WAYNE, N.J. (April. 23, 2012) — Hankook Tire America Corp. has launched an updated Empowerment Online Training Program as part of its continued efforts to provide its dealer partners with up to date product information and education.
The website's goal is to educate the company's distribution channel about the Hankook brand and its tires, Wayne-based Hankook said, and offers users the opportunity to become a Hankook Certified Tire Specialist.
The company originally launched the site in 2009. The updated version provides product, design and safety information dealers can use at the point of sale when interacting with consumers, Hankook said. In addition to existing training modules that focused on tire basics and the tire marketer's Ventus, Dynapro and broadline products, two additional modules have been added to educate users about Hankook's winter and commercial tire products.
Each training module includes an opening video followed by detailed information such as product sales guides, application guides, a positioning/competitive comparison guide and data sheet with detailed product data.
“Consumers have a wide selection of tire brands to choose from when shopping for new replacement tires for their vehicles,” said Henry Kopacz, public relations and product marketing specialist for Hankook. “While there are numerous places that consumers can gather information for their next tire purchase, the face to face contact they have with a sales person is vitally important in that decision making process. Our Empowerment Online Training Program provides salespeople the information and knowledge to confidently recommend our products to consumers.”
To become a Hankook Certified Tire Specialist, the company said users must complete each of the program's tire basics, Ventus, Dynapro and broadline training module tests and get a score of 80 percent or better. As an added incentive, users scoring 80 percent or better on each test will receive a $70 Hankook American Express Reward Card. Users scoring 100 percent on each test will receive a $100 Hankook American Express Reward Card.
In order to retain their Hankook Certified Tire Specialist rating, the company encouraged users to retake the training program yearly on or after their initial certification anniversary.
The online training program is available via any computer with Internet access. Upon entering the website, users can register for the program and choose a unique username and password of their choice. The program can be completed by users at their own pace, the company noted, with no time limit in which to complete the training modules or tests.
Hdankook expects the program will be available to more than 400 independent dealers and more than 3,000 retail sales locations in the U.S.