Inside The Life Of A Manufacturer’s Rep

Brad Baker: 0:00

And I am glad you're here as well. Uh to answer your question, because he's a good dude. There's some that aren't. You know, when you go, oof. I said the same thing about you.

Darrell Wade: 0:10

I said the same thing about you before you got here. I said, I said this guy's great. He's so great.

Brad Baker: 0:15

We'll be fine. Yeah.

Jacki Lutz: 0:16

All right.

Brad Baker: 0:17

Still didn't sleep good last night.

Jacki Lutz: 0:19

Well, it's gonna be over soon. It'll be over before you know. Welcome to Auto Care on Air, a candid podcast for Curious Industry. I'm Jackie Lutz, Content Director at the Auto Care Association, and this is Carpool Conversations, where we collaborate on today's most relevant power skills. We are all headed in the same direction. So let's get there together. Okay, welcome everybody to another Carpool Conversation. I'm Jackie Lutz and I have a special episode today. So um, this last fall leadership days, I sat in on a couple different committees that I've never sat in on before. And one of them was man reps. And I was just trying to kind of gather, you know, what are our members talking about in these different groups? And I ended up sitting at the man reps committee for a while because I was so interested in everything that was going around around the table. And I actually thought that a lot of those subjects would make a really good episode. So I reached out to them. And the two lucky victims that ended up being called out are Daryl Wade, senior director of organic growth at NA Williams, and Brad Baker, senior vice president of traditional sales with Bill Murray and Associates.

Darrell Wade: 1:47

Welcome, guys. Thank you for having us. Yeah, glad to be here.

Jacki Lutz: 1:50

First podcast for both of you.

Darrell Wade: 1:51

Yes.

Jacki Lutz: 1:52

Yes. Yes. If you guys aren't nervous, you're excited. I'm nervous. You know exactly what you're doing.

Darrell Wade: 1:58

Nervous and excited.

Jacki Lutz: 1:59

Uh-huh. Well, I'm excited because you guys get to talk about something that you both have a ton of experience in. Being a man rep. And we're just gonna like open the audience's eyes a little bit, you know, into the world that you guys live in every day. It's gonna be fun.

Brad Baker: 2:16

Okay.

Jacki Lutz: 2:16

So let's start out just talking about being a man rep. What is what does that mean for anyone new to the industry who might not know what man means? You know, what is what is a man rep?

Darrell Wade: 2:26

Yeah, so uh great question. So, you know, the manufacturer's representative is what we do. Um, and you know, it every day is different. So there's no there's no typical. So for for the last you know, 30 years, I've I've called on one major account, right? So so for me, it was coming to the office every day and going to their office every day, right? But for our some our our our traditional people, I mean, they're out in the field every day. So they're windshield time and coordinating schedules, and it's completely different for them than it is for me. And it's just and every day is different. You never know what the fire drill du jour is gonna be.

Brad Baker: 3:07

Yeah, no, it's uh it it's two different avenues, really. I mean, so so Daryl Side of Thing has been I'm we're gonna call it a retailer. Like you said, one customer, one office for for him. So he's got vendors that we represent. Vendors being suppliers, vendors are suppliers, everybody that's here. Uh uh a lot of them use manufacturers' representatives as their sales force. Okay. Instead of a direct sales force. So uh we we our two companies represent some some top quality, you know, suppliers, you know, it in both the retail and the traditional aftermarket. My specialty is the traditional side of things. So, you know, we we've got uh a sales force across the nation that that you know, like Daryl say, you know, you you you spend your day driving from one to the other, uh selling a program and a product through that distributor, you know, downstream. And it it's the same way with these retailers. You know, you've uh we're all in the same world together. Yeah, we're competitors, you know, and when it gets down to it, but but we're all in the auto care, the the the automotive aftermarket together. Yeah.

Jacki Lutz: 4:15

So you guys do have a great banter in that room. Well, it was quite it was quite fun to watch. Everybody was kind of you know throwing everybody under the table but laughing about it, like the at the at the committee meeting. It was very fun to watch.

Brad Baker: 4:29

Because you've got uh what how many is 18, 18, 19 on it?

Darrell Wade: 4:33

Something like that, yeah. And it's a lot of big personalities, right? I mean, you you you do what we do and you're you're used to talking to people, you don't mind talking in front of people, but but you got a bunch of big personalities in that room. So yeah, we're gonna make fun of each other. Yeah, because that's what I'm saying.

Brad Baker: 4:48

And half are retail and half are traditional or you know, the is that rivalry or something?

Jacki Lutz: 4:54

No. Uh okay.

Brad Baker: 4:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's it's it's uh from my world, I I'm sitting, you know, at our home office in Birmingham, and you're you're it's your home office in Atlanta. Yep. And and and you have to hear, you know, the the the glory of one side or the other. And I'm going, Anyway, yeah. Sitting right here. But Bill does that on purpose. Yeah. So and I know Chris does as well. But uh uh just it's uh we are a uh uh an entity uh of each one of these suppliers to our prospective market channels.

Jacki Lutz: 5:32

So what would be some of the benefits of having a sale like working with sales reps versus having your own sales for the biggest?

Darrell Wade: 5:39

So glad you asked. So um I try and explain it this way. So manufacturers that use uh manufacturers representatives uh usually fall into two categories. They can be a large organization that has their own dedicated sales force, uh, but they may not they lack a certain expertise at a particular customer or market, and we can fill that void for them. So they they'll utilize our services in that area. Or they're too small, they're a small organization, they don't have anybody. So they'll have a national sales manager, and then they utilize our services to be their field sales team. So they train us, educate us, and then we work together with them. So rather than them paying five people full salaries, and we are a fixed cost of sales, so we are cost effective.

Jacki Lutz: 6:31

Okay.

Brad Baker: 6:33

I'm trying to remember what uh Bill's philosophy is. We'll we'll make you more money than you pay us.

Jacki Lutz: 6:42

There you go. That sounds like a really good deal.

Brad Baker: 6:44

Okay. I'm finished.

Jacki Lutz: 6:46

All right, that's a wrap.

Brad Baker: 6:47

We're gonna have five minutes into it.

Jacki Lutz: 6:49

I'm great. Well, what are some of the the challenges?

Brad Baker: 6:52

I'll tell you, I can't figure to say it out loud. I mean, so I mean, there's uh we've got a lot. Sometimes we've got a lot per customer, if if that makes. You know, sometimes we represent five, ten, fifteen different things to that one customer and and it you try to give each one of them the the ample amount of time that they deserve. Because every one of them, when it gets down to it, they we work for them. You know, we we have the relationship individually with that customer, but we also have to bring that relationship to our vendor and and make sure that we give them an honest, you know, uh attempt and and and give them the time that they deserve. Yeah. So that's that that's a challenge. It is, it is.

Darrell Wade: 7:38

And I'll say, you know, you're absolutely right, Brad. But I'll say, you know, the next next to that I would say it's education. It's you know, we have to continually uh prove ourselves in in our value, our you know. So we we invest in continuing education for for our team. Uh we have uh I think forty-three or so associates now that have gone through Delta training, Delta Associates training. Um uh and uh that's valuable. We've sent uh people to Leadership 2.0, we do AAP, M A P, just continuing education. So there's always you're always engaged, you're always up to date. Uh we need to try and be the best we can uh because that's what our manufacturers are gonna expect from us. So we we try and do that as and and just demonstrate again, why to demonstrate our value and our worth, our channel value to our uh our principles.

Jacki Lutz: 8:35

Yeah.

Brad Baker: 8:37

That Delta 2.0 is uh tough. I sat through one day of that years ago uh at a big rig tailor, and I'm going, nope. This is not my world. So I've got I've got strengths and weaknesses, and that is not a strength.

Darrell Wade: 8:56

So this is gonna this is gonna sound braggadocious, and I don't mean it to be so. But I I love data, I love numbers, I love I love Microsoft Excel, right? So we were going through Delta training, and we got to this is like day three or four or whatever, and they're they're going through charting and graphing in Excel. And I got it all done so fast, I said, can I help? Can I help the others? So I'm up and I'm helping the others go through and do it. Uh yeah, I'm not dead guy. I love it so much. It's it's a sickness, but I do love it.

Jacki Lutz: 9:29

It's funny. I remember when we were having our pre-meeting, one of you, I don't remember who, but somebody mentioned the word changeover.

Brad Baker: 9:38

Yes.

Jacki Lutz: 9:39

And it turned into a rant.

Brad Baker: 9:41

It is a rant. Somebody, somewhere, they're they're they're probably in hell, invented the automotive aftermarket philosophy of let's take this from one box, put it in another.

Darrell Wade: 9:55

Yeah. I don't yeah, and I don't know who on who on our side ever said, you know what, we can go do that for you.

Brad Baker: 10:00

Yeah, I have an idea. It's it's and and I've sat in several meetings. I remember one time I had my own small agency, and the we were sitting at a customer uh with my supplier, and the customer said, you know, well, I've got 90 stores that have to have a changeover. And this was in the believe it or not, it was in the engine parts business, which is what's complicated, you know, with lots of small pieces, big pieces, heavy pieces, and and and the supplier goes, Well, Brad'll do it. He goes, and I go, 90? You know, 90 stores? And he goes, Yeah, yeah, we'll get it done in 30 days. And I'm going, you're out of your mind. Dave's still here.

Darrell Wade: 10:45

So yeah, I think when you start talking about changing the first thing that always comes up is what are we changing over? Because they don't really want to know what it is. What they want to know is how heavy.

Brad Baker: 10:55

How heavy it is.

Jacki Lutz: 10:55

Oh, yeah.

Brad Baker: 10:56

Start getting into calipers and brakes and oh, I didn't even think of that. Oh, it's awful.

Jacki Lutz: 11:00

So it's not like I mean, I'm coming from a supplier world where we have sensors, right? So I'm thinking in my head, like a TPMS sensor in a little box. I'm like, that seems annoying, but like done.

Darrell Wade: 11:10

I'll do it all day long. Happy to do it. So you guys are doing You're doing something heavy, doing brake rotors.

Brad Baker: 11:15

No, no. Okay. We did this hard. This is my true story. So the I'm I'm not a gearhead, never changed my own oil, changed my own brakes ever growing up. My dad never did either. We always took it to somebody that did. I got a job in the aftermarket and I started for work for a self-ref agency. And the first day we were changing over universal joints. And the guy that I that was kind of like the territory manager, and I was literally, I I I graduated college like on a Friday, and this was Sunday afternoon, and uh he goes, Do you you know what a U-joint is? And I go, Nah. And he goes, uh he goes, You don't know what a U-joint does? I said, uh No idea, but I'll guarantee you by Friday I'll you know have changed over 10,000 of them, you know, or take it from one box to the other and put it in another one. And he goes, Yeah, she's gonna do about 10,000. And I said, All right. So that's that first day on the job.

Jacki Lutz: 12:15

So what's the purpose? Is it a new brand? Why are we changing boxes? It it's it's maybe like a different thing.

Brad Baker: 12:20

Again, somebody invented this. It's it's it's a cost savings.

Jacki Lutz: 12:24

Okay.

Brad Baker: 12:25

Uh uh the merchandise that's in the box, you know, what there's a lot of times you can't sell it. It's it's good merchandise, it's just going from one supplier to another supplier. And and and you literally are if you're reboxing, you're you're you're taking it out of a box, putting it in a new box. Okay. You know, there's a uh it's stock lift is is the other side of that where you know you're taking it literally off the shelf and putting your brand up. Yeah, but still, you've still got that merchandise to try to go find a home for or write a credit for. It's just it's just vicious, vicious built-in PDS.

Jacki Lutz: 13:03

It's all there is.

Brad Baker: 13:05

I mean, God knows how many you've done.

Darrell Wade: 13:07

I mean it's just part, it's you know, it's part of it. So here's the disclaimer part. You said, Hey, we're happy to do this, right? We're we're glad to do it. I don't usually now I can find somebody to go do it for me, yeah, which is great.

Brad Baker: 13:18

But my wife does send it. She goes, What the hell are you doing? You've been in this business for 36 years. How many more changeovers you gotta do? A bunch. A bunch. You know, hopefully that's it. That means you've got some new business. Yeah, that's right. We're happy to do it. We're happy to do it. But some of them are off. But yes, Daryl's right. When they start mentioning you know, brake rotors, I'm out. Yeah. Uh I I don't I don't want to do it anymore. Keep the keep it. I don't want that business. Keep your money. These brake suppliers are going, but Brad, what are you talking about? I don't want to do a change over. No, thank you.

Jacki Lutz: 13:52

So, what are what are some of the skills that make up a good man rep?

Brad Baker: 13:57

He's disciplining it right now. I mean, you we have a tolerance. You've got to have a a personality.

Jacki Lutz: 14:05

A?

Brad Baker: 14:06

And a personality.

Jacki Lutz: 14:08

Uh I wouldn't have thought that. I would have thought more like a friendly, you know, like well, not that type A isn't friendly, but you know, more like chaos is okay.

Brad Baker: 14:16

No is a part of our world. I mean, we we've we've been told no a gazillion times. That's why, you know. Yeah. And you can't take it.

Darrell Wade: 14:24

We we don't take anything personally, it's business, right? So it's not personal. Right. But you you you you have to be able to talk to people. And you know, it's about making connections. And I we were talking, you know, earlier about, you know, I'm out at dinner with my wife, and we're I'll talk to everybody. And she's like, Why do you why do you do that? Or or or or she's uh I shouldn't say it that way. It's more like she's like, you can talk to anybody, and she's like impressed that I can do that because she wouldn't do that. She's a little more introverted. No modest. But I'm like, yeah, hey, this is just what I do. I talk to people, you make a connection. So you know, I think that that's probably for for me and what I'd have done over my career, is just it's the people. Yeah, it's always about the people, and you make those connections. And it's also secondarily, it's about being organized. You have to you have to be organized, you have to know how to get from point A to point B, and then what happens next? How do you get to point C. So it's it is it's type A type stuff. You're Brad's right. It's it's about being type A.

Jacki Lutz: 15:22

So I'd be horrible.

Brad Baker: 15:24

I'd why I'm not organized. I know that. But I've I'm still making it happen after all these years.

Jacki Lutz: 15:30

You're like a type A point five.

Brad Baker: 15:32

Yeah, I'm going, uh I can't do this, but yeah, but my wife always says less is best, yeah, Brad. But because I I'm the same way, you know, just could you just quit talking every once in a while? Oh I'm trying, baby. You know, we've been married a long time and I've been doing this for a long time. Yeah. But it's a uh I think that's probably one of our best attributes as a as a manufacturer's rep, because we can, you know, we have to make our suppliers comfortable with us, number one, our organization, number two, and uh because you're selling yourself first, you know, uh as as individual, and then um uh obviously our our relationship with our customers is what makes a difference between a a good manufacturer's rep and and one that's not. Yeah.

Jacki Lutz: 16:15

Do you guys find that this I don't know, what do you guys call yourself? Just part of the industry? This what are you? You're not a channel.

Darrell Wade: 16:26

No, no, no, no. Service? We're yeah, I we're more of a we're we're uh we're we are an outsourced sales, you know, agency. So yeah, so I guess we're more of a we're more of a service.

Jacki Lutz: 16:37

So is this changing a lot with the generation coming up? Do you see that that you know the skills that you guys kind of grew up, you know, in this industry needing to be successful as a man rep? Are those things changing? Is the new generation bringing, you know, new things to the table? How how are things evolving?

Darrell Wade: 16:58

Yeah, I I think the new generation they they are bringing new things to the table. They're they're different. Um uh in a in a very good way. They're so smart. Oh my gosh, they're so smart. Um, and what we have, Brad and I and and our ilk, I mean, we have experience. We've done this a long time. The challenge for me, and I Brad, I'd be interested to know if you agree, is that we have to somehow bring them along, bring the next generation along, keeping them doing what they're doing, uh the way they're comfortable doing it, and not tell them what to do. We have to give them the the rope. The yeah, we have to give them the rope to grow and learn. But if I just tell them, they're not gonna learn that. They need to do it their way, and that's how they're gonna succeed. That's the and maybe that's more of a challenge for me than for the next generation, but they're so smart.

Jacki Lutz: 18:26

Yeah, well, whenever I hear about people business, I mean that's why I love this industry so much. I'm a people person, I love people. Um, I get to exercise a lot of my favorite skills every day in this industry. Um, but you know, a lot of things are changing that to an extent. And I imagine, you know, that younger generation is the one bringing in AI. Like we can really get a lot more efficient here if we use this or that. And some of that humanity starts to go away, which is some of that's okay, some of it you want to keep, you know. So um, I can imagine that this being such a heavy people role. Is there a challenge there that you guys are finding at all?

Darrell Wade: 19:07

I think the ch there is, and I think the challenge is like for our organization, we're we're 90 years old, right? So there's a lot of history there. We're uh we're we're you know third generation uh running NA Williams, and we've got the fourth in the pipeline, they're working with us. It's it's it's a beautiful thing. Um but I think that you know the challenge is that we need to you need to figure out how to blend that history with you know the AI environment. And it's a very it's a slow go.

Jacki Lutz: 19:37

Yeah.

Darrell Wade: 19:37

But when when we see a synergy and we see that it'll work, we jump right in and we'll do it. But it's a slow go.

Jacki Lutz: 19:43

Yeah.

Brad Baker: 19:45

It the the this generation, they are brilliant. They're smart. They're a little bit hesitant, I think, on the the people's skills. If that's a it that's it's that's gonna sound like a negative, but uh it's really not.

Jacki Lutz: 20:02

I mean they've um who does not practiced. Yes, yeah.

Brad Baker: 20:05

And and that's where the experience that that you know, Daryl and I are talking about. I mean, we've we've been in the business thirty-five, thirty-six years for myself. And um, you know, these people that are you know, my son's one of 'em. You know, he's you know, mm, you know, m my legacy coming into the agency, Bill Murray and Associates is third generation, you know.

Darrell Wade: 20:24

I didn't know that. That's great.

Brad Baker: 20:25

Roland, you know, Bill Murray's you know dad started it fifty years ago. So and that seems like a long time, but you know, you said ninety NA Williams? Yeah, long time. Some of the in the one of the longest standing agencies. And um i it it's a you know, mentorship. I know you did that with the Yu Yang group last night. You get you had your mentors there, but um sometimes we we may come as you know across as somewhat know it alls, but but you know, we're just trying to help you know bridge that gap of the experience level to get it them up to the I guess the leadership roles that they're all going to be at soon. Yeah. But uh the the data skills, their computer skills, their their analytical skills, the way that the the world is changing with AI, with everything. Who would have who the hell would have thought of chat GPT, you know, three years ago writing your your emails for you? But but this old dude can see one from a mile away. Yeah. You're reading it going, you don't know what that word means.

Jacki Lutz: 21:25

I see it on like LinkedIn and stuff. You're going, What yeah?

Brad Baker: 21:27

What did you do for a list?

Jacki Lutz: 21:29

You know, I don't judge it. Like, I'm like, they had a thought. I'm like, they had a thought. They're not that great at putting that thought into words. Not everybody is, but now we get to see what they were thinking, even though they didn't necessarily write the whole the whole poem, but you know, like that thought was there that you know, but that's that's that's a challenge.

Brad Baker: 21:50

And you know, it's it's not the most glamorous. I mean, we're we're not you know working on Wall Street, but it's this is an important entity. Yeah. What we do for a living. Everybody here, all sides of it. You know, w we drive vehicles. You know, currently we're still working on a petroleum base. I know that uh the EV is you know, i is coming on, but everything's gonna break. Even if you have a you know a bulletproof EV vehicle, that's fine. There's still components on that vehicle that that are gonna have to be replaced. You know, we we we have a uh a mandate from from our perspective, from what we're all here for. You know, this you know, we're gonna get to it eventually in in our next five minutes or twenty minutes or however, you know, the the right to repair. Yeah, it's it's extremely important. Yeah. Everybody here has a responsibility from the suppliers to make a a part that's necessary uh of top OV quality to be able to provide it downstream for somebody to put that on their vehicle to make a choice. And so it we are trying to gap that back to your original question for the for the the age gap, you know, from from the the the new people coming in. They don't even know. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know until five or six years ago that that this was an at-risk industry. And I'm going, are you kidding me? You know, yeah. But when you know Bill showed the five hundred billion, five million employees. That's significant.

Jacki Lutz: 23:25

Yeah.

Brad Baker: 23:25

Yeah. When you want to see what that actual number is for the GPD, I'm I'm not sure it and if you talk to some really, really smart people, they go, that in in you're in the what, three percent of the growth snatch, and you're going, that that's big. Yeah. Yeah. This is a big piece of that pie.

Darrell Wade: 23:40

So I'm I'm glad you brought up right to repair. So so I think we were all there uh you know a few weeks ago in in fall leadership days. And the uh the I had never uh uh done the Capitol Hill portion of that, right? Right. So uh so I was fortunate to take part in that. So to your question about the next generation, these staffers that are working with the senators and the congressmen, uh they were so smart. So we'd we we're taking talking to them about right to repair and how important it is, and they're trying to understand. And we'd get a minute or two in, and then the the light bulb would go off, and they're like, oh, this is a consumer choice bill. Like, exactly right. Consumer choice. If you don't say anything else to your boss, yeah, who tell them this is about consumer choice, and they got it, they were intuitive, they just understood then it was easy. The sell was easy. Yeah, so yeah, so the next generation, super smart, they're different and in a good way. So I think it's incumbent upon us, Brad and I, we need to we need to make sure we're coaching them, not telling them, and we will all be successful.

Brad Baker: 24:45

This is the you're gonna have to edit this out, I'm sure. Some but but when I did it, I I was unable to be there last month. Uh, but but I did it two years ago. I'm sitting there and then I said this during our our our prep meeting. I'm going this this guy sitting next to me is 12. He's literally I'm not sure he shaves, but he was brilliant. And he got it within minutes and was taking all the notes for the congressman and and and and you know he did, and and you're going, golly, this this is so impressive. So impressive. It is. It is.

Jacki Lutz: 25:18

Yes, you guys kind of answered my next question. I was gonna ask for any tips for well, I guess it could go both ways. Any tips for um people managing the next generation of man reps, or any tips for the next generation coming up who wants to come up and grow as a man rap. Any tips?

Brad Baker: 25:36

Patience on our side of things. Okay. Senior management. We've been around. Yeah, not saying we're old. I've so I've got a long way to go. I I enjoy it. Um but the the patience for me to try to do the explaining, do the telling, you know, riding along with or or whatever. I think it's just it's a repetitive motion for for that. Not to get frustrated with I I've I was not born with patience. I mean my parents could try my kids a damn sure could tell you that, you know, but uh um just to be able to listen from from our it it's a two-way street. Yeah, yeah. You know, yeah. Somebody said yesterday, you know, or Wayne Gretzky did, you know, I think he said, you know, listen twice as much as you speak. Yeah. It's it that's hard, Jackie. It it really is, you know, from because we've done it, we know what we're talking about, and you're not listening, then then then my patients or or our patients have a tendency to dwindle. But uh it's uh I'm still learning, yeah, you know, uh from from from that side of things for uh for the for the younger generation. But um they are they're way smarter than I am.

Jacki Lutz: 26:46

Having kids kind of helps build that. I feel like it's like similar. My dad always had a joke, he would say, by the time you're good at it, you're out of a job. He was like it's a very negative way to look at it, but in so many ways I feel like I know what he means.

Darrell Wade: 26:59

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I think, you know, what what I uh try and do is is I I just try and give some some really consistent advice to uh to the the new people that are coming into the industry. And usually uh a a friend of mine uh gave me a book years ago called it's called Getting Naked by Patrick Lancioni.

Jacki Lutz: 27:19

And it's a it's a am I gonna have to edit now?

Darrell Wade: 27:21

No, yeah. It's a business it's a it's a business, it's it's a it's a it's a it's a business book about uh just about being vulnerable in front of your customers, in front of your principles, right? Your the manufacturers that you represent. And uh I try and I always try and give them a copy of that book, said read this way, it's a short book. Give them this book. And then I tell them this is this is uh it's a metaphor for exactly what we do. Brad and I do and we do it intuitively. So but I read it in this book, and I'm like, it's like always, always tell the truth, right? And and you always don't be afraid to ask a dumb question, because certainly there's someone else in the room that has that same question, right? And it's just it's little things like that, but it's a metaphor for what we do.

Brad Baker: 28:02

I love that.

Darrell Wade: 28:03

So yeah, I I try and be consistent in doing that, and I know others in our organization do the same thing.

Jacki Lutz: 28:08

I feel like I've made a career out of asking dumb questions. And but there they know there's other people out there that don't.

Brad Baker: 28:15

If there's five people in the meeting and somebody's given a a a pitch, you know that there's questions that need to be asked. Yeah. Yeah. And nobody's there's there needs to be that somebody that just listen, I know it's dumb, but I always I I'm I'm the I'm hey, I'm asking a dumb question. I'm just giving you a preface, we know, but but it it it usually works.

Darrell Wade: 28:34

Yeah, it's valuable. That's valuable, sorry. Yeah, it is.

Jacki Lutz: 28:37

Well, I know it flies by, but we're kind of at our time. You guys survived it. But if we're hoping that everybody walks away with one thing, what do you guys each hope that that is?

Brad Baker: 28:47

It's a great business. We deal in relationships. And and when you ask us what our closing thoughts would be for for me, it's it's it's about relationships. Being honest, being in the moment, staying engaged, staying relevant, proving to our suppliers that they have hired a hired for guns task force, however they want to, you know, look at it, but um it's it's we are proving our value.

unknown: 29:18

Yeah.

Jacki Lutz: 29:18

It's a great one.

Darrell Wade: 29:19

Well said. Yeah, I you know, I echo all of those sentiments. I would I would say for for us, it would also be just being honest every day. You have to be who you are and you have to tell the truth, and don't be afraid to tell the truth, right? If you don't know, just say you don't know. It's okay. You can get the answer and come back later. It's okay. Um, but it's just it's just you want to be. I never wanted to sell anybody anything. I don't I'm not a salesperson. I I view myself as as a more of a consultant, right? We try and put our arms around the customer and say, look, what I have may not be the right thing for you, but I'm gonna show it to you. And if it is, great. And if it's not, it's okay. Yeah, you know, so I it's it's yeah, but I don't want to be that guy that comes in and fire hoses somebody down trying to sell them everything you got.

Brad Baker: 30:05

I don't want to do that.

Darrell Wade: 30:07

No, I don't want to do that. I want to be I want to be your trusted partner. That's what I want to be.

Jacki Lutz: 30:10

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. I just I'm hoping that people listen to this and you know consider it as a you know a career option for you. Like if any of this sounds like fun, if you're a people person. Or type A people person.

Darrell Wade: 30:25

I've been doing it a long time and it is fun. Every day's different. It's fun. You smile a lot. I still do it. It's I love it.

Brad Baker: 30:31

It's a great industry. And it's it's all about the people. Yeah, it really is. I mean, we've we're we're living in a good time in a bad time. It that makes sense.

Jacki Lutz: 30:41

Yeah. Yeah. I've never heard that, but that's perfect.

Darrell Wade: 30:44

But uh well, and we're in an advantageous position. I mean, Bill Murray Associates, fantastic organization. I mean, good people. I'm fortunate enough to work for NA Williams Company. They I mean, and they are just they're so good to me. They're so good to my family. I mean, it's just we're we're surrounded by good people, and it's and that's what this industry is, right?

Brad Baker: 31:03

Family agencies, you know, that we're we're blessed to be both employed with.

Jacki Lutz: 31:07

So well, that's awesome.

Brad Baker: 31:09

You bet.

Jacki Lutz: 31:09

Thank you guys so much for this. I learned a lot. I know our audience well, I laughed a lot. My face hurts because I just 40 minutes.

Brad Baker: 31:17

I'm not gonna lie. I'm I'm I was nervous about the whole thing, but I'm glad we were able to do it because if somebody listens and and gets a spark to you know, take a look at the manufacturer's rep agency world, that them jobs job accomplishments. You bet. You bet. You bet.

Jacki Lutz: 31:35

Thank you, thank you, Jack. Enjoy the rest of the video.

Darrell Wade: 31:37

Thank you, Derek. Yeah, you too. Thanks, buddy. You bet.

Jacki Lutz: 31:39

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Autocare on Air. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so that you never miss an episode. And don't forget to leave us a rating and review. It helps others discover our show. Auto Care on Air is proud to be a production of the Auto Care Association, dedicated to advancing the autocare industry and supporting professionals like you. To learn more about the association and its initiatives, visit autocare.org.