Dialed In

In that same spirit of celebration, I welcome you to the premiere issue of Styling & Performance, a multi-media brand designed to unite the specialty parts industry—traditional and specialty distribution channels and new-vehicle dealerships—in the business of profitability and innovation.

In today's specialty automotive aftermarket, profitability and innovation take on new meaning and bring unexpected challenges as shrinking margins from manufacturers continue and modified intake and exhaust systems, tires and wheels, audio upgrades, and performance enhancements become increasingly prevalent on nearly every street corner in the United States.

What compels your customers to come to you instead of your competitor down the street? Once they enter your shop or dealership, how effective are you and your sales and service teams in educating your customers on the specialty parts and modifications they crave? How long does it take you to get them the parts they request, and how well trained are your technicians in installation once parts are in stock? Most importantly, you've established foot traffic and developed temporarily satisfied customers, so what's your game plan to keep them coming back?

Real-world examples make for inspired editorial, so thankfully I experienced some just the other weekend. My husband discovered the need for two new ContiSport 245/40Z 17-inch rear tires during a routine inspection at the BMW dealership. We were hiking that Saturday and he missed the service manager's diagnosis phone call and offer to have them mounted and aligned in time for his scheduled 4 p.m. pick up. The next day, my husband searched online and calls were placed, and within minutes, he had developed a short list of three performance tire centers within a two-mile radius of our home.

Call number one was placed to Bob, who warmly greeted my husband and engaged him in conversation about the USA vs. Mexico Gold Cup finals while he conducted a quick inventory search. It was like Bob knew. The tires were in stock and a verbal quote was received. Call number two was placed for price comparison purposes, and my husband was placed on hold for three minutes—Bob: 1; second tire dealer: 0. The final call was placed and the phone continued to ring—it was Sunday afternoon and perhaps this shop decided to close early, or only stayed open six days a week.

Needless to say, Bob won my husband's business and had started to win his trust. I followed him to the shop so he could drop off his car for the install. While I was there, Bob and I got to talking about his job and my car, and he suggested that I come by twice a month so they could check my tire pressure. If his techs were busy, Bob said he would personally check to ensure I was operating at a safe PSI. Above and beyond. Genuine. Value-added. Knowledgeable. Speedy. Reasonably priced. Smart marketer. Superior service experience. All of these qualities differentiated the brand called Bob and the store called ATS Tires Motorsports and represent what is critical for success in today's competitive marketplace.

Styling & Performance helps its 50,000 traditional and specialty distributor, jobber, retailer, independent service provider, and new car and truck dealership readers to succeed by providing monthly profitable and innovative business solutions. We offer various insights on specialty trends, share exclusive product flow data research, and, through our aftermarket Web portal and real-time specialty-parts-sourcing database at www.search-autoparts.com you can access more than 150 leading manufacturer brands necessary to establish a competitive advantage. And, if that's not enough, we offer you a chance to win a fully modified project truck to transport those specialty parts and brand yourself, just like Bob.

Enjoy the ride.

Allison Lombardo Publisher