Ziegler on Selling

Sept. 8, 2009

When selling in a segment of the market that has been battered and bruised like commercial truck tires, some tactics work and some tactics don’t, according to Bill Ziegler, president of Ziegler Tire & Supply Co. and Modern Tire Dealer’s 2009 Tire Dealer of the Year. Cutting prices may work short-term, but it won’t bring you long-term business, he says.

“You have to sell yourself. You have to find a way to sell your company, your salesmen, your products and everything else. We sell value; that’s the key for us. We have to somehow convince that customer to test our products or evaluate them, so we can show them value. If you try to compete on price, you’re not going to win.”

And don’t discount the power of persistence. Bill says Ziegler Tire often has been able to capitalize on opportunities that competitors miss simply because it works harder. “I think a lot of times if you fail at something, it’s your own fault more than anything. If we succeed, it’s because we try harder. We find a way to make it work.

“Maybe we’re just stubborn Germans,” he says with a laugh, “but we butt our heads against the wall until we bust through!”