10 Easy Ways to Boost Sales
Here’s something you may not know: American consumers spent $46.2 billion on tires and other auto accessories in 2002, the last year in which the U.S. Bureau of Economics has accurate numbers. That figure may sound impressive, but the Bureau also reported that Americans spent even more than that on shoes. The point: Don’t take
10 Sales Smashers: Avoid These Common Missteps to Ensure Solid Sales Growth and Content Customers
Retail business can be brutal. A tire dealer can spend countless hours contemplating broad business strategy, making sure each facet of the business is in line with overall profitability goals. But you don’t sell to a plan. You have to deal with real customers who, by their nature, are fickle, demanding and unforgiving. No matter
Slicing it Extra Thin: Next Big Breakthrough Will Be Measured in Billionths, Not Billions
What will be the next great tire breakthrough? What will make radial technology the sliced bread of our age? If I’ve heard the question once, I’ve heard it a million times. It’s been six decades since the radial was invented – 30 years or so since it really hit the market here – but there
A Weighty Vocation: Exploring Often-Overlooked Fire Truck Tire Business Can Ignite Profits
If you’re a commercial tire dealer, you may be overlooking a relatively simple and lucrative business opportunity. Chances are good you drive right past a potential new source of sales every day and never even give a second look. That potential customer is right in your local fire station. Why is the opportunity to sell
Back to Basics: Part 4: How Tread Design Impacts Wear, Traction and Noise
In the last issue, we talked about tire compounds with the promise that we would delve into the world of tread designs this time. Always fascinating is the size of the contact patch through which the tread design must roll. On an average-size passenger car tire, the contact patch is about the size of a
Stop and Listen: Your Commercial Customers’ Tires Are Dying to Tell You Something
One of the questions good fleet managers ask and research periodically is: “How can I improve my tire program?” The well-traveled statistic that tires are typically the second-highest non-labor operating expense for on-highway fleets prioritizes tire management for fleets. That fact, especially for mixed-service (on/off road) fleets, puts extra emphasis on tires. The usual, top-ranking
Muscle Mass: Pitch Lightweight Wheels to Customers Wanting to Save Horsepower
Horsepower. You hear the word all the time. We apply it to nearly everything from automobiles to vacuum cleaners. Ever wonder where it came from? The term “horsepower” was coined by an engineer named James Watt. He lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam
Maxed Out?: Size Race Slows, But Fashion vs. Function Questions Remain for Dealers
For a few years, the tire and wheel industries resembled the Cold War nuclear arms race – every year, someone rolled out a bigger weapon. It started with eye-popping, wheel-well-stretching 20-inch wheels and tires and progressed to the 2004 SEMA Show, where gigantic 28-inchers were every where. A sort of dÉtente has settled in, if
Badge of Honor: Tire/Wheel Certification Offers Customer-Capturing Credibility
What is your impression of someone who has a professional certification? Admiration? Perhaps respect for the achievement or recognition? When you’re being treated for a common cold, do you go to a first-year med student because it isn’t a life threatening illness? Of course not! You see a licensed professional, such as a doctor or