Bright ideas

25 tips to help you survive 2009

By: Mike Manges

All economic indicators point to the fact that we are in a full-blown recession. Between billion-dollar government bail-outs of distressed banks, mortgage brokers and insurance companies; declining property values; massive layoffs at major corporations; bankruptcies; ever-escalating foreclosure rates; and nightly doses of media-propagated doom and gloom, reason for optimism seems to be in short supply.

Next year isn’t shaping up to be any easier. “Survival” will be a major theme . However, that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to move your business forward. In fact, this could be an excellent time to boost your profitability. It’s certainly an opportunity to analyze what you’re already doing.

“You need to talk about the challenges and at the same time talk about the opportunities,” says Tom Gegax, founder of Gegax Management Systems, chairman emeritus of Tires Plus and past Modern Tire Dealer Tire Dealer of the Year award winner. “I wouldn’t engage in phony optimism and I wouldn’t engage in pessimism. There is a middle ground that I call ‘authentic optimism’ and that says ‘These are challenging times, but if we put our minds to our disciplines and be more aware, we’ll overcome these challenges.’ Really get serious about the things that need to be done.”
Independent tire dealers throughout the country are doing just that. Some are employing traditional, tried-and-true methods, while others are breaking new ground and are trying things they would not have imagined attempting just a few years ago.

Modern Tire Dealer recently polled a random sample of independent tire dealers of all shapes, business models and sizes, including retailers, wholesale distributors, and commercial tire dealers. We wanted to find out how they plan to survive 2009 and also how they plan to forge ahead. In addition, we spoke with business management experts like Gegax  and “picked their brains” for effective tactics and strategies. Here’s what they had to say. Maybe you can take some of their ideas and best practices and make them your own?

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Related Topics: tire, tire marketing, tire retailing, tires

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