The retail sales counter is a kill zone. Recently I was in an Apple retail store, and as a marketing guy, I can’t help but pay close attention to retailer/consumer behavior.

Tags: Closing a sale, Counter intelligence, Wayne Williams

As a former regional vice president running a group of retail tire and automotive outlets, rarely a week went by that a store manager wasn’t asking me for an equipment upgrade or a new piece of equipment.

Tags: Counter intelligence, Sales counter, Sales training, Wayne Williams

"I have to think about it” is only six words, but it says a lot — or not.

Tags: Sales and marketing, Sales counter, Wayne Williams

In last month’s article, the topic was Michelin tires, Bayer aspirin and Fiji water: How are these manufacturers able to charge a premium price for their products when other products of similar quality and benefits are available at substantially less money?

Tags: Counter intelligence, Wayne Williams

I’ve always admired how a cartoonist can say so much with a few images and a couple of captions. I remember years ago reading the comic strip Garfield — you know him, he’s the chubby, orange cat that is always questioning why things don’t seem to work out well in his world. In this particular comic strip, Garfield sat with this puzzled look on his face, and it read, “Just when I finally figure out where it’s at, somebody moves it.”

Tags: Advertising, Business insight, Wayne Williams

As Kermit the Frog says, “It’s good to be green.” It’s good to be environmentally responsible. It’s good to support schools, charities, Little Leagues, the American Youth Soccer Organization, etc. It’s good to be aware and supportive of the wide variety of good causes and needs in your community.

Tags: Counter intelligence, Wayne Williams

The changes we are going to discuss in this month’s article and the next revolve around overcoming two major problems that have several contributing factors. The problems are having the necessary tires on hand and how to handle an out-of-stock situation.

Tags: Counter intelligence, Tire size proliferation, Wayne Williams

Jeff Foxworthy says, “If you think Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company, you may be a redneck.” I say, “If your customers are reading dog-eared magazines and watching Judge Judy on a TV that is as thick as it is wide, then you may be in trouble!”

Tags: Counter intelligence, Wayne Williams

Is the tire and service aftermarket becoming more complicated? Well, of course it is. There are more vehicle manufacturers, more models, more tire sizes, more parts, more problems; more, more, more of everything except profits.

Tags: Counter intelligence, Digital, Digital footprint, Wayne Williams

In our last two columns we touched on the importance of the sales counter, both the environment and the personnel. The sales counter is the most exciting, challenging and rewarding place in our industry, and to be successful requires a trained and motivated sales staff.

Tags: Counter intelligence, Sales counter, Wayne Williams