Turn Bad News Into Good News

Advising When To Replace Tires is Smart Business   

No one wants to be the Bearer of Bad News. The original Bad News Bearer was a white raven in ancient Greek mythology that belonged to the Greek God, Apollo. Apollo sent the raven to spy on his lover, Coronis because he suspected her of being unfaithful. When the raven confirmed his suspicions and informed Apollo that she had been unfaithful, Apollo’s sister Artemis punished the raven for being the bearer of bad news and turned him black. It could have been worse. She might have shot him!

Delivering Bad News today won’t usually get you shot, but it’s hard nonetheless. For a service advisor, telling a customer that they need new tires and they will likely have to spend hundreds of dollars to replace their tires; now that’s a difficult job. The customer might be upset or maybe even angry. It could be awkward and uncomfortable. It might lead to a bad CSI score. So, because it’s difficult, unfortunately many service advisors avoid doing it. That’s unfortunate for the advisor, unfortunate for the Dealership and really unfortunate if not downright dangerous for the customer.

Telling people “The Bad News” is unavoidable, and it’s a very important part of the job. Believe it or not, customers come to your service drive expecting and wanting “The Bad News” presented in a clear, concise and honest way. They really didn’t come for your gourmet coffee and the ambience of your customer lounge. They came to have their vehicle professionally checked out and serviced for their continued driving safety and enjoyment. They know they will likely need some work done. If it’s broken, they want it fixed. If it’s not broken, they want it properly maintained so it won’t get broken. They may whine and complain but deep down they are there to have you service the vehicle. When you avoid telling them the honest truth, you are doing them a disservice. You are potentially putting them and their vehicle at risk. And you are putting your future relationship with that customer at risk too.

When you present your customers with the facts, you are actually delivering GOOD NEWS! The “Good News is... we have checked your tires and they are worn out. It’s time to replace them with new tires that will give you better performance, safety and peace of mind for the next 3 or 4 years.

?Thank goodness we checked and found out now so you can make an informed choice and decision in the comfort of our dealership, and we can correct the deficiency and have you on your way in no time. The alternative if we hadn’t checked is that you could have had a very bad tire failure at a most inopportune time or place with far more drastic personal, physical and financial consequences”.

To put all this in perspective, allow me to digress a bit and recount my personal “Worst Ever – Bad News” experience. A little more than 2 years ago I had my first colonoscopy. I didn’t really want it. I didn’t think I needed it. I procrastinated a bit. But my wife and doctor insisted so I did it. 

I had my exam on a Friday morning. Dr. Schmidt (not his real name), an abrupt and efficient German, performed the procedure. I was prepped, had an intravenous injection, and went to sleep. I woke up a little groggy in the early afternoon with my wife by my bedside, and a little while later Dr. Schmidt arrived.

In his clipped German accent Dr. Schmidt pronounced;  And so we performed zee Colonoscopy – yes? And so we found zee TUMOR – yes?  And so it was a BIG ONE – yes?  And so you have CANCER!................................ Have a good weekend.

Imagine my surprise! And shock! And horror! And ten thousand questions! With no one to answer any of them. Would you not agree that that was probably some of the worst news anyone could receive?

Guess what? It wasn’t. In fact it wasn’t bad news at all. It was GOOD NEWS! It was the news that changed and saved my life. I found out in time to have the cancerous tumor removed and two years later to be cancer free. Imagine if Dr. Schmidt hadn’t told me. Imagine if I hadn’t had the colonoscopy. Honestly I would not be here to recount the tale.

The moral of my story is that what people often think of as bad news, is not necessarily bad. If the news provides needed information that leads to decisions that produce a much better outcome, it’s Good News!

So how does that relate to Tires?

·        Did you know that more than 35% of all vehicle failure accidents are caused by tire failure?

·        Did you know that Tire Failure is the number one cause of vehicle failure accidents?

·        Did you know that more than 500 people die each year in tire related accidents?

·        Did you know that more than 19,000 people each year are injured in tire related accidents?

Did you know that almost all of these accidents could have been prevented?

The number one cause of Tire Failure is under inflation of the tires. This is such an easy fix. Newer cars have a TPMS which has had a major impact in reducing tire failure accidents. Make sure you educate your customers about maintaining correct tire pressure. Tell them to pay attention to the TPMS. And check all the tires that visit your service drive every time.

All Tires wear our over time. Some tires wear out prematurely because of misalignment, or other issues. Tread wear should be checked periodically to ensure adequate tread across the surface of the tire. Check every tire coming into your service drive for signs of wear.

Tires deteriorate over time. Tires more than 6 years old are suspect and there is no way to check them without destroying them. Check the date code on the tire. If the tires are more than 6 years old, recommend to your customers that they be replaced.

Tire failure is not the only type of accident in which tires play a significant role. Worn tires can be a key factor in weather related accidents too. As tires wear, the tread depth becomes less and the tire’s ability to evacuate water is reduced. Since water cannot be compressed, the tire with too little tread depth will begin to float on top of the accumulated water losing contact with the road. This Hydroplaning effect is dangerous as it reduces a vehicle’s ability to hold onto the road and to stop.

Tire Rack tested (and video-taped) a mid-sized sedan travelling at 70 mph in a panic stop on a minimally wet road surface with different tire tread depths. Here are their results:

1.    10/32” Tread depth New Tire  - Stopping distance 195.2’

2.    4/32” Tread depth Worn Tire - Stopping distance 290.0’   extra stopping distance – 75’

3.    2/32” Tread depth Worn Tire - Stopping distance 378.8’   extra stopping distance – 183.6

And it passed the vehicle with 4/32” tread still travelling at 44 MPH

See the video at https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/videoDisplay.jsp?ttid=85

Although 4/32” tread tires are not legally worn out yet, explaining and demonstrating the wet weather deficiency of 4/32” tire tread and suggesting your customers consider replacement is a very prudent idea.

More than 15% of the vehicles in your service drive need new tires now. If you include those vehicles with 4/32” tread the number will be closer to 20%.

·        If you aren’t telling ALL of those customers that they need tires – Shame on you!

·        If you don’t check every tire coming into your drive so you know who needs tires– Shame on you!

·        If you don’t advise your customers that they need new tires when they do – Shame on you!

·         If you don’t educate your customers about Tires – Shame on you!

As I have preached in previous articles, you should

Sell Tires like your Customer’s Life Depends On It. Because It Does!

And you should

Sell Tires like your Dealership’s Life Depends On It. Because It Does

Special Note: Come See Me at NADA. I am presenting at the Hunter Engineering Booth