D2D in the Press
Podcasts
Articles
Open Lines of Communication for a Successful 2025
"Structured and timely feedback sessions should be an absolute must, but they don’t need to be as structured as you think," says O'Connor.
December 9, 2024
How to Create a Five-Star Customer Experience
October 29, 2024
How to Avoid Tire Store Nightmares
"You should already be investing in what it takes to separate your customer experience from the rest."
October 18, 2024
MTD's Tire Dealer of the Year Is a 20 Group Evangelist
Beth Barron says, "I love 20 groups because it allows me to measure myself against the best of the best in the industry."
September 17, 2024
How to Scale Your Business
"As the owner of an independent tire dealership, you are today in a much better position to succeed than most any other time in recent memory," says O'Connor.
August 27, 2024
Best Practices to Help Your Dealership Stand Out
"Unless the customer’s expectations are stated, by way of effective communication, we don't stand a chance at meeting or exceeding those expectations," says O'Connor.
July 15, 2024
Is Your Shop Emergency Ready?
"Being ready to deal with an emergency in your tire dealership takes some planning. But having resources ready, from emergency phone numbers to fire extinguishers, is important."
June 17, 2024
'Tires' TV Show Vulgar, Insulting - and Thought-Provoking?
"This series may represent some of the things that are wrong in bad shops, but it doesn't accurately represent how those who work in the greater majority of tire dealerships truly feel about their roles, as well as their customers and co-workers," says O'Connor.
June 3, 2024
Why Maintaining Your Independence Is Critical
"The more you’re connected, the stronger you will be for tomorrow, when that local, personal relationship with the consumer becomes even more important."
April 30, 2024
Success is in the Details
"Getting through to customers at the right time, with the right value, is always important," says O'Connor. "Customer relation management (CRM) is vitally important before the traffic slows, not just when it slows."
April 2, 2024
How to Create Customer Loyalty
Randy O'Connor says, "With more demanding customers and more power in the customer’s hands than ever before, delivering exceptional levels of customer service is absolutely essential."
March 15, 2024
You’re Responsible for Training, Culture at Your Dealership
"Dealers with mature training programs and healthy/supportive culture almost always do both well." says O'Connor.
March 7, 2024
How to Help Your Employees Get Ahead
"Throughout the past few years, one of the top challenges facing owners has been the technician shortage," says O'Connor. "While it's true that the average age of the ASE-certified technician has dropped significantly over the past few years as a result of many technicians retiring their sore hands and backs, that's only part of the story."
January 10, 2024
The Top Modern Tire Dealer Show Episodes of 2023
'Tire industry experts shared their insight, experiences, advice and predictions via The Modern Tire Dealer Show during the past year.'
December 21, 2023
Creating a More Professionalized Customer Experience
"Training technicians, for those who invest in it, has a clear path by way of ASE certification," says O'Connor. "Training customer service/management has no such standard."
December 12, 2023
How to Fix Things That Keep Going Wrong
"If you work on two goals at a time and you stick with each for 60 days, it might seem that you, at the very least, will be able to work through 12 significant items in a year. The reality is, to make those changes part of your dealership’s culture, you need more like six to nine months of dedicated effort and follow through. Now, you’re down to a handful of meaningful changes."
October 31, 2023
Are You Optimizing Your Profitability?
"While tire dollars have risen, service and parts dollars have risen more," says O'Connor.
October 19, 2023
Why Embracing Fear Is Good For Your Business
I want to reinforce the idea that “the only true risk is the risk not taken.” Why? Because I see fear everywhere in my interactions with owners and their teams. It is hands down the single biggest barrier to elevating performance.
September 6, 2023
What Happens When You Ask More of Your Customers
As prices go up, so do customer expectations, says O'Connor.
August 22, 2023
Finding Your Spot in the Mix
"Tire dealerships will need to be prepared to adapt to the changing needs of consumers," says O'Connor. "They will need to offer a wide range of services, provide excellent customer service and stay up to date on the latest trends in the industry."
July 20, 2023
How to Work On Your Business — Not In It
"Give someone on your customer service team an elevated role with more responsibility," says O'Connor.
June 6, 2023
Calculating the True Cost of a Bad Customer Experience
"We need to recognize that cash only changes hands when the value of what we're providing meets or exceeds the customer’s perceived investment," says O'Connor.
May 15, 2023
How to Get Your Employees to Take More Ownership
"Instead of flat or hourly raises, consider aligning your gross profit goals with your employees’ pay goals," says O'Connor.
April 4, 2023
How Dealers Achieved Gross Profit Gains in 2022
"Dealers continue to struggle obtain the right level of inventory," says Healy.
March 7, 2023
How to Get a Better Grasp on Work-Life Balance
February 10, 2023
Are Old Habits Holding Your Business Back?
January 3, 2023
What Will Your 'New Normal' Look Like?
Six Trends to Keep an Eye On
November 30, 2022
Tips to Help Formulate Your 2023 Business Plan
'Get in Motion and Grow,' Says O'Connor
October 13, 2022
Using Data to Spot Trends in Your Business
Encourage Your People to Dig Deeper
September 16, 2022
Look Beyond the Basics to Attract Top Talent
Is the Proposition You're Selling Worth Buying?
August 25, 2022
Small Mistakes Can Add Up to Big Losses
Reduce Your Exposure Through Employee Education
July 12, 2022
Solving the Compensation Plan Puzzle
Employees Need to Be On the Same Page and Incentivized
June 8, 2022
Are You Giving Your Service Manager Your Full Support?
Involve Other Members of Your Team in the Process
May 3, 2022
Customers Are Constantly Forming Expectations
Are You Delivering on Your Promises to Them?
April 18, 2022
Club 3633 Profile: Randy O’Connor
Randy O'Connor's ability to speak two languages - Spanish and English - landed him his first job in the tire industry.
February 6, 2018