How to Sell TPMS.

"TPMS?? Wuzzat?!" is a common response when tire customers are asked about their tire pressure monitoring system. Although it's been around for more than a decade, TPMS is little understood by the motoring public. That poses a selling challenge for an important safety feature on the customer's vehicle.

There are two occasions when a customer should buy TPMS: 1) when the original ones need to be replaced and 2) when they buy a second set of rims and tires, often for winter use.

TPMS Sensors typically last about 140,000 km. With many TPMS-equipped cars hitting that mileage marker, a TPMS warning light is flashing like a beacon on their dashboard. Usually the problem will appear as one sensor battery that has expired. The immediate fix would be to replace the expired sensor and send the customer down the road. But if one sensor has expired, the other 3 will quickly follow, so it is best to replace all 4.

Another opportunity for selling TPMS comes in the fall with winter tires and rims. If you have sensors working in your summer set of tires for 6 months of the year, why wouldn't you have them for the other 6 months with winter tires?

There are three steps to successfully sell TPMS to your customer-

1. Show it.
2. Educate.
3. Explain the benefits.

1. Show it. Have some used TPMS sensors at the sales counter or a cut-away of a rim with a sensor in it. You can get one of these from PREMA, call us. This helps the customer understand that this is a tangible, working part of their car, not some abstract concept.
2. Educate. Tire pressure monitoring systems were introduced in 2008 after a rash of fatal tire blow- outs involving Ford Explorers with under-inflated Firestone tires. Other studies have shown that fewer than 25% of drivers check their tires' air pressure monthly. In other words, TPMS is an important safety feature designed to constantly monitor tire pressure and help avoid a potentially dangerous situation.
3. Explain the benefits. The customer has to see value in tire pressure monitoring for themselves before flicking the switch from "No" to "Yes" on the sale. Here are some of those benefits-

• Safety first. Tire blow outs are dangerous and can be fatal. That's what the system is designed to prevent.
• Fuel economy. Low tire pressure increases fuel consumption.
• Longer tire life. Nothing shortens a tire's life faster than low air pressure. Remind the customer of the investment they make in their tires and how long they should last. Low tire pressure can ruin a set of tires in a matter of months.
• Convenience. Many cars have an information centre that scrolls warning messages until the problem is fixed. Not having TPMS working can mean annoying messages constantly scrolling across the dashboard.
• Ease of use. With a TPMS, there's no need to get on your hands and knees on cold concrete in -20 temperature to check air pressure with a tire guage that may or may not be accurate. Instead, the driver has a state-of-the-art system on board that flashes a warning light when there's a problem.

For more information or assistance on TPMS, contact Jimmy at 403-708-8160. Jimmy is Tire Industry Association-certified in Advanced TPMS.