Managers Corner
Series: Building a Profitable Tire Shop Model Most tire shops are sitting on money they don’t know they have. Not in a new piece of equipment. Not in a marketing campaign. Not in adding a bay or hiring another tech. It’s already there — in the cars that are
Managers Corner
Series: Building a Profitable Tire Shop Model There’s a moment most tire shop owners know well. A customer calls for a price, you give them one, they say “I’ll think about it,” and you never hear from them again. So next time, you go a little lower. And
Managers Corner
Why Getting Busier Won’t Automatically Make You More Profitable Let me start with a question. Have you ever had your busiest month of the year… and still wondered where the money went? The lot was full. The bays were full. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. But when you
Managers Corner
Customer retention has become one of the most talked-about challenges in the tire and automotive service industry. Acquisition costs are rising, competition is tighter, and customers have more choices than ever. In that environment, many shops are revisiting a familiar idea with a modern twist: prepaid service packages. You’ve
Managers Corner
Most tire shop owners don’t lose good employees overnight. They lose them slowly. A great technician starts disengaging. A strong sales advisor stops pushing. A promising manager becomes reactive instead of proactive. Then one day, they give notice — and everyone says, “I didn’t see that coming.” In reality,
Managers Corner
Part 2: The First 90 Days Decide Everything Most tire shop owners think turnover happens at six months or a year. In reality, the decision to stay or leave is usually made in the first 30–90 days. This is where good technicians disengage. Where sales advisors get frustrated. Where
Managers Corner
Part 1: Fix the Foundation Before You Blame the Labor Market If you ask most tire shop owners why they can’t find or keep good people, you’ll hear the same answers: * “Nobody wants to work anymore.” * “Good techs are impossible to find.” * “Salespeople don’t stick around.” * “Managers
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What exactly is a “lifetime alignment”? In most markets, a lifetime alignment means: * The customer pays a higher one-time fee than a standard alignment * In return, they can come back for free checks and re-alignments for as long as they own that vehicle (within the program’s terms and conditions)
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For the past decade, the tire and automotive service industry has watched consolidation at a historic scale. Large national chains, private equity groups, and mega-brands have aggressively bought out local tire shops—sometimes dozens at a time—hoping to capture market share, streamline operations, and build national loyalty. But 2025
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For decades, the snow belt has enjoyed a predictable rhythm. Late Q3 and Q4 meant one thing: money season—snow tire sales, stud installs, and a parking lot full of seasonal changeovers. But over the past 10 years, that rhythm has been disrupted. Weather patterns have shifted. Snow is arriving
Managers Corner
How to Attract Bigger Fleets, Farms, Dairies & High-Value Accounts by Listening Better Than Your Competitors Most tire shops and automotive service centers want more fleet business. They want the farms, dairies, municipalities, delivery companies, trades fleets, and commercial accounts that bring in stable, repeatable revenue—year after year. But
Managers Corner
Spiff programs are one of the most underutilized—and often misunderstood—tools in the tire industry. Manufacturers create them to incentivize front-counter sales teams, reward product knowledge, and move priority inventory. Yet out in the field, reactions vary wildly: * Some owners refuse to let their people participate because it “feels