Randy O'Connor is the Owner of Dealer to Dealer (D2D) Development Group, which offers financial and operational consulting for the independent tire and auto service market in North America. The company's primary offering is a business growth strategy rooted in peer-to-peer networks, specifically the 20 Group format. Randy's strength lies in strategic analysis and process improvement. Drawing from varied roles across diverse industries, he's distinguished himself as an adept operator, crafting long-term solutions for sustained positive outcomes.

In this episode…

Tire and auto repair shops seem to face increasing difficulty in the way they set up their employee pay structure. As a result, it becomes challenging to explain why an entry-level employee is being paid a certain amount when he or she can drive for Amazon at a higher rate. Does this problem have an easy solution?

According to Randy O’Connor, from Dealer to Dealer Development Group, the situation has been complicated. If you can't explain a pay plan in a matter of five to 10 seconds, Randy says, it's not the right pay plan. People have to understand what and how they're getting paid. Commissions should be administered appropriately for general service workers and tire technicians, he suggests, offering accountability for quick work and professional inspections — not for selling oil filters and alignments, commissions that should be reserved for sales pros.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Neal Maier welcomes Randy for a conversation regarding the latest trends in the tire and auto repair industry. They talk about both the positives and the negatives, with suggestions for fixing the latter. Randy emphasizes the importance and value of a professional inspection to both the customer and the shop, and he discusses the customer experience advantage independents have over large chains.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• Randy O’Connor provides an update on tire industry developments based on recent data
• How base cost is increasing compared to payroll cost in the tire and auto repair industry
• Randy discusses the importance of accurately explaining a pay plan to an entry-level applicant 
• What is a reasonable incentive-based pay plan for tire technicians and general service employees?
• How the auto industry could improve its professional inspection process
• Why independent tire and auto repair shops always have a customer experience advantage over large chains 
• Randy shares how The One Minute Manager is a helpful book for anyone in leadership

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Randy O’Connor on LinkedIn
• Dealer to Dealer Development Group
• The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson 
• Neal Maier on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. 

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email [email protected] to learn more.