right inventory on the truck – he would have requests from customers for a product, and he wouldn’t have it stocked. The second year, he determined he needed to have multiples of popular products, to keep up with customer demand.
Now, in addition to the two items above, Whittington makes sure he has ample stock to sell to his customers. This means having storage at his home to house the products he doesn’t keep on the truck.
He also learned the importance of having the products visible and easy to view for customers.
When Whittington first started his route, he operated out of a used 18’ 1997 step van.
In 2015, he purchased a new 24’ wide body 2015 M2 Freightliner from Summit Bodyworks. While he gained five square feet of display space, Whittington says he carried about the same amount of inventory on the new truck. This, he says, has actually helped him with sales.
“I think it’s better [now],” Whittington says of his inventory on display. “People can see it. When it was stacked, it didn't work.”
“You've got to have it out in the open,” he adds, advising to have cases open and tools available for customers to pick up. “We're touchy-feely guys, and it will help you sell it a ton.”
Whittington also wanted to ensure he upgraded to the wide body frame, with the amount of foot traffic he regularly sees on the truck.
“I have so many freaking guys come out on this truck, I need the widest aisles possible.”
Have the right attitude
Whittington’s business approach revolves around two key items: be positive, and work hard.
“You've got to self-prep yourself,” he says. “You've got to get up and say, ‘It’s going to be a good day today.’ Then spread it to your shops. You can be infectious, I don't care what anybody says.”
Whittington is consistent with this approach; even at his last stop of the day, he is still enthusiastic and joking with his customers as they enter the truck.
Whittington puts in about 11 hours each day on the road – sometimes more if he is stopping by shops with techs on second shift.
His “work hard” mentality also focuses on being efficient on his route. He harkens back to the days when he was a technician, and how he would work flat rate.
“If the job is listed to take you two hours, and it takes you 10, you get paid for two,” Whittington explains. “If it takes you an hour, you get paid for two. I was flat rate for 12 years, which is probably a good thing and a bad thing. I keep my route pretty heavily stacked.”
He runs his tool selling business the same way -- if he can work efficiently, he might be able to make more sales and service more customers, in less time.
“I'm there to get everything I can out of it, but it's quick,” says Whittington of his stops. “There's no downtime. I bring my lunch [on the road], if I eat lunch.”
Honesty pays off
Along with being positive and hard-working, Whittington is forthright and honest with his customers.
“I'm not afraid to lose a sale, and I think it helps,” Whittington says of his customer approach. “Honesty is success. Do what's right, choose what's right. Everybody has a moral compass, whether you go to church or not.”
He will encourage customers to purchase, but isn’t pushy. He says he will listen for indicators and ask questions, but knows when to back away and let the customer make a decision.
For instance, one customer came on the truck interested in purchasing a toolbox. But the customer mentioned he planned on financing a house soon. Whittington advised him it would be best to wait to apply for credit on the tool storage purchase, so it wouldn’t negatively affect the customer’s finances.
He does this based on his own convictions, and also because he has seen the repercussions of dishonesty in the business with others.
“You screw one guy in the shop, and it's just dominoes,” Whittington says.
“You don't get another 500 guys,” he adds, of his customer base. “If you piss off the first 500, you fire yourself. We are our own bosses, but we actually have about 300 to 400 of them (bosses), and they will fire you individually.”
The opposite holds true as well, according to Whittington.
“If you take care of a guy -- he bought from me because his friend said, ‘Hey, go buy from this guy.’ It spreads. You've just got to be honest. And if you're honest, it'll come.”
All about the customers
Whittington says his route covers about two square miles, and he doesn’t spend that much time behind the wheel between stops.
“A lot of people will say I got hand-fed my route. That's not true,” Whittington says. “There are other dealers [that come here] and they're only here for an hour, a half hour. It's the dealer. There are a lot of things that need to happen, but you’ve still got to fight for it.”
And Whittington says he does put the work in.
His average stop will take more than an hour. This is because he services primarily larger heavy duty trucking and equipment shops along Utah State Route 201, where many of these facilities operate. In addition, he also spends a half day per week at Salt Lake International Airport, servicing aviation technicians.
For instance, he spends a total of one day at one larger Caterpillar facility – Wheeler Machinery – alone. He visits a number of the facility’s multiple shops in one day, and will also stop by for second shift customers.
“When I first started here (at Wheeler), I'd be here an hour [per week]. Then two hours, then five hours. Then 10 hours,” Whittington says. “A lot of other dealers are only here for an hour or two.”
While many of Whittington’s customers will go to the truck soon after he arrives, Whittington will sometimes make his way into the shop. When he goes in, Whittington always walks into the shop with something – whether that be flyers or tools on promotion.
Whittington comments on the positivity of his customers at this stop – along with others on his route. He says it’s all about the attitude.
“They're a great group of guys; a lot of my shops are pretty good,” Whittington says. “A lot of it is honestly just attitude. If you think you're not making money, you’re not going to make money. If you think down, you're down. It just all revolves around attitude.”
Whittington has also adopted this positive attitude for his own business, and he makes sure to not be biased toward any prospects or potential customers.
He says this mentality can be challenging at times, but it’s important to keep a positive attitude and not judge others, even when things don’t go well.
“The hardest part for most people is to overcome a kick in the face,” he says. ”They lose $500, but that's where you’ve got to turn. You can only write off so much, but you can't spend all day chasing $300 or $400. You haven't sold [any tools], you're not actually making the money.”
“You lose money, then you start losing faith,” Whittington says. “You start judging people. Then, you lose.”
“You can't judge anybody,” Whittington emphasizes.
Whittington sees every customer interaction as an opportunity. He will even give customers a second chance, in some instances. He confirms he has customers come back after he has repossessed tools from them, only to have the customer turn out to be reliable and offer consistent weekly payments.
“You're worth taking a chance on,” he says about potential customers. “Everybody's worth taking a chance. I don't know who you are; you're a cover right now, so I can’t judge you by your cover.”
Support system
Whittington is quick to point out his wife, Kassi, has a large part to do with his success. She handles the bulk of the internal operations and bookkeeping.
“My wife does so much,” Whittington says. “She does all the paperwork. I'll get home, and my inventory will be checked in, ready to go on the truck. She helps clean the truck, does all the bills. She allows me to get out and sell.”
She is responsible for the financials, organizing shipments and inventory, helping with tool and equipment deliveries, and handling warranties.
“I'll get them off the truck in a box, but she does all the packing, and shipping,” Whittington says, of warranties. “It really allows you to be successful. Because I'd either have to go home early, or do it myself.”
Whittington encourages other distributors to consider hiring help, or asking for assistance from family.
“Anyone who can get a backup system or pay somebody, so they can go work, that's the way to do it,” he says. “Get a team, a brother, whatever. Someone who can do this stuff for you so you're not worried about paying bills. I still do a little bit at home. I close out my week, or I'll go through my daily report, do my inventory or my ordering. I still do a lot of stuff, but [my wife] helps a lot.”
Big plans
Viewed more as speed bumps than road blocks, he finds there are ways to overcome any obstacle he faces with the business. Whittington is a strong believer in self-motivation. With faith, confidence, knowledge and tenacity, he has achieved all of the business goals he has set for himself so far.
“Karma, or whatever – faith, God, love, whatever it is it will come,” he says. “I believe a lot of it is because I try to do what's right. Period.”
While his overall sales numbers have fluctuated due to starting and selling a second route (see sidebar), Whittington continues to consistently sell about $13,000 to $15,000 per week, collecting about the same amount. He’s on pace to hit about $1 million in sales this year, serving about 500 customers.
Whittington says he has learned quite a bit since starting his route nearly five years ago. He credits Mac Tools with allowing him to develop his business acumen and understand how to operate a business.
“This is a great basic 101,” he says of the mobile tool selling business. “You've got guidelines, you've got people you can talk to and help you, and that you can rely on. [Mobile tool sales is] a good 101 of how to do business and keep your inventory in line. You just learn it, and know it, and do it.”
In the future, Whittington aims to go further – whether that be having multiple routes on the road or owning his own large business and managing employees. He has an eye for mentoring others in his next venture, whatever that may be.
“I want something bigger, eventually,” Whittington says. “Whether that's buying five, six or 10 trucks or something else.
Looking ahead, Whittington has his sights set high.
“This business, to me, is a huge stepping stone,” he says. “But, I want to own other businesses too. Eventually I want something big. A big, huge business.”
