Their Best Interest: Honesty and Going By the Book The Only Way to Keep Customers
Their Best Interest Honesty and Going By the Book The Only Way to Keep Customers Diary ProfileBarry Steinberg, OwnerDirect Tire (Four locations)Location: Boston, Mass.Years in Operations: 26No. of Bays: 50No. of Techs: 22 service techs and 34 tire techsTire Brands Carried: Toyo, Cooper, Dunlop, Falken and PirelliAverage Jobs/Day: 275-325Tire/Service: 45%/55%Other Non-Tire Services: Complete undercar services, brakes,
Case 1: Change The Air in There
Case 1: Change The Air in There When dealers consider tire inflation as a potential source of added profits, most immediately think they should start charging for air. This ploy became popular among self-serve gas stations and a few dealers, and instantly angered consumers who couldn’t understand why the substance they freely breath should cost
Case 2: Build Their Respect and Trust
Case 2: Build Their Respect and Trust Dealers can’t just open their doors, display some tires and sit back and watch profits roll in. It doesn’t work that way – and if it did everybody would be doing it. No, tire dealers have to market. They have to gain trust. They have to provide honest
Case 4: Build With Brands
Case 4: Build With Brands Car comes in for service. It’s 7 in the morning, and you’re working through your first real cup of coffee for the day. Customer is complaining that his brakes "seem to be scraping" and the front-end is "squishy." You brush off the customer’s command of vehicle technology, finish the work
Case 5: Right Money For Right Repairs
Case 5: Right Money For Right Repairs Can you make money selling complete tire repair service to your retail customers? Most of you would likely answer "No," grumbling about having to fix tires because that’s what the customer expects. According to Jerry Davis of Group 31 Inc., and Bill Johnson and Buck Blair at Tech
Case 6: Take Care of Your Community
Case 6: Take Care of Your Community Marketing is critical. No matter what a dealer does, no matter how a dealer does it, some form of marketing plan will be beneficial. Some plans will work much better than others. But as long as the dealer is working to get his name in front of potential
Get More ‘Sell’: Prepared and Creative Sales Team Can Conquer Objections and Add Sales
Get More ‘Sell’ Prepared and Creative Sales Team Can Conquer Objections and Add Sales You probably spend plenty of effort and money on advertising, signage, business location and inventory breadth. All this is designed to attract prospects. So everyone coming through your door represents an investment, and those walking back out without buying is an
Industry Report
Cooper Builds Up Commercial Division With Hercules PurchaseThe best business deals, they say, are the ones that are clear win-wins for both parties.
Net-Working Tire Dealers and the Internet
Net-Working Tire Dealers and the Internet The Information Superhighway is not really a highway at all, and some would argue that it’s far from super. What it is, is the Internet, a collection of circuits and relays, information and Web pages, tying people all across the world together through phone lines. It is, arguably, the
Dealer Diary
Dealer Diary For the past two years, Tire Review has brought you Dealer Diary, a monthly series that focuses on typical tire dealers and the ins and outs of their business.This year, we’re profiling someone whose primary focus is customer service – Barry Steinberg, owner of Direct Tire and Auto Service, headquartered in Boston. By
Industry Report
Bozarth Riding Into the Sunset on Heels of Last Annual ITRA Show
Mark-Up vs. Margin: Knowing the Difference Makes a Difference in Profits
Mark-Up vs. Margin Knowing the Difference Makes a Difference in Profits Independent dealers often buy service parts from auto dealerships because, for some applications, they feel the quality may be superior to aftermarket parts, or because certain parts are available only through OE sources. Unfortunately, auto dealers typically discount hard replacement parts about 20% to