Traditionally, Americans do not budget for things like car repair or gas. As wallets tighten, people will be forced to make on-the-spot decisions about how to spend what they have or how to use their credit wisely. 

A Supreme Court Justice once observed that “the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle. It is the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, it will go back.” This pendulum swing may be happening right now with regards to corporate profits and employee wages.

Is leadership overrated? Tire industry consultant Greg Ring says yes, but not for the reasons you might expect. He explains more - and discusses what true business leadership looks like - in this episode of The Modern Tire Dealer Show.

The pressure you may be feeling because of the wage and hour disruption occurring now is understandable. But this is another example of how disruption can be turned into opportunity. 

In the tire and auto service industry, profit margins are relatively small and business is still highly driven by on-demand services. That means one day can be busy and the next day can be slow. 

Today, your salespeople and technicians must be trained to educate the customer and build trust quickly. Why? Because most of the time, difficult customers are created by you and/or your people. And you may not even realize it. 

Nothing happens without the oversight of your service manager, who can make or break a customer experience and both your short-term and long-term profitability.

The next great innovation in tire and automotive service doesn’t have to be expensive. But it must be well thought-out and it must make your customer experience better than what your competitors provide.

There’s nothing more important to any relationship than promises. On a daily basis, your customers learn what to expect from your organization and its brand through the promises you make and keep.