Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • A year later, pandemic's full tire industry impact unclear
      Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled until 2022
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
    • DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
      Icahn Auto trims fiscal 2020 operating loss despite 14% lower sales
      Oshkosh unit gets contract for new USPS local delivery vehicle
      Sumitomo adds treadwear-detection to 'Sensor Core' toolkit
    • 4 Wheel Parts celebrates 60th anniversary with deals, promotions
      CarAdvise partnering with RepairSmith mobile repair services
      Goodyear to raise prices by up to 8% on all passenger tires on April 1
      Point S posts strongest year ever in sales profit, growth, store growth
    • TRAC Intermodal redirects retread biz 100% in-house
      Giti rolling out range of GT Radial-brand urban/regional truck tires
      Conlan Tire buys BestDrive locations in Ark., Okla., Texas from Continental
      Michelin upgrades 2 lines of Energy-branded truck tires
    • USTMA joins coalition supporting passage of Equality Act
      McMahon's Best-One increases its minimum wage to $15
      Oshkosh unit gets contract for new USPS local delivery vehicle
      Conti recalling 94,000 Conti-, General-, Barum-brand LT/SUV tires
    • Goodyear names Patterson to lead Cooper integration efforts
      DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
      Sentury's 10-year global expansion strategy will include plants in North America, Europe
      Rebound in car tire demand drives USTMA market forecast for 2021
    • DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
      Bridgestone World Solar Challenge canceled due to pandemic restrictions
      Pirelli, Goodyear ink sedan racing series contracts in Canada, Europe
      Goodyear extends partnership with Nürburgring race circuit
    • Giti rolling out range of GT Radial-brand urban/regional truck tires
      Milestar Weatherguard AS710 to be made in Tennessee
      Michelin upgrades 2 lines of Energy-branded truck tires
      Falken revamps winter tire lineup with studless Eurowinter products
    • 4 Wheel Parts celebrates 60th anniversary with deals, promotions
      A year later, pandemic's full tire industry impact unclear
      Milestar Weatherguard AS710 to be made in Tennessee
      New Nexen Tire Garage offers dealers digital resources
    • Pennzoil offering carbon-neutral lubricants for passenger cars
      Washington dealership uses new-school solution for recruiting auto techs
      Marinucci: Customers may ignore dangerous conditions
      Automotive Lift Institute introduces Check360 inspection, label
    • TIA seeking nominations for Tire Industry Hall of Fame
      SEMA survey shows resilient auto aftermarket in 2020
      SEMA scholarships and loan forgiveness now available
      WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
    • SEMA survey shows resilient auto aftermarket in 2020
      Trade groups oppose minimum wage increase proposal
      New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
    • Goodyear names Patterson to lead Cooper integration efforts
      Giti rolling out range of GT Radial-brand urban/regional truck tires
      Milestar Weatherguard AS710 to be made in Tennessee
      New Nexen Tire Garage offers dealers digital resources
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
      Sponsored By AppointmentPlus
      Three Important Lessons Learned for the Tire Business During a Pandemic
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
      Wheel weights: Balancing form with function
    • Video: Demounting
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
      How to clear rim rust and corrosion
      An introduction to demounting, mounting and inflation
    • Video: Safety
      Customers
      Considerations for shop safety policies
      Introduction: Creating a culture of safety
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
      An introduction to tire repair
      How to properly patch a puncture
    • Video: TMPS Service
      The life-saving work of TPMS
      An introduction to TPMS service
      The importance of proper relearn procedures
    • Video: Training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
      Choosing the right auto service tech school
      Intro: Finding and training technicians
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      The gravity of proper lift points
      Safety essentials when using jack stands
      An introduction to lifts and lift safety
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      The importance of torque specifications
      Introduction to proper wheel installation
      Torque check and recheck recommendations
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
  • Awards
    • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
August 02, 1999 02:00 AM

SAFETY CLUB CREATES BUYER LOYALTY

Bob Janet
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Marketers estimate it costs 50-80 percent more to gain a new customer than to bring a current one back for additional sales. Plus, it's always easier to sell a satisfied present customer. With this in mind, I created the ``Janet Tire Safety Club'' several years ago at my former dealership in Lockhaven, Pa. Organizing a tire safety club can accomplish two worthwhile objectives at low cost: It brings back customers time after time and places your company's name on virtually every automobile you service.

    Customers come back because you're providing free services they need and want. We gave away free flat repair, tire rotation, front-end alignment inspection and tire inspection. Offer as many free services as you wish—but there should be at least four.

    Whatever services you offer should be given away with the idea of selling any components when they are legitimately needed. We issued a membership card for customers to carry and present when having their cars serviced. You can't do much better than getting customers to carry around your company's name and address in their pocket or purse.

    A major benefit of having a tire safety club is the tremendous amount of free advertising it can provide your dealership. This results primarily from the safety club sticker, made of the same material car dealerships use to display their names on the back of the vehicles they sell. It's reflective and can be seen by thousands of motorists daily.

    Customers were offered membership in the club at the time they made a purchase. We simply asked them whether they'd like to join the company's tire safety club and receive free services just for carrying the membership card and displaying the club's sticker.

    We then would ask where on their automobile they'd prefer the sticker to be placed. Usually, we suggested it be applied over the car dealership's sticker, which offered little benefit to the customer, while ours held the prospect of hundreds of dollars worth of free services.

    Here are some additional suggestions for organizing your own safety club:

    Use the reverse side of the membership card to promote your company's products and services or to state its warranty policies.

    If a customer requests additional club stickers—provide them. Over the years, our company's stickers wound up on bicycles, wagons, windows and even shirts—offering a lot of additional free advertising.

    Never provide the same free services without seeing the club sticker on the car.

    If a customer refuses to allow the tire safety club sticker to be applied to his vehicle, don't insist on doing so.

    The tire safety club concept is an on-going promotion that can be expanded in many ways. Some of the ways we tried were:

    Awarding prizes to the drivers of vehicles seen displaying the club sticker; and

    Offering club members additional discounts, thereby adding the element of exclusivity, which is a proven sales motivator.

    Use imagination in organizing a tire safety club. Take credit for what you're giving away and do it in a manner that gains you repeat business and free advertising.

    Mr. Janet is president of Bob Janet Marketing & Retail Consulting in Matthews, N.C.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION
    • Awards
      • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award