“Some people buy it, and some of
them don’t,” Brown says of new customers.
“But we go with what they do.
I can’t force them to buy the tool, I can
just offer it to them. If they’re willing
to make that deal, we’ll make a deal
with them.”
And that’s generally how Brown
runs his business and treats his customers:
like friends.
He knows their families by name,
or when they are expecting a new child.
He's been known to drop off a baby
blanket and a Cornwell-branded rubber
ducky as a ‘congratulations.'
“If you know a little bit about each
one of your customers, there’s always
something you can talk to them about,”
Brown says, who considers many of his
customers like family.
And even with a ‘family' of more
than 1,000 customers, made up of specialty
shops and 20 percent heavy duty
and industrial customers, Brown still
finds time for his own family.
While Brown says he has “another
good 15 years" left, he wants to be in a
place in his career where he can reduce
the number of days a week he works
from five to three in order to take a break
and spend even more time with his wife,
who currently helps with stock ordering
and financials.
Rick Brown was first featured in Professional
Distributor's April 2012 cover
story, "2012 Mobile Tool Distributor of
the Year."
20 Professional Distributor I October 2018 I VehicleServicePros.com
Brown services roughly 2,500
customers on his route.
The shelves of Brown's truck
feature recessed lighting.
Rick Brown has a 22’ truck built
by Atlanta Commercial Display
Vehicles. "I’m probably upgrading
here in another two years or so,
and that’ll likely be my last
truck," Brown says.
SPECIAL FEATURE
/VehicleServicePros.com