LAKE FOREST, IL – This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of the implementation of Tenneco’s Expert Plus marketing program for technicians. During this anniversary year, Tenneco expects a record 18,000 members to participate in the expanded Expert Plus program.

“We’ve established Expert Plus as an industry-leading program, and we’re not stopping there,” said Sheryl Bomia, North American Aftermarket programs manager for Tenneco. “The 2008 program is packed with exciting new promotions and special offers — like our preferred customer rebate coupon book — and it’s backed by premium undercar products that are easy to install and sell. It’s no wonder our customers are eager to see and participate in the program every year.”

Expert Plus, a promotional incentive and marketing program, is offered exclusively through Monroe shocks and struts, Monroe brakes, Walker exhaust, DynoMax performance exhaust, Thrush exhaust and Rancho performance suspension.

The 2008 Expert Plus program enables member shops and technicians to participate in Tenneco’s popular national consumer promotions and gives them exclusive access to Expert Plus member-only promotions.

Also new for 2008, the Expert Plus program includes “Learn and Earn,” a brand-new series of online training programs and tests. Members can earn points for successful completion of the training tests to use for rewards or with online auctions.

Members can join in the action by participating in the online Expert Plus auctions where members can bid points earned through the Expert Plus program to win premiums. “We’re very excited to bring back the popular Expert Plus auction. This gives members an extra incentive to earn valuable points and awesome premiums in the 2008 program,” Bomia said.

Expert Plus member shops also are eligible to receive quarterly e-newsletters and participate in the “Show Me Your Shop” in-store merchandising photo contest. Members are invited to submit pictures of their stores merchandised with Expert Plus program in-store materials. “Every year, we receive pictures from our members that show incredible in-store merchandising with our branded point-of-sale materials. We decided to reward those shops and encourage others to show us their shops.

“We’re also offering Expert Plus members a profit-earning new incentive with the Monroe ‘Buy 3, Get the 4th Free’ Preferred Customer Rebate Coupon book. This will give our installers and counterpeople the opportunity to offer this special promotion to consumers during the year,” Bomia said. “We’re making it easier than ever to help our customers sell ride control products.”

Several items feature the attention-getting Monroe shocks and struts “Save the Squirrels” theme and the 50,000-mile replacement recommendation.

Expert Plus members receive an extensive assortment of merchandising tools, like the two-sided 14-gallon barrel, Mechanix gloves, inspection tags, vehicle key holder, “Push” and “Pull” door decal and a variety of other high-impact sales-building tools.

Membership in the 2008 Tenneco Expert Plus program is $59.99 per business location for any of the packages and includes unlimited access to the www.expert-plus.com website. Members are included in Tenneco brand “Dealer Locator” listings.

For more information or to register for the 2008 Expert Plus program, call program headquarters toll-free at (800) 603-6834 (U.S.) or (800) 531-7814 (Canada) or send an email to mailto:[email protected].