March 2023

Photo Credit: Utopia Tire
Ray Ramirez, owner of Utopia Tire & Auto Repair in Frisco, Colo., says you have to understand the customer and your surrounding environment when selling winter tires.
Retail

Dealers Share Winter Tire Selling Strategies

March 16, 2023
Many dealers say that selling winter tires boils down to listening to customers’ needs and matching the right tire to their driving patterns.
Photo Credit: Continental Tire the Americas LLC
“The 3PMS (designation) is a good measure for acceleration traction on medium-packed snow,” says Phillip Schrader, product manager, touring and U.S. winter tires, PLT replacement business unit, Continental Tire the Americas LLC.
Retail

Is 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake the Ultimate in Winter Tire Certification?

March 16, 2023
While 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS) certification might help dealers close the winter tire sale, is it the ultimate validation of winter tire performance?
Photo Credit: MTD
“It is far easier if a C-corp changes to an S-corp or LLC five years prior to selling,” says McGregor.
Featured Stories

What’s With All These C-Corps?

March 16, 2023
There really is no good reason for most small, privately held tire dealers to be organized as C-corporations (C-corps) anymore.
Photo Credit: Dreamstime
'There will be a period of adjustment and figuring out how best to incorporate true AI into the service writing and diagnostic process,' says McCarron.
Retail

AI Will Be a Game-Changer at Your Dealership

March 13, 2023
I would guess that ChatGPT or a similar program will be introduced in some capacity to replace humans somewhere along the automotive service cycle within the next 10 years.
Photo Credit: Michelin North America Inc.
When servicing electric vehicles, 'marketing must be considered,' says Craig Van Batenburg. 'You community needs to know what you are doing.'
Retail

The Cost of Entry Into the EV Market

March 13, 2023
I get asked this question almost every week. “What will it cost me to enter the high-voltage world of electric cars and light trucks?”

More content from March 2023

Photo Credit: MTD
Dick Nordness (left), longtime executive director of the Northwest Tire Dealers Association, received a lifetime achievement award from the Tire Industry Association, presented by TIA CEO Dick Gust.
Retail

Nordness Reflects on 30 Years at Helm of NWTDA

March 10, 2023
Independent tire dealers in the Pacific Northwest recently lost one of their most ardent champions when Dick Nordness, longtime executive director of the Northwest Tire Dealers...
Photo Credit: MTD
Mike Spitale, manager of the Van’s Auto Service & Tire Pros store on the east side of Akron, Ohio, says his team notices a spike in ride control service in the springtime after “people go through the winter hitting potholes and driving on unstable roads.”
Retail

Knowing When to Sell Ride Control Service

March 9, 2023
Ride control has always been important to vehicle maintenance, but these services aren’t always the easiest to market to customers.
Photo Credit: MTD
'Dealers continue to struggle obtain the right level of inventory,' says Healy.
Retail

Why Retail Sellout Remains Soft

March 7, 2023
Recent industry check-ins with tire dealers leave us with the view that retail sellout trends continue to show softness on a year-over-year basis.
Photo Credit: MTD
'Dealers continue to struggle obtain the right level of inventory,' says Healy.
Retail

How Dealers Achieved Gross Profit Gains in 2022

March 7, 2023
Looking back on 2022 — and everything that we could have done, should have done and actually did transpire — how did we, the tire dealer community, do? Let’s look at some numbers...