2016 Editions Archives - Page 2 of 18 - Tire Review Magazine
Creating a Successful Performance Review Plan

Employee performance reviews are more than a task on a company’s to-do list to reveal excellent and poor employee performance. When done correctly, performance reviews should help build employee/manager relationships and help business owners keep the pulse of their business’ success. By taking the time to understand what your employees are experiencing within your business

How to Shop for Health Insurance

With the many different facets of health insurance, shopping for the right kind of coverage can be a daunting task for small business owners. With various policies, regulations and requirements, there is a lot to consider – not to mention the fact that health insurance is often the largest expense next to wages for a

Incentivizing Your Team

Since the time we started advising shop owners, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every pay plan known to man. I’m also pretty sure that I’ve heard every possible variation of the same question: “How can I pay my team in a way that motivates them without eating all of my profits?” If that sounds familiar,

5 Things to Look for When Making Large Equipment Purchases

That shiny new piece of equipment may seem like a great investment, but you need to be smart with your spending. Consider these “Top 5 Tips” when purchasing each of the following tire shop essentials. Alignment Machines 1. Think Long Term: Long term does not mean finding the lowest price, but finding the best “value

Understanding Mobile Payment Methods

As further proof that “mobile everything” is here to stay, today’s tech-savvy consumers are buying into the mobile payment concept, making purchases at retail stores with a wave of their phones instead of a swipe of their credit cards. Services such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay allow users to make secure purchases

Knowing What Numbers to Watch

There’s an old expression that says, “If you’re not serving a retail customer, you’d better be serving someone who is.” I can’t take credit for that line, but have used it extensively over the years in this business. Everything starts with a sale, and if you’re not at the counter dealing with the end-user, then

Eavesdropping Strategy: Twitter

It is easy to dismiss social media  as a bunch of individuals who generally chat about things as mundane as their kids’ soccer games and swapping cute cat videos. The problem with social media is that the connection is not obvious as to how it relates to street-level retail. But, to dismiss it because you

Street to Track: ExtremeContact Sport

Continental Tire the Americas rolled out its newest ultra-high performance summer tire, the ExtremeContact Sport, during an event in Palm Springs, Calif., in October. Designed with the help of five International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) drivers who tested the tire throughout its development, the new UHP summer product is Conti’s latest offering that brings the

Exploring Your Options

Some say the proverbial dark clouds are forming on the horizon, heading this way fast. Consolidation within the industry, manufacturers selling direct and/or online, shrinking profit margins, rising employment costs, a shift toward digital, competition from big box stores and car dealers – I could go on. The combined perfect storm of pressure upon the

Understanding Sway Bar Technology

Sway, stabilizer or anti-roll bars never get the credit they deserve. If sway bars were never invented, the ride and handling of vehicles would be a lot harsher than it is today. These bars act as a third spring, controlling rolls and stiffness of a vehicle. A sway bar has no effect if both sides

Changing Aspect Ratios of OTR Tires

The tire industry has seen a lot of changes over the years, especially in the auto, light truck and medium truck side of the business. Many of these changes improve performance and change the characteristics of a vehicle. On the OTR side, there have not been many changes over the years except the move from

The Rise of the CUV

A crossover or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a vehicle built on a car platform that combines features of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with features from a passenger car, to varying degrees. Crossovers use the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles instead of the body-on-frame platform found in light trucks and the original SUVs. CUVs