Posted:13-January-2021

Market Stall to Mobile Store

You don’t need to know much about the product to start a Snap-on franchise. Improbable? In reality this was a positive advantage for Scarborough based franchisee Tim Adkin when he started with Snap-on 11 years ago. “I found that not being familiar with the product meant I had to use ingenuity. I quizzed my customers about the tools and they explained its features and benefits. It’s an excellent technique as the technician customer ends up selling to himself, and it certainly built my fund of product knowledge” 

Tim was never particularly interested in anything automotive, it was the joy of selling that brought him to Snap-on. A market trader for 14 years, Tim always had a burning desire to sell and to make money. Leaving school with no qualifications he set up his own market stall selling M&S seconds. This made him a really good living but over time boutique shops started to open in the town and impacted his sales. He persevered with the stall but the downturn meant that something had to change.

Tim’s wife Sandra offered a solution – she would run the market stall so that he could enrol at college. First came an HND and then he graduated with a business degree. Not bad for someone who couldn’t wait to leave school as a teenager!

Tim ultimately realised that the stall had no future. Determined to use his qualifications he applied for sales jobs with various multi-nationals but despite being short listed he was unsuccessful. However his disappointment in not being selected was tempered on seeing an advert to run a company store for Snap-on.

He explains “I knew Snap-on was a good brand and a quality product sold directly to vehicle technicians from a mobile store but little else.” The company store programme allowed would-be entrepreneurs like Tim to join Snap-on and earn very good money on a salary + commission basis. Half of his commission was ‘reserved’ for when he chose to convert to Franchisee status, although as Tim stressed “to be honest I didn’t really relish this as I perceived a franchise to be too restrictive.”

The potential profits changed his mind. “This was the attraction, I love wheeling and dealing - nothing appeals to me more – selling is what gives me the buzz! What amazed me is that I became accustomed to working within Snap-on’s programmes, and I’d have to say I fell in love with the business.”

A part of the Snap-on programme which Tim found to be most effective was the ‘needs list’. Needs lists were first used in the days of the Great Depression. In the 1920s and 30s when customers were short of money Snap-on salesman invited them to list the products they would wish to own when money became available.

They called them ‘Dream Orders’. Tim continues today gathering dream orders from his customers. “My customers only have to pick something up and it’s on their list, but we have a laugh about it and it still works despite them being wise to my technique! I have a great relationship with them, I know what makes them tick and this makes them easier to sell to”.

Tim reaps the financial benefits his franchise provides. He lives and works in a beautiful part of the country and likes nothing more than cycling at the weekend. Also a keen scuba diver he’s just booked a holiday in Croatia staying on a chartered yacht!

His 11-year old daughter Callandra likes horse riding and her younger sister Coralie enjoys playing the piano and hopes to go on a surfing course. Tim proudly says “We feel we can give our kids the best in life, what could be better than that. Sandra is very much a part of the business too. As well as running our house and looking after the girls she does all my paperwork and even drives another van delivering urgent orders to customers.”

Tim enthused “Snap-on offers a great support system, with help available when I need it. The best thing they gave me was the confidence to start a venture selling tools with virtually no product knowledge. It proves that you don’t need a background in the automotive business to make it at Snap-on. Its long hours and hard work, but the benefits for me and my family are beyond measure and I always tell people that.”