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
    • Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled until 2022
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      Cover-up: More retailers requiring face masks to curb COVID
    • 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
      New Porsche 911 GT3 to feature Michelin fitment
    • Michelin, BFG, Uniroyal car/LT tire prices going up 8% on April 1
      Rebound in car tire demand drives USTMA market forecast for 2021
      Bridgestone celebrating 90 years as a business in 2021
      Icahn Auto trims fiscal 2020 operating loss despite 14% lower sales
    • TravelCenters plans 6 TA Express sites in California in 2021
      Carlisle TyrFil broadens recycling technology options
      U.K. retreader Vaculug to promote tread rubber supplier Vipal
      TMC moves spring conference online, sets trade show for September
    • 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
    • Rebound in car tire demand drives USTMA market forecast for 2021
      Michelin driving for '100% sustainable' tires by 2050
      Bridgestone celebrating 90 years as a business in 2021
      Yokohama sets ambitious goals through 2023
    • 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
      BFG to support ATV/UTV racers in WORCS series
    • Michelin launching ‘eco-responsible' performance tire for sporty EVs
      Martins Industries launches products in 3 categories
      Carlisle TyrFil broadens recycling technology options
      New McLaren supercar incorporates Pirelli's Cyber Tyre system
    • Our View: Goodyear, Cooper deal historic moment in tire history
      McMahon's Best-One increases its minimum wage to $15
      Tire Kingdom treats front-line workers at Palm Beach Gardens hospitals
      Icahn Auto trims fiscal 2020 operating loss despite 14% lower sales
    • Washington dealership uses new-school solution for recruiting auto techs
      Marinucci: Customers may ignore dangerous conditions
      Automotive Lift Institute introduces Check360 inspection, label
      Martins Industries launches products in 3 categories
    • SEMA scholarships and loan forgiveness now available
      WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
      Denver's Brian Sump named AAPEX Shop Owner of the Year
      DUB, TIS Wheels founder Myles Kovacs is SEMA Person of the Year
    • Trade groups oppose minimum wage increase proposal
      New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      2020 Review: PPP loans give boost to small businesses
    • Rebound in car tire demand drives USTMA market forecast for 2021
      Michelin launching ‘eco-responsible' performance tire for sporty EVs
      Goodyear, Cooper deal creates tire production synergies
      Goodyear promotes Helsel to senior VP, global operations role
    • 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
      An introduction to wheel balancing
      Wheel weights: Balancing form with function
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
    • Video: Demounting
      An introduction to demounting, mounting and inflation
      Staying safe when demounting and mounting tires
      Demounting Equipment
    • Video: Safety
      Introduction: Creating a culture of safety
      Protecting your people with proper hygiene
      Making friends with OSHA
    • Video: Tire Repair
      An introduction to tire repair
      How to properly patch a puncture
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
    • Video: TMPS Service
      An introduction to TPMS service
      The importance of proper relearn procedures
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
    • Video: Training
      Intro: Finding and training technicians
      Shop Floor: Scholarships
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      An introduction to lifts and lift safety
      Recommendations for using a jack
      Jack stands for commercial tire service
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Introduction to proper wheel installation
      Torque check and recheck recommendations
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
  • 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
April 10, 2000 02:00 AM

Shop's backbone

Dan Marinucci
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    An informed sales staff is the backbone of any tire dealership or service shop. My field experience tells me that if I repeated this tenet 100 times, I still wouldn't be overstating the point to most readers. In other words, if every owner or manager really understood the importance of informed, confident salespeople, everyone in this business would be fat and happy. What's more, the blunders I witness at some service facilities would be nonexistent.

    Every chance I get, I'm out in the service bays doing homework, getting a bird's-eye view of how a service facility actually works. One factor I've learned to watch is the relationship between service writers or counter salespersons and the technicians.

    Simply put, I watch how the front of the business works with the back end. Usually it doesn't take long to figure out the working relationships of these people.

    Let me state two possibly foregone conclusions before I proceed.

    First: We work in a highly technical, rapidly changing industry. Many of us have been around long enough to see the pace of change increase from a gait to a gallop.

    Second: Good help—sales or service—is hard to find. So more bosses I meet are taking the "Pygmalion" approach of grooming their own talent.

    That said, I worry about service salespeople who seem to make a career out of quizzing techs about things they're supposed to know.

    Granted, teamwork between the front and back ends of the dealership is essential to success. Plus, you can't realistically expect salespeople to be techs. (I think ex-techs often fail as salespeople simply because they're so technical by nature!)

    Too often, service salespeople get themselves and the dealership in trouble by opening their mouths before they know the score. They draw a conclusion or recommend something without consulting a knowledgeable tech. When in doubt, salespeople must ask now, not later!

    Veteran shop-watchers would likely agree that teamwork between the two parts of the business should occur so smoothly it's almost transparent to a third-party observer. Allow me to coin a possibly new, but polite phrase here: "underinformed worker."

    That person often disrupts this vital working relationship I just described by asking too many questions. After all, asking questions takes time. If you expect your techs to maximize productivity, they can't be gabbing too much with service writers.

    If you think this isn't an issue, observe how much time each salesperson spends talking to techs every day. Or clock it with a stopwatch. I'll guarantee the underinformed worker is taking more of your techs' time than the rest of the staff combined.

    Many service salespeople are shameless about pleading ignorance. "You can't expect me to know that stuff, 'cause I'm just a salesperson," they whine. One colleague calls this the "Bones defense," named for the ship's doctor in the television series Star Trek. Bones would often tersely answer Captain Kirk: "I'm a doctor, damn it, not an engineer!"

    Wake up, sales people! At some point you must learn at least a minimum about automotive maintenance and repair.

    If I can walk into a vision center in a mall and hear a clerk speak intelligently about eye care, then I can expect a service writer to "talk the talk" about auto care.

    At the least, competent service writers should convincingly sell the technical reasons for changing brake fluid, replacing timing belts and other forms of preventive maintenance.

    At some point, these conversations with the techs have to sink into the head of the service writer. Furthermore, underinformed service salespeople must realize that, like techs, they need ongoing training. If nothing else, soak up all the information possible from videotapes and support literature provided by aftermarket parts, chemical and equipment suppliers. There's also a wealth of information to absorb around the dealership.

    Last but not least, service salespeople shouldn't be afraid to take technical training classes alongside their technician co-workers. Instructors at both FMC and Hunter Engineering, two major names in wheel service equipment, have told me they're seeing more and more service writers in their alignment classes.

    They've come to get the knowledge needed to confidently sell those big-buck, four-wheel alignment jobs, the instructors explained.

    I've also noticed more service salespeople showing up in my seminars. The wife of one shop owner I know in northern California has become a regular attendee. The woman, who's the shop's only service writer, admitted that if she learns nothing more than a few technical buzz phrases or concepts, she's ahead of her competition.

    "Knowledge begets confidence; confidence builds sales," she said.

    Confidence builds sales—what a concept! It's easy to state; difficult to implement.

    But if you allow salespeople to continue excusing themselves from learning anything technical, you're limiting your store's potential.

    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