Professional Distributor - 4

EDITOR'S NOTE
Published by Endeavor Business Media, LLC

A risky (and
rewarding) business
Change always carries some risk, but with the
right attitude, the rewards can be sweet.

A
BY SARA SCULLIN
EDITOR

920-568-8394
Sara@VehicleServicePros.com

Can't miss
products:
If you missed our
previously published
list of Innovation
Awards nominees, you
can find them here:
VehicleServicePros.
com/2019/IANominees.

colossal career change
from big oil to tool sales.
Another job move that
meant a transition from turning wrenches to selling them.
Starting fresh with a brand
new route in a brand new state.
These are the experiences of
the mobile dealers profiled in
this month's cover story.
There's nothing wrong with
staying put when things are good.
It only makes sense. Still, sometimes life throws us a curveball,
or we wonder "what if" or ... or ...
This is how all change begins.
Of course, these stories are
not uncommon. I've talked with
many of you who started in one
place, ended up in another place
altogether, and are still looking
to shake things up. A catalyst for
change can happen on a grand
scale or be very personal. Back in
2007-2008 (more than a decade
ago now), the economic crisis
closed the door to a lot of mobile
tool selling businesses and served
as a launch-pad for others. Since
that time, this industry (along with
many others) has rebounded ... but
it has never been "boring." Maybe
it's better to say, mobile tool dealers simply are not a boring bunch.
Take, for example, Independent dealer Reid Thomas. Thomas
dove into the mobile tool selling
business after turning wrenches as
a technician for a number of years.
This is a common story, but not
always an easy transition. Thomas
is learning as he goes and enjoys a
large route in the southwest corner of Houston. He finds he can

use all the technical knowledge he
has shored up to help educate his
customers about scan tools and
other various new products.
Cornwell Tools dealer Roy
Hernandez is another one who
stepped onto a tool truck and
didn't look back. He was previously a safety consultant for big
oil companies like Chevron, Shell,
and BP.
"I thought the transition was
risky," says Hernandez, who liked
tools and had a hobby of racing
cars. "It was rough the first several
months, but you make it how you
want it to be - as busy or as steady
as you want it."
Finally, Mike Gruber, a Mac
Tools dealer, left a successful route
in Pennsylvania to start fresh with
a failing route in Virginia Beach.
It was the right move for his family, but not without some challenges. He did, however, discover
an unexpected benefit: With a
change of scenery and new customers he could reinvent himself
and his business in subtle but
profound ways.
If life were without change
or challenges, it would be pretty
uneventful. Mobile dealers are
one group who seem wired for
success when the road branches
off in a new direction. Each day
hustle and relationship building,
sales and business strategy. But
that's all part of the allure, or so
I'm told.
Speaking of "new," don't miss
this year's Innovation Award winners, starting on page 18. Thanks
for reading and happy selling!

4 Professional Distributor I August 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com

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Printed in the U.S. Volume 27, Number 7; August 2019
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