Anyone who has been around our industry more than just a few years has seen how dramatically customer interaction has changed. Tire specifications, features, ratings, prices – they’re available at everyone’s fingertips. People can literally buy tires and have them installed without leaving their house.

A few years ago I saw a customer use his cellphone to read the bar code on a tire label and get my competitor’s pricing on the same tire. I hadn’t even had a chance to greet him before he used my WiFi to pull down a competitor’s prices – while standing in my showroom.

This is a cold exception to the norm, but it does cause one to wonder how to stand out in a world that barely notices you.

Successful dealers know that people sell to people, and that it is still important to build personal relationships with customers and prospects. And having the owner as the dealership’s most forward face – the media spokesperson – can jumpstart those relationships. They see you and hear you and they know you. Up until that personal connection, your business was just another tire store.

There are plenty of pitchmen on television and radio for all types of retail businesses. It’s hard to watch TV and not see a catchy commercial with someone pitching his product or store. Local car dealers have been doing this type of advertising for years, and continue to do it with great success.

From the multi-billion dollar international mega-corporations to the local tire and auto service shop, there are spokespeople talking to consumers on TV and on the radio and out in the community. But is it a good idea for the owner to be the star?

We asked a number of tire dealers who have been their own advertising spokesperson about their experiences. Media and image experts would certainly have some input on this, so we questioned them as well.

Common sense would tell us that there are a few basic qualifications for being on television. Jim Enger, who has done dozens of TV spots for his Enger Auto Service & Tire stores in northeast Ohio, says, “If you have a face for radio, you should probably do radio.”

Looks aren’t everything, he says, and you don’t have to have movie-star looks to be a good TV spokesperson. There are other qualities that will make you successful.

Enger is very comfortable in front of the camera, and he is also very hands-on, so he is directly involved in all aspects of his business’ TV advertising. He stars in the spots, develops the theme, and helps write, direct and produce all of them.

Enger, whose dealership was the 2009 Tire Review Top Shop Award winner, has a good working relationship with the local Fox affiliate, WJW-TV. His account executive helps coordinate the process and a creative services expert handles all the filming and lighting. The actor working with Enger in recent spots was a volunteer from the TV station. The entire crew arrived at the store at 2 p.m., discussed the script and got the store ready for filming. In two hours they had shot enough footage to edit together two or three 30-second spots.

The entire process was pretty casual. “When we first starting doing them, it took dozens of takes to shoot a finished spot,” says Enger. Now, he just reviews the script and turns loose. “I don’t worry if it is perfect; it’s usually better if it’s not.”

As you would expect, Enger thinks it’s a good idea to be his company’s spokesperson. By putting a face to Enger Auto Service & Tires, it “promotes trust, value and integrity.”

“You are creating that relationship,” he says. “People feel like they know you.” Doing a TV spot “shows that you are a local, hands-on owner. It shows that you are accessible, available if there is a problem.” Enger’s goal is to let people know that his company can be trusted to provide good value and expertise. Because his market areas are made up of more permanent, non-transient residents, developing a personal relationship with them is critical to his success.

Consistency for Results
Mark Morrison, co-owner of Tires First in Columbus Ga., states very clearly that having the owner as spokesperson “just works for us.”

“We’re afraid to change it,” he offers. The single location dealership has 24 bays and handles both retail and commercial (truck to OTR to farm) customers. Things are so busy, both Morrison and his partner, Tom Hargrove, work at the sales counter five to six days a week.

In Morrison’s opinion, being the spokesperson only works if you actually work in the store and are visible to customers. They know who you are, he says, and “they feel like they have a friend when they see us working in the store. It makes it easier to sell.”

In Morrison’s case, some other family members got involved. Morrison’s daughter appeared in a commercial extolling Tires First’s brand choices. Despite the pretty face, business fell off a little so Hargrove and Morrison went right back to appearing in the spots themselves.

Their advertising slogan is “Quality, Performance, Value, – Tires First” and they use it in every spot. Some spots have Morrison and Hargrove coming in just at the end, presenting the slogan. Often that is all that is needed. Appearing briefly can validate your company’s message and can be as powerful as appearing in the entire spot.

The co-owners also like to get out in the community. Their latest TV commercial was shot at nearby Ft. Benning, and they included a 10% military discount offer in the ad.

Being your own spokesperson will “separate your business from others by making it more personal,” says Morrison. “I want local people to see who we are and what we do.”

Tradition of Success
The ad star for Shore Tire in Lenexa, Kan., is owner Chris Shore. His grandfather started the business in 1946 and it has grown to become a premier retail and wholesale tire and service center in the greater Kansas City area.

Being in suburban Kansas City means there is much competition for his single-point tire store. Shore doesn’t consider himself “the great spokesperson type,” but family tradition led Shore into the limelight. In the past, his father and older brother did TV commercials where they were standing in a field with tires, announcing that they were “out standing in our field of tires.” Corny or catchy, it certainly got attention.

Third-generation owner Chris Shore says, “You’ve got to make an impression. That’s what it’s all about. People like dealing with locally-owned, family-owned businesses. And they want to deal with someone they feel comfortable with.”

Shore Tire gets a lot of positive feedback from people, and its latest commercial has received more comments than any other it has done. This spot starts with Shore saying that Shore Tire has been operating for 65 years, with three generations as owners. The “fourth generation” spokesperson, Shore’s young daughter, Lauren, pops out of a tire asking customers to come in and check out the selection of tires.

Different Approach
Howard Fleischmann, co-owner of Community Tire Pros in Phoenix, a two-time Tire Review Top Shop Award finalist, is the consummate spokesperson. He’s appeared in dozens of TV segments over the years, but his approach is slightly different. With five stores in the country’s fifth largest market, doing traditional TV advertising is a huge expense, with a huge waste factor. With such a large population and land area, most of those seeing his TV ads wouldn’t even be his customers.

Fleischmann is on TV a lot, but he appears on local news and lifestyle shows as an expert on all types of automotive topics. The local TV stations will call Fleischmann because he has the qualities they need for good stories – he’s comfortable, confident and know­ledgeable. He presents the topic in a way that is inviting and non-threatening, and he never directly promotes Community Tire. He’s become their go-to automotive interview, so Community Tire gets lots of exposure and it doesn’t cost him a dime.

Working with wife Patty Fleischmann, his ad agency also produces video promotions for the store. Patty has appeared on a number of local TV talk shows to discuss tire and service topics for female viewers. 

He also is heavily involved in various community charities and causes, and Community Tire encourages all of its employees to do the same. As spokes­person, Fleischmann gets plenty of camera time and direct contact with the community, and he agrees this only works if “you are visible in the store. People do business with people.”

Advice for All Businesses
For a more global opinion of the topic, we asked an expert in a completely different field – restaurants. Business is business and promotion has common threads across many industries.

“Important things to keep in mind are authenticity, believability and likeability,” says Brad Blum, former president of Olive Garden and CEO of Burger King. “A perfect example of this is when Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, became the lovable and warm face and voice of his brand.

“Another example where it has recently worked is when Patrick Doyle, the new CEO at Domino’s, personally went to the public with an admission that his company’s products were below par,” says Blum. “He not only demonstrated that he valued customers’ input, but publicly committed to fixing the problem. That kind of leadership and honesty resonated in today’s marketplace, where people are looking for a face or responsible person they can trust.”

The retail tire and automotive service industry has plenty of trust challenges, probably more than other industries. Believability, trust, credibility and making a personal connection with customers are vital.

Another common theme: have some fun with it. People love to buy from people who love what they do. Customers can tell if you’re truly excited and passionate about your business and that clearly comes through in commercials.

Noted public relations authority Steve Coltrin, founder and CEO of Coltrin & Associates in New York, says that being an owner/spokesperson can cut both ways. “Former BP CEO Tony Hayward appeared on television after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster with such a lack of genuine compassion and credibility, it actually accelerated the decline in value for his company and cost him his job.”

The typical tire dealer’s problems aren’t as big as BP’s tragic spill, but the formula is the same: Your message must be clear, and the messenger must be believable and sincere. If you can’t make that happen, perhaps it’s better to have someone else do it.

A Different Perspective
Anyone who knows Joseph Tomarchio knows that he is passionate about the tire business. Before joining Monro Muffler Brake, he and his brother founded and operated 24 Mr. Tire stores in the Baltimore market. Today, he is executive vice president for store operations at Monro and runs 800 stores under several banners.

When he owned the Mr. Tire stores, Tomarchio was also spokesperson for the stores. In fact, even today he is still the radio voice of Mr. Tire and does voice-overs for the Mr. Tire TV spots in the Baltimore area.
Tomarchio started doing radio ads in 1998 when his agency couldn’t find the type of spokesperson that he wanted – an actor with his knowledge, passion and edginess. After interviewing several candidates, the agency said they had found the perfect person – him.

He wasn’t eager to be a media star. “Not me, I can’t stand my voice. But I thought about it for a while and finally decided to give it a try.”

When asked about the positives of being owner/spokesperson, Tomarchio says there is a point when it loses its benefit. “A smaller entrepreneur in a particular market, if they are energized, if they are passionate about what they do, it’s a benefit. When we first did it, yes, it separated us from the competitors. It made a difference. But there comes a point when a company might be better off having a paid spokesperson.”

And sometimes that paid spokesperson becomes an icon. In 1994, Foun­tain Tire, the 145-store Edmonton-based tire retailer, hired actor and comedian Thom Sharp to be “The Fountain Tire Guy.” Since then, he has become well-known, not just in Canada but throughout the North American tire industry. Don’t think so? Check “Fountain Tire commercials” on YouTube. 

Jim Reilly, senior vice president at Kovel/Fuller, the Culver City, Calif., firm that handles Yokohama Tire Corp. advertising, suggests that having the owner as TV spokesperson is a good idea “if they are comfortable in front of the camera and have some personality.”

“The person has to be easy going and personable to break down the trust barrier,” Reilly says, adding that “people like to do business with people they know” and that “putting a face to the franchise is always good.”

Other Spokespeople
But it doesn’t have to be the owner as the front face. Reilly says he has used store managers on TV when they are the primary contact and the most visible person in the store.

Since people like to do business with people they know, it might be best to have a front-line manager in commercials instead of the owner.

Jeff Tucker agrees. In his opinion, the owner needs to be comfortable doing TV or radio spots or they shouldn’t do them. Providing they are comfortable in front of the camera or microphone, “It is more effective to have someone involved in the day to day business.”

Jeff and his brother Keith own Triple T Tire Pros in Dyersburg and Paris, Tenn., small market stores at the intersection of Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. Triple T is about to celebrate its 20th year in business and business is good.

Tucker has been promoting his business heavily for years, and fell into the role of company spokesperson. When Triple T got involved with the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program about 10 years ago, he found himself in a school auditorium talking to 1,100 kids about donating their toys. Even though he wasn’t talking about Triple T Tire, he became the de facto community spokesperson.

From there, he and his brother started doing voice-overs for their commercials, and then did billboards, participated in a radio business forum and expanded their community event involvement.

Last year they appeared in TV spots for the first time and the response has all been positive. Brother Keith insists, “I don’t like hearing myself talk. My southern drawl is just not very appealing.” But in that little corner of Tennessee, his accent fits right in.

You Decide
So when is it a good idea for the owner to be the company spokesperson? Based on our conversations with several dealers and experts, here are some suggestions:

• You need to be comfortable doing it. If you are too nervous, it can give the impression of being untrustworthy. People need to see confidence balanced with believability and sincerity. Custo­mers will pick up on insincerity very quickly.

• You need to come across as knowledgeable about the business. Potential customers want to hear from someone who knows what they talking about.

• It’s a great approach when there is an important or strong message to send – like a new location or service addition or new products. Any major changes in the way you do business are probably best delivered by the owner.

• You also need to be a visible part of your business. The goal should always be to make a personal connection with customers, but if they don’t see you when they come in, that connection can be lost.

• The owner/spokesperson model also works best when you’re small enough to operate in a uniform geographical market area. It can be difficult to relate well to customers in distinctly different market areas, or a huge geographic area.

Then when is it a bad idea? There are very few reasons you might not want to chase stardom:

• If you are absolutely terrified at the thought of appearing in the media or in person, don’t even try it. You’ll know quickly if it’s a good idea or not.

• If you have some distinct appearance, speech or personality challenges that make it difficult to be a successful “face.” Like we said, it is always possible to make a quick appearance in TV spots, limiting any potential negative.

• If you’re in a small market where someone else is already doing a great job on TV or radio. If competition has already established a strong media presence in your market, think twice about jumping in. If you choose to, your approach and message must clearly set you apart from your competition, otherwise you’re just doing their job for them.

Everyone we talked to is having fun doing it. Most tire dealers aren’t well-known personalities, but these dealers have become local stars. Having family members and employees appear in ads gives everyone a sense of being invol­ved in the business. But the biggest benefit is the bottom line; none of those we spoke with would be the co­m­pany spokesperson if it wasn’t helping them sell more tires and service.

Your job as company owner/spokesperson isn’t just to give facts or details about your company. Your role is to be a trusted, caring face and the brand that is your tire store.

Most of us don’t run a $3 billion pizza business, but like those high-dollar guys, you represent the entire company. It’s not the right job for every owner, but if you have what it takes and you want to give it a try, the results might surprise you. In a good way.

You can check out many of the ads done by our participants on their websites or on YouTube.