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Category: Auto Shop

Recognizing Your Employees!

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
Recognizing Your Employees!
Auto Shop, Tips for Tires, tire business

I happily just celebrated my 15th anniversary with Upright Communications (Upright Tire) just this month! And as I celebrated my successes, it prompted me to think about all the ways that we can be celebrating our employees when they reach epic milestones (or even 90-day ones! Celebrating anything is fun!).

As noted by Tire Review, former U.S. Defense Secretary and Ford Motor Co. President Robert McNamara put it simply: “Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.” Who can relate to that? I mean, I certainly can appreciate that sentiment. If you’re not appreciated, chances are you’re not going to put all your heart into your work. 

In the day-to-day grind of running a business, we can quickly get caught up in the ‘thanks’ or simple ‘congratulations’ for when employees reach a milestone. However, given the shortage of quality talent and life as it is, can shop owners afford to not implement an employee retention program centered on recognition? Being recognized, both monetarily and morally, can boost morale more than you may realize. (So many valuable words that start with ‘m’ in that sentence!)

A 2013 Harris Interactive online survey, on behalf of Glassdoor, reported that 81% of respondents said they’re motivated to work harder when their superior shows genuine appreciation for their work, and 53% said they’d be more inclined to stay with the company longer if they felt more appreciation from their bosses. 

So now that you know all this, what the heck do ya do!? Let’s think!

What to celebrate?!

  • Work anniversaries – 90-day, 1-year, and epic milestones like 5, 10, 15, etc. These are really big deals. Think how hard folks work for you and they CHOOSE to remain with your organization. If you appreciate them, let them know!
  • Professional certs – I’ve always wanted to shorten the word ‘certifications’! 
  • Individual or team production efforts
  • No work days missed
  • Unexpected kindness showed towards customers and co-workers
  • Personal successes like volunteering opportunities outside of work for example

As I’m learning through personal growth, the positive behavior you want to be repeated is the one you need to be celebrating! Quality shop owners know that recognition improves engagement, and it’s that personal touch that can make your day-to-day that much better.

Oh and also, when rewarding folks it’s not just about a yearly review, it can be things like giving baseball tickets to an avid baseball fan for when they sold a crap ton of tires. Or maybe you’ve had an employee work really hard for you and you know he/she has been away from their family a lot – consider thinking of them too. Your job accounts for a LARGE portion of your well-being and that includes the impact your job has on your home life. 

How to do it!?

I heard of an acronym one time that resonated with me…. It’s RISE. R – Regular. I – Immediate. S – Specific. E – Encouraging.

It basically goes like this… Regularly recognizing your employees at least once a week gets you into that routine of noting people’s successes. The sooner you can recognize that behavior, the more often they’ll repeat it. That’s your ‘immediate.’ Then, you have the specific recognition that you want to focus on! And finally, you continue to encourage and support your employees when they do an outstanding job. 

If anything, we need more excuses to celebrate with each other. Tell us how you celebrate your employees!

Happy 4th of July from Upright Communications

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
Happy 4th of July from Upright Communications
Auto Shop, Tire News

Fourth of July Plans?

The account managers at Upright Tire are excited to spend the day with their friends and family. Colleen has family visiting and plans to attend a firework show. Sarah will be attending a barbecue with friends and plans to watch fireworks from a high-rise rooftop. Jenn will be going on a road trip to Banner Elk, N.C. for a family reunion.

We hope that you have a wonderful Fourth of July with your family and friends!

Check out a few Fourth of July fun facts!

  • Iowa has more places with ‘liberty’ in its name than any other state.
  • According to AAA Automotive, more than 34 million plan to take a road trip for the Fourth of July.
  • The tune of the National Anthem was originally used by an English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
  • About 41 million Americans plan to spend the Fourth of July at someone else’s home.

New Year, New Gear with Upright Tire

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
New Year, New Gear with Upright Tire
Auto Shop, Tire Dealer

Part of my New Year’s Eve this year consisted of a heated debate on how to pronounce our new, upcoming year. Is it “two thousand and fourteen?” “Twenty-fourteen?” Or we could go a whole other route and old-school it with 2K14, my personal favorite. While the debate was an interesting and silly topic among friends, it really started to get my thoughts going.

Businesses across the board last year were like an amusement park ride. Ups, downs, new tools, platforms, roles, and channels were everywhere, giving new opportunities to businesses to delight their customer.

Where will we in the SEO, marketing, tire business, and business world, in general, be going in 2014?

Let’s start with Google, which made some huge changes last year including the largest update to its algorithm in about a decade. Companies who look to impress Google will be reviewing their content and ensuring it is quality and not necessarily quantity. If your company is a little more forward-thinking they will also dive head first into all of Google’s extensions which means, gulp, social media, and Google+.

Yahoo and Bing also seem to be “upping the ante” with new features on both of their search engines as well as algorithm changes. The most prominent one that has been announced is their advanced updates for mobile search. If you do not have a mobile version for your site yet, you are 2000-and-late.

The automotive industry has also been making leaps and bounds with ties to “the godfather Google,” as I like to reference them. 2013 saw advances in driverless cars, and new designs in tires, such as the honeycomb design which is airless and bulletproof, if that is your thing. ( http://www.airless-tire.com/resilient-technologies-the-honeycomb-tire/)

A new electric race car has been unveiled with a Formula E Championship. It has already been unveiled in Las Vegas, of course, to rave reviews. Toyota is not far behind in innovation with its new Hydrogen car to only emits water vapor!

What are your personal goals in 2014? Tweet us @UprightTire with the hashtag #Goalsfor14 and tell us what your business would like to achieve!

Highlights of the 2014 Chicago Auto Show

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
Highlights of the 2014 Chicago Auto Show
Auto Shop, tire business

Highlights of the 2014 Chicago Auto Show

Growing up in Chicago, going to the Chicago Auto Show (CAS) at McCormick Place was an event akin to something you would see in the movie, “A Christmas Story.” Mom bundled us up, piled us in the car and we all drove into “the city” to go see the latest and greatest the automotive industry had to offer. As a kid, it was the promise of getting out of the house in a “Chiberia” winter and sitting in polished cars with the hopes of getting Mrs. Fields cookies in the end. For Dad, it was a chance to check out what was on the horizon for him to buy in the next few years…and a Mrs. Fields cookie.

As an adult, the excitement that the show brings to the city hasn’t changed since it started in 1901. My social media feeds were filled with an abundance of friends sitting in new models and makes they would someday like to own. This year the CAS featured new entries from Kia, Subaru, and BMW. Here are the highlights:

2015 Subaru Legacy debuted in Chicago

The 25-year-old model gets a new exterior style that can be attributed to last year’s concept Legacy from the Los Angeles Auto Show. The engine has a few more horses added and the overall look has an added sleekness to it.

2015 Kia Soul EV

This is Kia’s first all-electric small car equipped with state-of-the-art batteries and is expected to have a range of 80-100 miles. With its one-of-a-kind grill that incorporates charging posts, this unique design will be on sale in California, Washington, and Oregon later this year.

Volkswagen Beetle GRC

Could it be? A four-wheel drive Beetle with 560 horsepower? It’s true, folks! This which has been driven by Tanner Foust and Scott Speed will be a part of the Global Rallycross series later in 2014.

2014 BMW 7-Series 740Ld xDrive

BMW answered Audi’s A8 diesel power trained call with its own diesel-powered 7 series. This engine produces 255 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, zipping it from 0-60 in just around 6.1 seconds. It will retail this spring for $83,425. For that price might as well get one in every color, right?

One large trend that was prevalent was the abundance of electric vehicles as well as phone charging stations. Many of the automakers provided cell charging stations that proved to be some of the most popular places on the floor. What are you looking forward to seeing in a future vehicle?

How to Protect your Tires and Wheels from Theft

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
How to Protect your Tires and Wheels from Theft
Auto Shop, Tire News

How to Protect Your Tires and Wheels from Theft

Wheel and tire thefts are widely reported and a common problem for many car owners but do you know if your car is at risk? A car thief can remove one tire within 16 seconds as seen here, leaving your car on blocks, unable of being driven.

How can you protect your vehicle from an expensive loss? We have the top tips to help you before you become a victim.

Methods of Theft

Wheel and tire thieves will often work in groups much like a pit crew to lift your car and quickly take a tire each to remove. An experienced group can remove all four wheels within 10 minutes but your goal as the car owner is to put up barriers that slow this process. If it will take too long for thieves to steal a set of tires or wheels they will quickly move on to another, easier vehicle.

How to Protect Your Vehicle

  • Always park your car in a closed garage if you can.
  • Install an alarm system that includes sensors that are attached to your wheels.
  • Park in a populated area where there is a high amount of car and foot traffic or in the view of security cameras.
  • Turn your wheels when parking! It makes the wheels more difficult to remove due to getting stuck in the wheel well. The steering column lock makes it difficult for someone to turn the wheel without putting the keys in the ignition.
  • Use wheel locks on each wheel including your spare but be sure not to lose the key! The locks fit on each wheel making the lug nuts very difficult to remove.

Rims, wheels, and tires can amount to a lot of money invested for either performance or even atheistic reasons. The first step to preventing prevention is realizing to realize your vehicle can be a victim followed by getting your wheels and rims included in your insurance policy. By taking the necessary steps you are already protecting yourself and your car.

Goodyear – The Future of Tire Buying

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 By right-e261f6
Goodyear – The Future of Tire Buying
Auto Shop, tire business

It is no secret that Goodyear announced their intentions to become the first major tire maker to open a direct e-commerce line to consumers. Expected to launch sometime in the second quarter this program will be driven through its Goodyear.com website and be supported by both its dealers and company-owned stores.

There have been many reactions to this announcement including dealers who refuse to support these efforts and store owners who wholeheartedly support Goodyear and this endeavor. The idea that many tire companies could start to look in this direction will prove to have controversial opinions and ideas for the future of tire purchases.

I would like to hear from you! As a member of the tire store community, how do you feel about these inevitable changes, and do you support them? What would you change if not?

We look forward to hearing from the experts themselves, you the tire store owners!

Good Read

  • Emergency Road Services – All You Need to Know
  • 9 Easy Steps to Install a Gooseneck Trailer Ball
  • Be Careful Of Emergency Road Services All Year Round
  • Recognizing Your Employees!
  • The New Pinterest Analytics Tool!

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