PTED Blog

For those of you who weren’t able to come to auto aftermarket week this year, let me just say there are plenty of new tools and equipment out here at AAPEX for you.

My feet are killing me (not that you care) — and I can’t believe how much new stuff is here, whether in power tools, specialty tools, fluid exchange equipment and more.

Independents, I know, will like seeing some of the new cordless stuff from one company I tested a few minutes ago, and there is plenty of new consumables, harldines, power tools, storage and more on the way. You can watch for some updates on this site and at www.pten.com. The Dec. issue of Professional Distributor will also have a section on my top picks of tools in the show.

- Brendan

As the holidays approach, I know a lot of you may be gearing up for some sort of annual contest or push. I also know some of you don’t believe in using contests to entice your customers, lest they begin to expect “something for nothing” every time they buy a tool.

My question to you is, what contests have you run in the past that worked well? Or in some cases, didn’t work?

Do you find that the occasional hat or T-shirt help with future sales? Or is the right tool at the right price always your pitch, along with your brand of friendly, smiling customer service?

Just curious, and I know other distributors out there will love to hear your stories, good and bad.

 - Brendan

I was asked recently if tool distributors stock tire repair kits and other such tool/part combo kits, and I was not able to answer. That lead me to wonder what you might carry beyond the usual hardlines and power tools. How much of your stock is devoted to hardlines? 70%? More? How much to power tools and equipment? How much to miscellaneous other, like a repair-type kit, clothing or boots, consumables (rubber gloves, towels/wipes, etc.), die-cast models, snacks/water/drinks?

I’ve talked with a few of you who have spent time distribubting under multiple brands. Without the specifics, I’m just curious how many you may have been with. Don’t give me brand names, but if you switched companies, what did you think was greener on the other side? Better support, better margin, better  …? Was it?

Welcome to my editor’s blog for Professional Distributor. I’d like to see this become an additional forum you can use to talk with me directly and other distributors about your business and anything else that’s important to you. 

For starters, in this anonymous web-based forum, I’m curious how much of your truck (for the brand-name distributors) you’d estimate is from W/Ds?

If you use a W/D in addtion to your own brand’s product, why? Something your company doesn’t stock? Better price point for your customers? Something else?