Automotive News Canada - February 2022 - F12

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
best, " he says. " Tire manufacturers and automakers
work together to develop the best tires
for each vehicle. Th ey want the car to perform
to its optimum when the customer takes it on
the test drive. "
Inspection and training
Th e experts who spoke to Fixed Ops
Journal for this report all agreed the key
to increasing tire sales starts with the inspection.
Every car that rolls through
the service lane must have its alignment
checked and the tire tread measured.
" One thing we've been doing is
looking at the technology we have, "
says Zalowski, of MileOne. " In two
of our stores now - and we are
putting it in three others - we
have the Hunter [Engineering]
Quick Check service lane tool. "
Th e fully automated maTIRES
continued
from Page 11
getting someone to talk to you that you feel
comfortable with. Th e Tire Kingdoms and
Goodyears of the world are more convenient
than the car dealer. Th ey know when the customer
comes in for an oil change, if they give
them coupons, they are never going to lose
that customer. "
So, de Martigny says, dealers should off er a
price match guarantee and coupons for discounts
on services.
2. Offer free tire and suspension checks.
Dealers, he says, should try to get customers
to think of their vehicle's tires as their No. 1
safety issue. Let customers know they can
come to the store and have the air pressure,
tread and alignment checked for free any
time. And, he says, it's a good move to tie that
messaging to summer road trips.
" If you can set up a program for your customers
to come in and get their tires checked,
you have the opportunity to walk around the
vehicle and look for other issues: worn-out
wipers, cracked windshields, fogged-up headlamps.
If you can rotate the tires, that gives
you the chance to check the brakes and the
ball joints, etc. "
3. Educate the customer. " Consumers are
interested in the lowest price because no one
takes the time to explain why the tires that
came on their car from the factory are the
PAGE 12 FEBRUARY 2022
chine checks the alignment
and tire tread as the customer
drives in. Th e results are immediately
posted on large
monitors customers can see,
and a printout with results in
red, yellow and green signifying
the immediacy of action required
is shown and explained.
Even if nothing is amiss, Zalowski
sees a win for the dealer.
" In many tire stores, they sell
you an alignment when a lot of
the time you don't need an
alignment, " he says.
At dealership service departments
with the latest
tread and alignment monitoring
equipment,
" you save
money if your alignment is
perfectly fi ne, " Zalowski says.
" We only do alignments if you
need it. Customers realize
that, and they trust you a lot
more on anything you are trying
to sell to them.
" So when their
car
goes
through and it is yellow or red,
they really believe you. "
The price is right
Trust also is at the core of Mel
Hambelton Ford's success in
growing its tire sales. Th e
store's service advisers will
comparison shop competitors
with customers and
A service lane visit should include a
tire inspection, left, experts say, while
advisers should take time to educate
buyers on performance, not just price.
prove they can meet or beat anyone's price.
And every car gets inspected every time, says
Service Manager David Grey.
" Our customers have grown to expect that, "
he says. " Th ey want that checkup. Th ey want
to know what condition their vehicle is in, and
they want to know they need tires long before
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