BETTER BUSINESS & SALES
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Professional Distributor I September 2018 I VehicleServicePros.com 27
to show and sell products before your
online competitors.
“I hear a hundred times a day ‘what’s
new?’ from every customer coming on
my truck,” Rose says. “So I’ve got to be
able to find out what the newest, hottest
product is, order it and get it on
the truck … I’ve got twelve other people
in this town that are selling tools. It’s
pretty crowded … not even counting
online sales.”
Make it inviting
One reason I personally like buying
online is I can do it in my pajamas with
a soda in my hand. I’m not saying you
need to have a sleepover on your truck
to make customers comfortable. Just
spruce things up. Be sure everything
is neat and organized. Provide drinks
and snacks (for sale). Make your truck
a fun and relaxing break room.
Bond over it
Creating a connection between you and
your customers is important. You don’t
need to be “besties,” but just create a
real relationship. People like to buy
from people they like. So, make buying
from you something they enjoy vs.
the faceless Internet “Buy Now” button.
Most importantly you want to build
trust. Your reliability, your service and
your integrity are everything in the tool
business.
“Repeat business is everything,”
Gruber says. “If your customer can’t
trust you, why is he going to buy from
you? I’m going to see the same guy
week after week … I need to look him
in the eye. The online guys don’t have to
do that.”
Demo it
Although online demo videos can show
how a tool works, nothing compares
to a hands-on demo. It’s much easier
to watch a demo and ask questions.
Even if you just point to a video demo
on your truck, the customer can still
ask questions.
“If I have a guy that’s on the fence
about a tool, I’ll tell him to take it and
try it for a week,” Rose says. “Probably
90 to 95 percent of the time when I
come back next week he wants to buy
it … I’ve done that so many times … And
that’s not something you can do when
you’re buying online.”
Buy smart
Even with all the value-adds you
bring to the table, price competition is
not going away. Whether it’s You vs.
Amazon or You vs. The Other Flag,
someone will always try to steal a sale
on price. So, it’s wisest for you to stock
up when product is on special so you can
offer good pricing without destroying
your margins.
The bottom line?
You need to keep your competitive skills
sharp to stay ahead of online retailers.
If you aren’t feeling the impact of
online retailers today, you soon may.
Your millennial customers want convenience,
ease of shopping and good
prices. And they’re as comfortable in
the virtual world as they are in the real
world. In fact, I’d say they may even be
more comfortable online than offline.
Think of all the young people you’ve
seen in social settings that seem more
involved with their phones than with
each other. It’s just a sign of things
to come.
Feedback? Ideas? Insights? Email
phil@philsasso.com. Or leave a personal
voicemail for me at 847-250-PHIL
(847-250-7445).
Should You Sell Online?
Some dealers are fighting fire with fire by
opening their own e-commerce websites.
Is it something you should consider?
Online services like Shopify and Wix make
it easier to create an online store. But don’t
confuse “easier” with “easy.” Online stores
require a lot of time to set up and maintain.
If you don’t play nice with technology,
the task can seem overwhelming.
You need to gather images, descriptions
and prices, and import them online. You
need to deal with online credit card authorizations.
You have to watch inventory and
orders.
And finally, when you make a sale someone
has to box up, label and ship that
order. And let’s not forget the headache of
dealing with any complaints and returns.
The good news: you can take orders online
24/7. The bad news: online sales are often
at the expense of profits. Competing headto
head online means facing cut-throat
pricing and razor thin margins.
Is that really the best use of your afterhours
time?
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