Professional Distributor - 46

Bundle, tote, and grow

This distributor has utilized a range of sales techniques
to grow her business from the ground up.

I
BY TYLER FUSSNER,
ASSISTANT EDITOR

920-234-6232
Tyler@VehicleServicePros.com

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your story?
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t could be said that Alysia Bugdon runs on the
opposite of 'island time' with her hustle. The
Cornwell Tools distributor operates an 18' 2018
MT45 Freightliner throughout most of Atlantic
County, New Jersey, across the barrier islands.
Her route takes her from Brigantine to Margate,
Ventnor, Atlantic City, and beyond. This month
will mark Bugdon's second year as a distributor,
and she has wasted no time establishing herself
as reputable and dependable.
"I was a stay-at-home mom for twelve years,"
Bugdon says. "I was able to stay home with my kids
and take care of my mother-in-law, who passed
away about three years ago. After she passed away,
and the kids were in school all day, I needed a job.
My husband, who is a mechanic, said, 'Hey, how
about buying a tool truck and starting up a business?' And here we are!"
Bugdon previously worked in the healthcare,
banking, and cosmetics industries where she honed
her customer relation skills, learning how to engage
with people of different backgrounds and varying
personalities. It is clear this skill carried into her
new career as a tool distributor and speaks to her
ability to successfully sell to a myriad of customers,
from mom-and-pop automotive shops to tire shops,
heavy duty truck, bus, and equipment companies,
and even marinas.
"I had to learn the heavy duty stuff, marina
stuff, the buses, and that kind of thing," Bugdon
says. "I spent a lot of time in the garage with my
husband, so I wasn't a stranger to the basic tools;
but I still had to learn a lot when I started."
Bugdon never shied away from the learning
curve and says that honesty has truly been the best
policy. If she has ever been unsure of a tool, she is
upfront with her customers, does some research,
and gets them what they need.
Bugdon has also learned some effective sales
techniques along the way. From something as simple as keeping the air conditioning on her truck
cranked and having bottles of water available during
the summer, to creating her own 'bundle' sales, she
goes out of her way to provide a range of purchasing
options for her customers. Bugdon also utilizes the

46 Professional Distributor I February 2020 I VehicleServicePros.com

Cornwell Tools distributor Alysia Bugdon operates
an 18' 2018 Freightliner MT45 throughout most
of Atlantic County, New Jersey.

tote and promote technique, bringing new or sale
items directly into the shop and getting product in
the hands of technicians.
Recently, Bugdon completed a $94,000 sale to a
local utility company. The company had been clients
of a competing flag in the past, but Bugdon delivered
a decent sale to them last year and became their
go-to distributor. When the company purchased
new vehicles, they turned to her to outfit six service
trucks. There was a list of needs, Bugdon pitched
some suggestions, and the order was established,
sold, and delivered.
"The tool business is definitely a difficult
business, and when we started, we started from
the ground up," Bugdon says. "When we rolled out
this tool truck on the first day, we had zero customers. Now, we're up to about 230 customers on
the books. In under two years, that's a really big
accomplishment."
As a new dealer, and as a female dealer, Bugdon
has had to step up to the challenge of proving herself
to potential clients. Her honesty, consistency, and
determination has paid off.
"It's definitely a lot of hard work," Bugdon
says. "There's inventory, there's bills, sometimes
you have to do repos[sessions]. Plus, the family,
the house, the bills there ... it's a juggling act of
sorts. You just have to do what you need to do to get
everything done."

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