Doctor…How’s Your Car-Side Manner?
Bedside Manner (bed’side’ mann’er) n. a term describing how a doctor handles a patient. A good bedside manner is typically one that reassures and comforts the patient. Attitude, body language, openness and ability to help a patient all affect bedside manner. Poor bedside manner leaves the patient feeling unsatisfied, worried, alone or frightened. Practicing good
Eye on Possibility: Out-of-the-Box Thinking Can Transform Your Image, Sell the Experience
Buying new tires has been called one of the most negative purchases a consumer can make. Did you ever invite the neighbors over to see your new washer-dryer combo? Unlikely. Same holds true for tires. While independent tire dealers can do little to polish the image of tires, they can do an awful lot to
The Right Mix: Maximize Both Tire Sales and Vehicle Service Profits
I have coached thousands of tire dealers on how to increase their service business, but, sometimes, a sharper focus on service can diminish tire sales or change mix percentages. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely! Tiremakers, programs, franchisees and tire retailers have all created business, staffing and facility models that worked on paper. Some had
Wireless Internet: Not Just for Coffee Shops Anymore
Imagine being able to put a sign in your showroom window proclaiming: “FREE Internet Access While You Wait!” Wireless showrooms are everywhere; business owners are quickly realizing that public access to the Internet through wireless “hotspots” is an excellent way to attract new customers. What methods have you tried recently to gain new customers and
Hispanic America: Appreciating the Cultural Uniqueness of Your Hispanic Employees and Customers Just Makes Good Business Sense
Today, 48 million Hispanic people reside in the U.S. – about 17% of the population – and they’re not going anywhere. In fact, experts say that number will grow dramatically. By 2050, 100 million people will trace their ancestry to the Spanish-speaking Latin American and Caribbean worlds. We’re in for some big changes. Unfortunately, history
On the Front Lines: Service Managers Are Critical Weapons in Battle With Car Dealers
Car dealers are getting better at serving your clients. How? By delivering what your clients want: information and service. They succeed through fear tactics, implying to new purchasers that warranty problems may arise if factory scheduled maintenance is performed by an independent service shop. And, they speak with forked tongue. They promote OE-quality parts yet
Develop Your Craft: Sell More Tires and Service By Tapping Your Inner Artist
The business of selling tires involves both hard and soft science, spontaneous and carefully planned art. Much more than ‘black and round,’ a tire incorporates physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and a host of other disciplines. So, a tire dealer has to be part scientist. And, knowing the science of tires is a useful weapon in
Labor Into Profit: At the Right Rates, Labor Can Cost Less Than 20% of Sales
In the August issue, we talked about how to make 53% gross profit on parts using a jobber/dealer matrix to price parts. This tool is vital to your business, as a 53% gross profit on parts is critical to meeting a 20%-30% net profit goal. This month, we’re going to tackle labor, a very difficult
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
Do You Know Us?: If You Don’t, You May be Alienating Your Most Profitable Customers Forever
If you’re like most tire dealers, you’re probably turning your back on the most profitable customers you’ll ever see. Not intentionally, perhaps, but this unique group of customers – tuners, enthusiasts, restylers, whatever you want to call them – is often left frustrated trying to deal with dealers. So, they leave and find another option.
13 Hidden Sales Boosters: Sales Sagging? Pick Them Up With These Not-So-Secret Opportunities
“Dang it! This is the fourth month we haven’t made our sales target. What’s going on? I’ll bet it was that last price increase. Those tire companies just keep hitting us for more and more, and we can barely get any tires! And, betcha that new discounter in the next town is getting all my