This Month’s ‘Meet an Expert’ at Zip’s AW Direct is LeRoy Gossling, a professional truck sales consultant whose territory primarily serves the state of Nebraska. A 30-year employee, Gossling also handles national and international sales, covering what the sales team here likes to call the “rest of the world.”

After spending a short time on the East Coast, Gossling, a northeast Iowa native, returned home in 1990 and joined Zip’s in the Parts Department three years later. Referred to the position by another employee at the time, Gossling said he spent his first six years here ordering, shipping and receiving parts and educating himself about the towing industry.

“It wasn’t just knowing all the parts but really the sales of those parts,” Gossling recalled. “I learned the behind-the-scenes side of the business, such as the shipping and receiving, doing inventory, stocking shelves and so on. I learned a lot from Rick and Chuck–two parts guys at the time–and I have to give both of these gentlemen credit for teaching me a lot about the towing industry.”

Gossling said that on-the-job training eventually led to an interest in equipment sales. Following an opening in 1999, he made the transition and joined the sales team here. That staff now numbers a dozen full-time consultants, and Gossling is the second-longest tenured sales rep. Returning the favor, he said he has helped guide other consultants who have come on board after him.

“As we have grown over the years as a company, I have taught or mentored a number of new or newer employees in the sales process,” he explained. “I feel obligated to, I guess, as I was lucky enough to have a few fellow employees mentor me. It’s the right thing to do. We all want to be successful here.”

Gossling describes working at Zip’s as a “family atmosphere” and that translates into his success in truck sales. Zip’s itself is a family-owned business, and many of the customers he works with are multi-generational, family-owned tow companies. 

“We have all become family over the years here. That makes a difference, I believe, along with getting to know your customers and learning about their operation,” Gossling said. “My customer base is filled with a number of family-owned, family-run companies and eventually you become part of their family.”

Gossling said many of the customers he works with have been in business for more than 40 years, and they usually know what they want when they call. Other inquiries he fields may come from younger customers who are just starting out in the business and need guidance on their equipment. He treats each sales call equally.

“A lot of my customers buy and update their equipment annually or at least every few years, so they usually know exactly what they want. But I still may provide guidance on ‘what's new’ in the industry,” Gossling explained. “I also get calls every day from very young companies, or someone who wants to get into the towing business, so this involves a lot of time and discussion on what type of equipment they need not just to start with but down the road as they grow.”

According to Gossling, the towing industry has “evolved” greatly in his three decades in the business, and he said it’s important to keep his customers abreast of the changes and improvements. During his time with Zip’s, Gossling has sold everything from light-duty wreckers, heavy-duty wreckers and rotators to car carriers and industrial trailers.

So what gives him the most satisfaction from his position? “The best part of my job is when a customer sees their new truck for the first time, and I hear ‘WOW, this is beautiful’. I call that the ‘wow factor’.”