"If I see them doing something and
I’ve got a product that could make that
job easier, I’ll bring it in and say ‘Last
week I saw you doing that job; this tool
right here does that job for you.’ And
then the light bulb goes off in their head,
like, ‘He was paying attention to what I
was doing last week. He’s trying to look
out for me and my guys,’” Hardin says.
The primary goal of a tool business
is to take care of the customer;
offer something that saves
time and look out for their bottom
line, too.
Another surefire tactic Hardin
employs: get the tool in their hands. If
a customer is on the fence, this could
well be what pushes them to purchase.
“I would go head-to-head with any
tool distributor out there,” Hardin says.
“I’m not a high-pressure salesperson,
but I know some of my customers I’ve
got to kind of push. If a guy asks about
something I’ll say, ‘I’ve got it back here;
I’ll go get it,’ and I hand it to him. It’s a
running joke on my truck. My customers
say, ‘Don’t touch it; he’ll put it on
your account.’”
Hardin is aware of the competitive
nature of internet tool sales in an
extremely connected world , but he says
for the most part this hasn’t affected
his business negatively. His intelligent
approach to sales – and getting product
into the right hands – gives him the edge
over competition both down the road
and over a wireless network.
Big on boxes, and cordless
The truck we are riding in, a 22’ International
4300, has been part of the business
for 10 years. Hardin also operates
12 Professional Distributor I December 2018 I VehicleServicePros.com
Mac Tools Distributor Joe Hardin’s 2006
International is well-organized and fully stocked
with a variety of tools.
a 2008 18’ Freightliner MT45, and more
recently a 2016 16’ Chevy P30.
The three-man team also uses a
28’ enclosed trailer for toolbox sales, of
which there are many. Hardin’s team
sold about 79 boxes last year. A large
chunk of these were sold to the up-andcoming
technicians at D&B Trucks.
“I guess the thing that excites me
most about toolboxes is … I can make
$1,000 real easy on one toolbox sale,
and that’s basically giving it away,” Hardin
says. “I shut the regular business down
a week at a time when I sell toolboxes,
and I just run the trailer off the truck.”
The inventory is a combination of
new product and trade-ins.
After toolboxes, Hardin says
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