Larry Sutton is the Founder and President of RNR Tire Express, a national tire shop franchise with 155 locations across 26 states. Founded in 2000, the franchise was initially known as Rent-n-Roll. Larry attributes the success of RNR Tire Express to keeping focus on what your shop does well and serving customers — not just providing service.

In this episode…

As the owner or manager of a tire and auto repair shop, does your store try to be all things to all people? Or does it stick to what it’s good at? According to Larry Sutton, the President and Founder of RNR Tire Express, a key to his shop’s success and longevity is to keep it “as simple as possible and stay focused on what you do really well.” Larry has discovered that messing around in different areas can take your focus off main business and as a result, you won’t be as good at your main business as you want to be. 

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge discusses the true meaning of customer service with Larry, who says “we're a real proponent of what we call serving our customers, as opposed to just providing service.” Larry says straying from what your shop does well causes your level of customer service to drop from what it could be. Larry and Mike also talk about franchising in the tire industry, generating repeat business, and the best movie of all time. Don’t miss it!

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

• Larry Sutton explains why he brought the rent-to-own concept to the tire industry
• How Larry got into the tire business
• What it was like to open the first store
• Larry’s philosophy for achieving business success
• The rate of return customers for RNR franchisees
• Why Top Gun: Maverick is Larry’s favorite movie of all time

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Larry Sutton on LinkedIn
• RNR Tire Express 
• Dick Erickson
• Sun Tire 
• Mike Edge 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.