Though it’s been more than 25 years since Tom Neamon got his start as a Mac Tools distributor, he still recalls just how difficult it is for someone new to the business to have success early on.
The Arcade, N.Y.-based distributor has not forgotten the struggles he endured during his first few years on the truck, the lessons he learned from them, and how he used those lessons to improve with time. So Neamon takes it upon himself to provide tips, advice and encouragement to those mobile tool distributors trying to gain a solid footing and turn a profit in their first few weeks and months in business.
“It’s very hard for a new distributor,” says Neamon, who became a Mac Tools distributor in 1988. “Customers want to be working with a very professional, very established guy.”
As one of those professional, established distributors, Neamon says inexperienced mobile tool distributors should try to learn as much as they can once they get their start. They also must avoid trying to go after their competition right away.
“You do not want to go head-to-head,” he says. “The other guy’s been in the business two years, five years, 10 years, or 20 years longer than you. Because you are a brand-new guy, he’ll walk all over you.”
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- Mac Tools manufactures a wide variety of both consumer and professional tools. If you would like to purchase a Mac Tools product, you must locate a distributor, as the company does not sell to customers directly.
Success, he says, comes to those mobile tool distributors who don’t pretend they know more than they really do and instead focus on one basic principle.
“Take care of your customer,” Neamon says. “If you take care of your customer, he’s going take care of you.”
Distributor Profile Follow-Up: Veteran Mac Tools dealer embraces role as mentor Professional Distributor checks back in with New York-based Tom Neamon, who takes it upon himself to provide tips, advice and encouragement to those mobile tool dealers trying to gain a solid footing in the business.
The longtime Mac Tools distributor also readily admits that someone in his line of work can always find ways to get better and sell more. This, he says, is done by “staying up with the times,” attending tool fairs, participating in training sessions and seeking out seminars.
At this point in his career, Neamon is doing quite well. He describes his business as “very healthy” right now. But though he’s been in the business since the late 1980s and has put his early struggles behind him, Neamon is still motivated to go about his job every day and continue to serve his customers. “Where can I go, make the money that I’m making, come and go as I please, and have fun doing it?” he asks.
The business of selling tools has changed quite a bit in the 26 years since Neamon left his job as a service manager at a car dealership to sign on with Mac Tools. Increased sales of cordless tools is one of the biggest trends he has seen during the past decade or so, and he projects electronics to be an area where his business will continue to grow in the near future.
“We can already see it,” says Neamon. “We’re going to have electric brakes within a couple of years. We already have electric steering assists.”
There are aspects of his business that he doesn’t expect to change, though: taking care of the customer and enjoying every new day on the job.
“You’ve got to have fun selling tools,” he says.
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In 30 years as a mobile distributor, Terry Larkin has enjoyed a great career despite the many challenges he has faced. At age 61, he has no plans of retiring any time soon, despite the fact that he no longer has to work if he doesn’t want to. “I love what I do,” said Larkin, a St. Augustine, Fla.-based Mac Tools distributor. He has many friends in the industry and has mentored several other distributors.
Larkin recently installed a custom-built knife display cabinet. He continues to take pride in his “showcase” truck, carrying $200,000 worth of retail inventory.
The mobile distribution business has allowed Larkin to give his two sons, now adults, many advantages he himself did not have. “This business has allowed me to do a lot of things,” he noted.
Larkin never imagined being in business for himself. In 1986, he was a 9-year veteran of the Minneapolis, Minn. police force when a friend invited him to ride on a tool truck. The job appealed to Larkin, who took a leave of absence from his law enforcement job to give the mobile distribution business a try. Since then, he never looked back.
Larkin found the mobile distribution business a lot more profitable than being in law enforcement and a lot safer. He also liked working for himself.
Larkin was a natural salesman and he was a consistent top performer for the flag organization he first worked for. It wasn’t long before the flag management recruited him to become a field manager. He worked in field management for four years before going to back to being a distributor. “Going from dealer to field manager, you no longer have control over your life,” he noted. “As a dealer, you have control over your life.”
He joined Mac Tools in 1995 after moving to Florida. He reached “platinum elite” status in 2006 and has mentored numerous other distributors.
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Larkin has faced his share of challenges over the years, just like every other distributor. But looking back, he feels he made the right choice getting into the mobile distribution business and he looks forward to many more years of success.