I was told that, at one time, you had to have been a dealer to be the president of Snap-On, but at some point the sales guys took over, and that was the beginning of the end. The same thing has happened to Boeing and other great companies. When the bean counters take over from the guys with a vision who love and believe in what they do, it’s just the beginning of the end. Being a tool dealer was a great job for a guy who loved cars and motorcycles and the technology that it took to fix them. I ate a lot of tools back in the day for my customers, but they were my customers and it was my job to help them make money, not just make myself a living. I made EC payments for the guys I trusted and put it on their RA. Those days died when Snap-On went to franchise agreements. I helped one of my first students at MMI become a Snap dealer and he stayed in it for 25+ years until he was forced to franchise or leave. He was the last dealer out of the Phoenix branch that wasn’t franchised, and he gave it up. Became a Mac dealer for a few years and retired. He made all their sales quotas and quite a few rings and other awards, all while working four days a week so he could have a day to clean his truck, take care of orders, books, etc., and spend weekends with his family. Franchise dealers have to work five days a a week. It was a deal breaker for him. I believe it’s over for Snap-On tools. It’s just a matter of time. Too bad. It was a great company once.
