Pricing, Ethics and the Reputation of Your Business
At Elite we know that once someone comes into your shop, you’ll do everything you can to generate a happy customer, and make a fair profit. Unfortunately, some customers will put you to the test when it comes to the prices you charge. They’ll tell you they can’t afford the recommended services, they’ll tell you
The Best-Kept Secret to Generating More Referrals
As we all know, the most powerful form of advertising always has been word of mouth. Although every tire dealer would like to believe the majority of their customers are songbirds, the reality is, they’re not. I am not suggesting that you don’t have some customers who love to sing your song, but it’s safe
Vehicle Inspection Systems Hires National Sales Rep
Vehicle Inspection Systems (VIS) has hired Lori Clouser to join the company’s sales team as a national sales representative. As national sales representative, Clouser will be based out of VIS’s headquarters in Orlando, Fla., and work to enhance the company growth through proactive sales and account management, VIS said. “Lori’s experience in sales, account management,
Winning Customer Service
In my October 2015 article “A Winning Workplace,” I wrote about the importance of employee engagement and creating an organization that top talent want to be a part of. In this article, we’ll focus further on the people in your tire business and how to hire to support a world-class customer service organization. Start at
The Best-Kept Secrets to Dealing with Sales Objections
When it comes to dealing with objections, most service advisers shut down as soon as the customer says, “It’s too much money,” or “I’d like to think it over.” There are a number of reasons why, but the single most common reason is that the advisers don’t know how to handle the objections. Here is
Valuable Perks To Keep Your Shop ‘Top Of Mind’
What would one more visit per year from your best customers mean for your shop? Let’s say you have 100 current customers and the average customer comes in twice per year. If you can get each one to come in once more every year, you would grow your sales by 50% without spending a dime.
6 Rules of Maximizing Customer Retention
We all know that there are many things you can do when it comes to customer retention. Follow-up calls, sending out service reminder notices, ongoing advertising campaigns that keep your name at the top of the customer’s mind, and scheduling the next visit at the time of car delivery are just a few. Yet there
Pirelli’s 2015 Performance Exceeds Goals
Pirelli & C. SpA reported its 2015 revenue grew 4.8% to 6.3 billion euros, which was above its more than 6.25 billion euros target. According to the tiremaker, improvement in the price/mix component from price increases, greater sales in replacement market and diverse geographic and product mixes is responsible for the growth. Sales in 2015
8 Tools Every Service Advisor Needs in Their Toolbox
As is true with the top techs, the top service advisors in America need a number of tools in order to succeed. Here’s a list of important tools you can provide to your advisors that will help them maximize sales, customer satisfaction and your shop’s profits. 1. Clearly defined sales goals and car count goals
Get ‘Em in the Door
The ‘Loss Leader’ Approach Want to boost sales? Try the “loss leader” approach. This sales technique involves significantly reducing the price of one item and using that as the “lead” to get customers into your tire store. Once a customer walks in the door, they’ll see other items of interest. In general, the loss leader technique
Longtime Tire Industry Sales Leader Retiring
After more than 55 years in the tire industry, Robert Dalotto plans to retire in March 2016. Dalotto began working for the U.S. Rubber Co., now Uniroyal, in 1961. When Michelin North America purchased the company in 1991, he served as regional manager. After retiring in 1995 after 35 years with Uniroyal and Michelin, Dalotto
The Path to Shop Growth is Adaptable Leadership, Customer Service
The key to running a better shop is improving customer service and employing a motivated, professional team, with strategic leadership as the foundation. Strategic or “situational” leadership comes down to understanding others and adapting both service levels and management styles to accommodate each individual personality, says Kim Trochlil, national account manager for Leadership 3p, Minneapolis,
