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PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Let’s Make a Deal

During a recent e-mail exchange on the topic of e-cataloging with a friend from a large WD, my friend pointed out that he was losing an estimated 15 percent of sales due to parts not being listed in the most current and (supposedly) up-to-date e-catalogs. After some dialogue back and forth about whom is to blame and why, he suggested a solution that struck a chord with me. To summarize his idea: The entire industry should collectively agree to abolish all paper catalogs and earmark the entire amount saved to upgrading and updating the current e-catalogs. It makes perfect sense to me, so much so that I’m going to begin a crusade, starting with this column.

From Counterman.com: Publisher’s Perspective — Store Brand Strength

During an industry event two years ago, Rollie Olson, owner of Parts Depot, a large member of Aftermarket Automotive Parts Alliance, publicly chastised parts manufacturers for not promoting their brands enough. Simply, he was unimpressed with the amount of brand promotion and brand building he saw from aftermarket manufacturers. It’s important to note Parts Depot’s affiliation with The Alliance, a group that competes against strong distribution brands like NAPA and CARQUEST. In the battle for service-shop market share, NAPA and CARQUEST use their own well-established brands to compete, while groups like The Alliance rely heavily on parts manufacturers’ brands. If parts manufacturers aren’t building and reinforcing their brands among technicians, who will?

PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Git-R-Done!

Ever hear the motto, “Speed kills?” I guess most haven’t in this multi-tasking world. Why does everybody want to go so fast? Why does everybody think they have to “multi-task” to get ahead? Where is everybody going, and why are they doing so many things at once? Nothing good has ever come from going as fast as you can, all the time. So here’s my confession: I’m slow. I like slow. After all, slow and steady win the race, right? Well, maybe “slow” isn’t the right term. It’s more like “even-keeled” or maybe even “patient.” I like the results I get when I take the time to mind the details and do it right.

PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Personnel Trumps Size

In our annual review of the industry’s top 20 store owners, a recurring theme is reinforced: the big get bigger. This past year represented the largest growth (up 6.2 percent) in total stores owned since we began charting the growth of the top 20 in 2003. Looking ahead, we don’t see this trend subsiding anytime soon. The fact is, store ownership and store operations are among the most critical aspects and valuable assets in parts distribution. We’ve maintained that belief here at Counterman for nearly a quarter century.

Publisher’s Perspective: It®€™s all About the Parts

In this month’s issue of Counterman magazine, Group Publisher Jon Owens writes about the growing trend of retailers and distributors seeking out manufactured parts from lower-cost sources. Some are even taking one step beyond, by forming joint ventures with manufacturers. While Owens says he understands the reasoning behind this, he cautions those companies that are considering taking this leap to think it through, thoroughly. “I’m not saying that retailers and distributors shouldn’t be involved in manufacturing,” Owens writes in his monthly column. “I’m merely suggesting that they do it for all the right reasons.”

PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Membership Has Its Privileges

You can point to many industry influences, but none can hold a candle to the importance of programmed distribution. Its evolution within this market has been the single-most influential phenomenon our industry has ever seen. Nobody sells more automotive products (combined) today than NAPA, the industry’s very first group. With some 6,000 participating outlets, no other entity (program group or retailer) can match their overall reach. From the time they started some 80 years ago, they’ve repeatedly set new standards of performance excellence across many distribution and store functions. You could argue that no program group concept, in any market or industry, has come close to the level of success and brand recognition than NAPA. While they are quite an impressive bunch, the success of programmed distribution does not end with them.

Publisher’s Perspective: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

In a recent interview, Goodyear chairman and CEO Bob Keegan talked about (among other things) the reshaping of Goodyear’s corporate culture, its drive to be more aggressive marketers and its need to better align itself with the needs of its dealers. Upon taking the helm at Goodyear in 2003, Keegan quickly set out to transform the company from an “old-style manufacturer” into an “aggressive marketing company.” As consumers we’ve all seen thousands of tire commercials, some with infants cradled inside the safety of a round, black tire, to others that make it appear as though the tire is actually drinking water off the pavement, spitting it out behind the vehicle. That’s all marketing, and Goodyear was right in the thick of it.

Publisher’s Perspective: Channel Partnering

In a recent aftermarketNews interview, Affinia President and CEO Terry McCormack made some very poignant comments regarding the interaction between customers and channel partners in the automotive aftermarket. Terry is a distinguished and respected aftermarket leader, with more than 30 years of experience. So, when he speaks, he’s drawing from a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and a record of success.

Publisher’s Perspective: Thank You, Bob

Back in 1985, as a young sales trainee for a large parts manufacturer, I had an opportunity to spend a week working with a WD in western Ohio as part of my training program. Like most things in life, I never fully appreciated this experience until much later in my career. During my week with Parts Distributors Inc., I spent two days making sales calls with a gentleman named Bob Kirkpatrick. When I heard that Bob passed away recently, I was again reminded how blessed I was for having met him.

Publisher’s Perspective: Should You…or Shouldn’t You?

Rising prices. What can you do about them? In response, maybe you’ve already implemented a price hike for your own customers. Or, perhaps you’re sitting there contemplating whether a price adjustment is appropriate – or wise.