Kevin Chapman, Auto Machinery & General Supply, Fredericton, N.B. Shoe Salesman No More

Kevin Chapman may not be the most experienced counterperson in the Canadian aftermarket, or the one with the most extensive automotive background, but the skill level he has been able to build–and the way he views the expanded role of the counterperson–are a key reason he is the 2009 Counterperson of the Year.

“I actually started out selling shoes when I was 19,” says the 32-year-old Chapman. “The owner of Auto Machinery [Ron Vaughan] came into the store shortly after he had his heart attack. He needed shoes for his walking exercise.

“I ended up selling him about $800 worth of footwear. He came back about five minutes later and offered me a job. He said that anybody who could sell him $800 worth of footwear should come to work for him.”

An interview the next day, and he was on the job at Auto Machinery two weeks later.

And so began Chapman’s automotive learning experience.

“It’s been constant learning over the years,” he says. A dozen years later, with assistant manager duties added to his responsibilities on the counter, he looks back on the early days with a mixture of nostalgia and trepidation.

“I jumped right into the fire. In the beginning it was quite difficult. I didn’t know a spark plug from a plug wire. I had no clue what they were. I started in the warehouse and worked my way through, part-days up front and part-days in the warehouse, eventually working into a full-time sales position on the counter.”

He says that that early experience in the warehouse helps him to this day: understanding the way items are stocked, and expanding his knowledge of the components, have become important facets of serving the customer.

Of course, he has had what must surely be one of the most consistently experienced crews to help him along the way.

“There are three or four who have been here for more than 30 years. You can’t do anything unless you have that old-school knowledge. Your computer system can do wonders and the Internet can do wonders, but it’s hard to do this job without them. I ask them questions every day. You can’t really do this job right if you don’t.”

For him, it’s all about serving the customer, and he will continue to look at what it takes to improve it.

Chapman says he sees technology as playing an increasingly important role in helping to serve the customer’s needs quickly and accurately. He views computer tools as indispensible.

“Without the tools in place today, you can’t properly serve your customers. A lot of companies no longer have paper catalogues anymore; you have to use the Internet to help the customers get the parts they need.”

David Vaughan, sales and marketing manager for Eastern Automotive Warehousing, which operates the Auto Machinery business, says that Chapman has really embraced the technology.

“He definitely takes our computer system and pushes it. He’s the guy always asking for more and uses every IT advantage we can give him.”

Vaughan goes so far as to say that Chapman is a driving force within the company.

“Every jobber is going through changes, and he is one who is driving change,” he says.

Chapman says that the advances in the tools available to the counterperson have been tremendous over the past decade.

“Activant’s Cover-to-Cover is a great tool. If you have a customer who knows what the part is, he can explain it to you and you can bring the picture right up on the screen. He can see if it is what he needs.”

Chapman says that it helps for both the professional trade customer, and perhaps more so, for the retail customer.

“I had a customer come in the other day; he knew where it was on the car and that it was leaking, but not what it was called. Of course he didn’t have the car or the part with him. But he described it and I was able to pull the thermostat housing up on the screen, which is what he needed.” He enjoys helping out the public, he says; it helps add a different element to the day.

But there’s more than a forward-looking attitude behind Chapman’s approach: he works hard. He offers a solid piece of advice to anyone looking at a career in auto parts.

“Don’t expect anything to just come your way. Work for it. I never expected anything. If there was something I wanted, I brought it to their attention. I worked my butt off to get to where I am. I never expected to go to assistant manager, but I worked myself into the situation.”

Case in point: when the closing supervisor position opened up, he volunteered for it.

“Nobody wants to stay until 6:00 or 6:30 every night when everyone else is off at five.” But that willingness to go the extra mile, internally as well as with his customers, has helped distinguish him in the eyes of the Auto Machinery management, as well as his customers.

Coming in, he knew he had something to prove to the professional customers, which breeds more good advice for those entering the role of counterperson.

“Basically I started as a shoe salesman, so I had to earn their trust. The biggest thing you have to realize is not to lie to the customers. Never lie to the customers. If you make a mistake, admit your mistake and move on. It goes a long way. Everybody makes mistakes.”

Lessons like that come from watching the more experienced counter professionals around him.

“Watch some of the other salesmen and the way they make their sales, and how they interact with their customers,” he advises. “Take bits and pieces and work them into your own way of dealing with customers.”

And, even though he is clearly excited by the way the technology has helped counter professionals serve customers better and faster, he warns not to let it get in the way of providing the personal touch with customers.

The technology in place at Auto Machinery automates much of the order picking, and totes with orders slide up to the counter in rapid-fire progression.

“When we get the order on our computer, all we do is hit “P” for pick and it goes up to the warehouse and is distributed to whatever zone it needs to. It basically frees me up.

“If the system is used right, you can put more customers through at the same time, but you have to make sure that your customer is fully taken care of instead of just pushing them through.

“I’m not going to lie, a lot of my phone calls are short and sweet, but it basically starts with your greeting. Attitudes are contagious; it’s in the tone of your voice. You have to remember that you’re not just representing the company; you’re representing yourself. You don’t want to be known as the grumpy guy on the counter.”

Chapman says that he may not have started as “an automotive guy,” but he feels he’s at ease in the role now.

“If I hadn’t been at Auto Machinery I never would have been a part of it. I will take a chance and work on my own vehicle now,” he says with a smile. “And in the last couple of years, I have started helping a pro stock race team. It’s not likely that I would have done that [before].”

It may not have started out that way, but clearly the automotive industry has become a part of him and he a part of it. Good thing Ron Vaughan needed a pair of shoes all those years ago.