SAN ANTONIO — American Tire Distributors Inc.'s (ATD) Tire Pros unveiled a new dealer evaluation program and an online dashboard benchmarking tool and previewed a national marketing campaign Feb. 9 during the dealer cooperative's eighth annual business conference.
Nearly 1,000 people are attending the four-day event, held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Resort and Spa. The conference concludes on Feb. 11 with the inaugural golf tournament at nearby The Player's Championship (TPC) San Antonio's Canyons Course.
Ron Sinclair, ATD's senior vice president of retail strategy and partnerships, and Stuart Schuette, CEO and president of ATD, were among those addressing Tire Pros dealers, most of whom were dressed in red, Tire Pro shirts.
"As the marketplace and the expectations of the retail customers continue to evolve, ATD and Tire Pros remain focused on providing our franchises with the tools, technologies and services to win their markets," said Mr. Sinclair.
Most of the initiatives are the product of work done by Tire Pros' Mission Based Councils (MBC), which were formed prior to last year's event. The four MBCs, comprised of around 40 Tire Pros dealers from around the country, focus on four issues: Customer Experience, Marketing, Training and Technology.
Initiatives or updates made include:
- A revamped national marketing campaign that includes a television spot that can be catered to different media and social networks, as well as digital banners, online video, print ads and in-store displays. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the second quarter, supports Tire Pros "no-hassle guarantee."
- An online dashboard benchmarking tool that will enable Tire Pro dealers to measure their performance against others on an ongoing basis. The dashboard will include regional and national benchmarks, as well as annual goals established by the Tire Pros operator.
- A new ongoing dealer evaluation program, called ProStars, that is designed to push Tire Pro dealers toward operational excellence. The merit-based point system will award dealers points in several categories, and the top dealers will be recognized as ProStars at next year's event.
- Continued development of the net promoter score (NPS) tool that was unveiled at last year's meeting. The tool measures customer satisfaction and is scheduled to roll out over the next six months.
While the some of the initiatives are new, Tire Pros elected to retain the same theme for this conference as last year: One with the Tire Pros.
"We are committed to unity, doing things as one," Mr. Sinclair said.
Mr. Sinclair said the conference has three main goals: Confirm the case for change is even stronger today; reinforce the path going forward for ATD and Tire Pros; and demonstrate the value proposition of being One with the Pros.
A trade show, featuring more than 55 vendors, also is being held during the show. Tire Pro staff also put on several informational sessions on a variety of topics.
Tire Pros has more than 725 locations in the U.S.