That's exactly it. Just the basic stuff. And we're primarily talking the accessories that go over the counter. There's no need for us to look at repair parts cause we aren't going to take them in for repair anyway. We don't take in any hand held product besides Husky and Red Max, plus that other "RED" brand that recently met it's demise. We're running full throttle staying on top of what we have. Like I was saying, we don't need more to do. And we will be easing our way into this as well. Not like we have to be all up and running by Monday morning.
Not looking to become a quasi-Stihl dealer, or even a real one for that matter. There's no way I would consider adding Stihl, or any other hand held line. Truthfully, there isn't an empty wall to put it on. And to honest, I have to admit there isn't any room in my DNA for another brand either.
Stihl would be a VERY significant investment, and all their freaking rules...……..gotta do this, can't do that. We don't respond too well to people telling us what to do. Don't think we'd mesh with those folks too well. LOL
But the contrast between how good we are with Husky, and how inexperienced we'd be with Stihl would be dramatic.
Husky: 25 years experience, tons of parts in stock; many of them parts you can't even get from Husky or Jonsered anymore. Almost never can't complete a job on it's first trip to the bench cause we don't have the parts. We know most of those little variations/changes that most saws go through during their model runs. We know the old saws as much as the new ones. We know most of the service bulletins over the years. Most of this is in our
heads.
Stihl: Zero experience. Really don't know squat about them. Without that knowledge base, you don't even know the right questions to ask when someone needs a part. No parts in stock. Nearly every unit would have to be boxed up to order parts. And it's not like I'm going to be in business for another 20 years to become proficient in Stihl either.
How fair is that to the customers to have 2 different levels of service? Excellent service on Husky, and lame service on Stihl. At $80 an hour? Husky customers: "Those guys are great." Stihl customers: "Those guys are clueless." After 25 years, what's the point of going down that road?
So, we have given a lot of thought to this. And much of our perspective is where we are in life, as well as having the business doing just fine where it is. We're just gonna keep it on "cruise control".
But again, I sincerely do appreciate you guys taking the time to bring me up to speed on the basics. Now I'm a little less clueless than I was a week ago.
