The holiday season is one of the toughest periods for retail tire and automotive service sales. Here are five strategies for beating the winter blahs, courtesy of five very successful tire dealers.

This year's Global Tire Expo truly was a Global Tire Expo. For proof, just look at the sheer number of companies from China that exhibited at the event.

During the late 1950s, Modern Tire Dealer published a monthly column called "The sale that taught me the most," in which independent tire dealers recounted their most profound sales experiences.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more generous, civic-minded group of businesspeople than independent tire dealers. MTD's editors constantly hear stories about the good things dealers do for others.

"You can make a profit year after year and still go bankrupt, yet you can show losses year after year and still stay in business."

Another year, another Rubber Manufacturers Association tire inflation survey, and yes, another round of disappointing results: What can we, as an industry, do to help motorists see the value of checking inflation levels on a regular basis?

Articles, TV reports, etc., about electric cars seem to be everywhere these days. There's the Toyota Prius (OK, I suppose the Prius counts as half of an electric car) and the Chevy Volt, and more entries are on the way. Are you seeing any electric cars at your dealership?

Does your dealership offer "extras" -- value-added "bonuses" like free WiFi in your showroom or perhaps a shuttle that ferries customers to their places of business while you're working on their cars?

We've written about tire dealers installing energy efficient lights, windows and other things designed to reduce their shops' power consumption and impact on the environment. Would you believe there's now an eco-friendly, in-ground vehicle lift?

When will the recession end? How does it compare to past recessions? Is the worst over? If any of these questions have crossed your mind, you should pick up the April 2010 issue of American History magazine.