Professional Distributor - 10

COVER STORY

More customer service
tips from the pros:
Mark McWayne, Mac Tools
Lure them with fun, food, beverages, and
entertainment. "Make sure you have quality
candy, free water, and soda in the summertime.
The old cliche does work, and it makes your visit
the highlight of their day. It makes people come
out to the truck. Over the last six years, the
biggest draw to my truck as been the addition of
beef jerky. If I get [some customers] to buy
something else, that's great."
Try anything you can do to get customers
interested in coming out to your truck. What
makes your truck fun? McWayne play movies
and video on the truck, too.

Kevin Haitmanek, Independent
Try a personal approach. Haitmanek finds
something personal about each and every one
of his customers. "I go in and I talk to them. I let
them know I care, that they are someone who's
important to me. I can tell you something about
every one of my customers; they're not just a
number or a dollar sign to me."

Chuck Collins, Cornwell Quality Tools
Own up to mistakes. "If I forget to do something
or I messed up, it's not 'on back-order.' I go in and
say 'I screwed up.' Do this and they'll respect you.
And when [a tool] really is on back-order, they'll
believe you."
Be transparent about pricing. "I'm a firm
believer in everyone knowing the list price."

Gene Bowers, Independent
Push new product: Bowers started out as a
technician, but quickly grew frustrated with
small, family-owned businesses not wanting to
expand or update their operations.
Bowers says the week before he talked with
a tool guy about becoming a dealer, the shop
he was at turned down $5,000 worth of work
because their in-house scan tool had not
been updated.
Now he asks his customers: "'What haven't you
been able to repair in the last month because
of tooling?' That's where I try to focus on new
product," Bowers says.

Independent distributor Kevin Haitmanek educates customers every chance he gets . "I pride myself
on my knowledge about ... jobs and the tools they require. I do a lot of research [and] it pays off."

his back and had to have surgery. The
surgeon told Collins to find a new line
of work. While recovering from his second back surgery, he met with several
flags, including Cornwell.
"It was a good fit. I started the business from scratch and sold a lot of $20
items in the early days. Those items
kept the bank rolling, the machine
turning," Collins says.
Now he visits agricultural shops
and heavy equipment shops, and
spends a lot of time in body shops.
"Those guys need tools, too. They
need expensive tools ... and they pay,"
he says. He also has automotive shops
and some custom hot rod stops along
his route.
Why his customers love him:
Collins is action-oriented and
makes a paper trail with each question and conversation. "If you're going
to look for or do something, just do it or
write it down," he says. If a technician

10 Professional Distributor I May 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com

asks him whether anyone makes a special tool for a specific purpose, Collins
pops a Post-it note up where he can see
it. He also swears by doing everything
via email so he can go back and search
previous conversations and queries. "I
don't carry a clipboard around to shove
it in customers' faces; I carry it so I can
write things down. If I put [a note] in my
pocket, chances are I'll forget."
Finally, Collins treats everyone like
family. "Never ask someone what's on
their needs list; always start off with a
'hello.' I know what's going on. Make
it personal and guys won't dread you
coming by."

ANTICIPATE CHALLENGES
Kevin Haitmanek
Independent, Maryland

Independent tool dealer Kevin Haitmanek lives in Westminster, Maryland,
with a sales route in Northern Baltimore County. He's been selling tools for

http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

Professional Distributor

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