Today I spent my lunch hour with my friendly neighborhood America’s Tire friend. Much like Spider Man, he wears red and black, and he is just as affable as I imagine Peter Parker to be. I was there to take advantage of one of their customer perks, lifetime repair. My only complaint has always been access to this perk. They are busy, so when you need this, it is never quick. Bring some work to do, or perhaps a good book. This is a no frills experience. They do have a restroom, and I noticed that they now have chairs with cushions. If you want a snack, bring your own.
A few new additions were in the waiting area today. They installed monitors that face customers, so instead of the old method of flipping the screen toward you to show the price, they can now show it right to you. However, I noticed their salespeople do not like that. They still love to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as you consult together on which option to choose. The other addition is a large poster of Bruce T. Halle with his saying: “Be honest, work hard, have fun, be grateful, pay it forward.”
In 2019, I had an opportunity to meet the executive team of Discount Tire at their Scottsdale, Arizona offices. That was the year after Mr. Halle had passed away, and there was a modernization effort underway. I had little involvement in what they had going on, but after spending time with them and visiting a few stores, I was quite impressed. You see, Mr. Halle had installed a customer first mindset that was everywhere in the business. Additionally, when he started in Michigan, he sold a couple of tires he had acquired on the roadside, and as of today the focus has not changed. They sell tires. It is not that complicated, and they do not make it complicated. Tires are their business, and it is quite clear that is what they focus on.
Even though the younger generation had convinced the company to finally invest in new systems, the mindset about putting the customer first remained. To be honest, I have been in many meetings in large companies where discussions about modernizing systems have come up. These types of projects are incredibly expensive and take massive capital to pull off. The temptation to cut corners, change how they do business, and alter their approach to a customer is always present. In my brief experience in this office, that was not an option at all. If the choice was to upgrade to a new system and change the focus on the customer, they would stick with the ancient system that had served them well. I could see in the discussions that the customer first mindset worked its way into every conversation.
Even as I sit here writing this blog, I am getting annoyed that it is taking so long, and I am probably going to be late for a call that I have at 2:30. So I just complained to one of the technicians walking past me. Normally a technician would just blow you off. That is not his job, not his department. However, in this case, Peter (coincidence?) immediately dropped what he was doing, ran into the garage, made a decision to push my vehicle up into the queue, and took care of it himself. I watched this kid for over an hour. He is not a manager. He is clearly the bottom of the food chain here at this tire store. However, he felt empowered to take care of a customer. I see his manager approaching him now. They are both looking at me. The manager is nodding his head, and Peter is back to work, putting my repaired tire back on. Peter made a decision on his own to put the customer first, and no one objected. In fact, from what I can tell, the manager was pleased with that outcome because he is walking over to me as I type here.
Yup, sure enough, he just told me that they will have it ready in five minutes, and hopefully that will be enough time for me to make my call. It will not be, I will be late, but at least they tried. I feel slightly better about waiting an hour to get my flat tire fixed. However, you know what? I am coming back. I will be back again the next time I buy tires. The reason?
When I come back, they will have my tire history up and running, and they will have made a note about this experience, and they will remember it. I was in a meeting where this behavior was being designed into their workflow. They are so passionate about customer service that they thought of this. They knew it would be hard to provide their lifetime repair service at no charge, but they want to stick to that program, so they understood that access to that service would be difficult. So they built a mechanism into their workflow to help their customers feel better about it. This level of commitment to an ideal is inspiring. It is born out of a passionate commitment, central control since all these stores are privately owned by the company, and a singular focus on delivering tires with as much value as they can provide. Honestly, based on my experience, I would not go anywhere else to buy tires. They have indoctrinated a loyal fan.
As I got up to leave, my friend Peter had the car already pulled up and the door open, holding the key out for me. My conference call was already playing on the Bluetooth. He was smart enough not to say anything, just gave me the official tire technician salute, and I was off and on my way. Peter may not have shot webs out of his fingers, but he did everything he could to get me on my call on time. Later, as I was thinking of a conclusion for what I started writing in the lobby of America’s Tire, owned by Discount Tire of course, I contemplated what I had learned. Looking down at the piece of paper the technician handed me, just underneath the zero dollar service charge was the phrase, “We sell more than tires.” I thought about that. I think they will sell you some accessories, and perhaps an alignment service or something like that. However, I only saw tires being sold. Not even extended warranties were being offered. Then I thought again. Maybe that is not what the phrase meant. Maybe they are selling a relationship, or an experience, or something to that effect.
Regardless, the passion a company can have when directed at a noble aim is worth consideration. Mr. Halle left a legacy behind. There is no doubt. He was a hardworking, fair man who had a passion for helping people. When he put customers first, I think he really meant it. Good inspiration for a Friday afternoon spent dealing with a flat tire on the side of the road.
