Cooling Down: Reducing Heat is Key to Improving OTR Tire Performance
While the tire market has been soft the last two years, tire development hasn’t slowed, especially in the giant radial OTR sector. We’ll look at the latest tire technologies and how they improve tire performance in the field. The OTR tire market may have experienced some slowing over the last couple of years but the
The Sounds of Silence, Truck Tire Style
Those of you who have been in the industry more than a few years can remember when trucks were loud. Sometimes this was intentional, similar to when we, as teenagers, spent hard earned money to put dual glasspack mufflers on our hot rods. At other times the trucks just came that way new. Objections to this noise
How Fit is Your Sales and Customer Service Effort?
Have you ever considered the fitness level of your sales and customer service effort? No, I’m not talking about some sort of employee exercise program. Rather, I’m asking if the employees that provide sales and service to your customers are functioning at peak performance. If you haven’t given this proper consideration, you’re probably not seeing
Women Of Color = Women Of Economic Influence
When the Maria Shriver study titled “A Women’s Nation” was published during the latter part of 2009, it was big news for much of the nation. Finally, the impact of the women who entered the work force in massive numbers since the 1960s were being recognized for their impact on society, and the information
It’s Cold Outside: Reduce STF Accidents
It’s no secret that slip, trip and fall accidents increase substantially during the winter months – December through March. But there are things tire dealers can do to reduce these falls and minimize their risk. “Given the current economic climate, cost is, understandably, a primary concern when planning a winter safety program,” said Helene Browning,
Bad Finish: Tire, Service Sales Close Out Year Below 2008 Levels
The topsy-turvy tire and auto service year closed as it began, sliding down in December after an unexpected up-tick in late November. All tire and service sales segments measured appear to have ended 2009 at levels below those posted in 2008. Click here for January 2010 charts. The Tire Review Dealer Panel reported that final
Specialized Selling: Smart Dealers Can Stack Up Profits in Skid-Steer Market
In work sites across the country, one can find the versatile skid-steer loader. Because of its convenient size and capacity for special attachments, the machine can be used by consumers and pros in a multitude of applications, including construction, farming, excavation, recycling, landscaping, mining and snow removal. The skid-steer tire niche has changed quite a
Deliver World-Beating Customer Service
The time has passed when good customer service could be measured by having a comfortable waiting room with a TV set, magazines and coffee. Today those things are expected. Customers demand much more, but “great customer service” is not as easily defined as, say, having clean restrooms. Truth is: Customer service is a tangible,
Hand Tools Still Needed to Service Today’s Vehicles
Sometimes it feels as if there is no better tool than the tried and true hammer. You’ll find a variety of them for sale under the heading dead blow hammers. Buy a high carbon steel head with a machine polished face and a top grade U.S. hickory handle, or if you want a polymer handled
Keep Customers Engaged With Showroom Displays
Tire companies and companies specializing in showroom displays aren’t spending time and money just for the fun of it. A really good tire display will literally cause customers to rub their hands over the tread and void areas of a tire. Why? Because they want to get a sense that this tire is safe, that
The New Frugality: Consumer Withdrawal Runs Deep, May Last the Decade
The last tumultuous decade was the 1980s, which opened with hyper-inflation, high unemployment and astronomical interest rates, and closed as the “Me Decade” when dollars flowed easy and greed was good. The decade we just laid to rest – The Aughts – by contrast, will likely be remembered as the “Decade of Benign Neglect.” Coming
January 2010 Sales Intelligence
Covering Baton Rouge, La.; Columbus, Ohio; Fargo, N.D.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Nashville, Tenn.; and New Haven, Conn. retail tire markets during the period of Dec. 31 to Jan. 4. Tire Review and InteliChek present up-to-date tire and service price information from U.S. metropolitan areas. For this monthly feature, InteliChek directly contacts a selection of independent