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Brooke Johnson is a dedicated Customer Service Representative at McMahon’s Best-One Tire. With a prior background in the food industry, which spanned a decade, Brooke brings a refreshing perspective to her role, marked by honesty and a strong work ethic. Despite her unfamiliarity with the tire industry, Brooke’s commitment to learning and serving customers has made her an invaluable asset over her three-year tenure.
In this episode…
Is being a lifelong “car person” necessary to provide outstanding customer service in the tire and auto repair industry? Is it possible for a novice with a strong work ethic to learn about tires through experience?
Brooke Johnson’s journey exemplifies resilience and adaptability in the face of career change. Transitioning from the demanding food industry to McMahon’s Best-One Tire, Brooke was undeterred, committed to personal growth and connecting with customers. Through proactive initiatives like digital vehicle inspections, Brooke ensures transparency and trust with customers, empowering them to make informed decisions about their vehicle maintenance.
On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Brooke to reflect on her journey from novice to proficient in tire sales. They explore her honest interview, which has led to a fulfilling role at McMahon’s. Brooke reflects on similarities between industries, the skills that recently led to her promotion to store manager, and McMahon’s proactive approach to customer service and supportive workplace culture.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- How Brooke Johnson began her tire industry journey
- Commonalities in customer service across different sectors
- Brooke’s favorite aspect of her job at McMahon’s
- How McMahon’s digital vehicle inspection ensures transparency and trust with customers
- Becoming proficient in selling tires despite initially knowing very little
- Brooke discusses the skills that led to her recent promotion to store manager
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Transcript
Announcer:
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, where we feature top automotive entrepreneurs and experts and share their inspiring stories. Now, let’s get started with the show.
Mike:
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, I am Mike Edge, your host. So, this episode is brought to you by Tread Partners and the Retread Marketing program. So, what the heck’s a retread marketing program? It is a customer re-engagement program using IP targeting to win back your best lost customers. It is a one-time, 120-day program, that guarantees a 10 to one return on investment, and the best part about it, it’s guaranteed. That’s correct, a 10 to one ROI, no tricks or gimmicks, these are your customers that are in your point of sale system right now. So, for example, if you were to invest in the IP technology that we’re talking about, $4,000 today, to go after your best Lost customers, you would receive $40,000 within 120 days from the list of your best lost customers that came out of your own point of sale system. Tread Partners works only within this industry, they specialize in tires and auto repair, to learn more, visit treadpartners.com.
Also, I’d like you to check out my podcast with Jason Whidmer and Darren McLea, they are two tire guys that know how to have fun, and do the right thing by their customers. They were recently on a podcast, and we had a lot of fun, good guys. Today’s guest. All right, you guys have heard me talk about Kim McMahon, before we’ve had her on as a guest. So, I sent out an email request to previous guests and asking for CSRs that they may recommend that would be on our podcast, or thought they were worthy enough to represent their companies. And Kim, who won the Tire Businesses Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2022, was on our podcast just about a year ago, and she recommended today Brooke Johnson, who is the CSR at McMahon’s Best-One Tire in Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, Brooke, welcome to the Gain Traction podcast.
Brooke:
Hi, thanks, I’m happy to be here.
Mike:
So, we were talking before we started recording here, and you’ve got a great story that I just want to go straight to. When you interviewed for your job, I love this, and I love the fact that they hired you… Because you’re honest, this is great. But Kim couldn’t have spoken more highly of you, so me hearing this story from you,, Brooke, is awesome. So if you would tell the audience about your story when you got started here.
Brooke:
Yeah, absolutely. So, just a quick little bit of background, so it makes a bit more sense, is I came from the food industry for about 10 years, and basically, when I interviewed the job I was working at, I was working 60, 70, 80 hours a week, and I needed something different, and I said, listen, I don’t know pretty much anything about this world, but I work hard, I learn fast, I do what I can, and I’m good with people. Something as simple as a tire rotation, I couldn’t have told you the first thing about it. My thought process, and I’m not afraid to admit, was they spin all day long down the road, so what else could we possibly need? Learned to have [inaudible 00:03:32] and that’s a lot more important, but I just showed up, ready to work and ready to learn.
Mike:
I love it. And they took a chance on you.
Brooke:
They did. They did, and I’m really grateful.
Mike:
So, how long have you been there now?
Brooke:
Three years.
Mike:
That’s fantastic.
Brooke:
Yeah.
Mike:
So, what have you learned in the process?
Brooke:
Oh gosh. It’s an absolute laundry list, but in a good way.
Mike:
Yeah.
Brooke:
Definitely-
Mike:
Oh, I got a question for you. Here it is, this is a good one. So, you coming from the food industry, how do you compare it in dealing with the customer?
Brooke:
It’s pretty much the same, oddly enough. Good and the bad, because at the end of the day you’re going to walk into a place of business and know what you want, and want to leave with it. So, really it applies the same, the only difference is you have your regular customers here at McMahon’s, but your regular customers you’re seeing every few months. Your regular customers… I was at a gas station for six years before this, your regular customers there, you’re seeing every single day, sometimes more than once in a shift. That was a bit of a hard transition coming here, just because I saw the same customers every day for six years, but some of them still come here just to say hi, or get their cars worked on, so that’s pretty cool.
Mike:
That is really cool. Did you ever think that you would be in the tire industry?
Brooke:
Absolutely not.
Mike:
I love that.
Brooke:
It’s not even that I didn’t have an interest, I didn’t, but not in a negative way, it was just never a thought.
Mike:
Yeah.
Brooke:
Yeah.
Mike:
But you are a people person, I can tell that after getting to know you just in a few minutes we’ve gotten to know each other. So, you probably knew you were going to be customer facing in some way, right?
Brooke:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Truly if I did not get so lucky to land this job, I would probably work in a retirement home, or an assisted-living place, something like that. I’ve always thought an activities director job there would be fun.
Mike:
I can see that.
Brooke:
Yeah, it’s my jam.
Mike:
That’s awesome.
Brooke:
I worked part-time there for quite some time, and it was a great time, but this really landed in my lap and I’m just really lucky they still love me.
Mike:
Well, you came highly recommend, by the owner, so that says a lot. But on top of that, right when we introduced ourselves to each other and preparing for this podcast and whatnot, you gave me the impression that you really, really like where you work as well.
Brooke:
Yeah. Truly, family-owned, it’s exactly what it means. I’ve noticed in the job I had previously, for example, was a corporation, and that’s exactly what it was. I’m grateful for the job, and I learned a heck of a lot, but in a lot of places like that, unfortunately, you just become another number. Versus working at McMahon’s, you are a person, they want you to have work-life balance, they push that really hard. They know that family comes first, and they truly have your back, and they prove it time and time again.
Mike:
That’s awesome.
Brooke:
Yeah, you couldn’t find a better place, truly.
Mike:
So, basically, for me, when I hear you telling me, it’s kind of like one of those situations, it’s like life’s going to happen, sometimes you just need more time off than what you expected, or something like that, and it seems to me like the McMahons are going to work with you.
Brooke:
Absolutely. Yeah. That is for sure.
Mike:
That’s awesome.
Brooke:
Yeah.
Mike:
What’s your favorite part about your job?
Brooke:
Truly, the people. Whether it be customers or my coworkers. It’s just such a good environment to be in, and really, how I can explain it, and I’m sure anybody could probably agree, in each separate store it’s… I just was talking to our guys the other day, and I said, this is our house, and we have a really large, crazy dysfunctional, loving, make fun of family. And sometimes I wish most of us were grounded, and sometimes I’d rather throw a party, and it’s going to happen. But at the end of the day, we all know that we have each other’s backs, and it’s taken a lot of work to do that. But we’re really, really happy with how our team is forming and meshing together, and it just makes you happy to come in every day. It really does.
Mike:
And it’s from top down, isn’t it?
Brooke:
Yeah, absolutely. They said-
Mike:
Say that again, please.
Brooke:
They said [inaudible 00:08:42], absolutely.
Mike:
That’s awesome. Coming from the food industry and everything, people like to eat, so a lot of times they’re probably coming in with at least relatively a good mood about what they expect, whereas, in this industry, they don’t know each time exactly what to expect. They could have a problem that you guys uncover. But one of the things that you guys have really made clear to me, that I like about McMahon’s, is that you guys do an inspection, but you also, you tell people what they need today, and also, hey, you’re going to need this eventually, but you don’t necessarily need it today. Talk about that a little bit.
Brooke:
Right. Yeah, so what we really have here, it’s a digital vehicle inspection, and I think that really helps set us apart from other businesses in the same industry. It’s really nice for us, and for the customer, we’re able to just present to them exactly what’s going on versus just taking our word for it. Not that we don’t want that, obviously we do, and we want the trust of the customers, but you want to be able to just say, hey, here, this is what is going on in your vehicle, I can show you a picture, I can show you a vehicle, this is what your brake pad should look like, this is what it looks like now. And so, I really think that that helps gain the trust, and then also, we can see maybe minor things, or things just to keep in mind. We will always let our customers know about our mileage intervals that your vehicle’s due for, or coming up. At the end of the day-
Mike:
Well, I like that. I know a lot of places that don’t do that, but so you’re giving them a heads-up, hey, this is what you should be doing or thinking about.
Brooke:
RIght. Well, and that’s the thing, so everybody can plan. Most vehicles, shocks and struts are going to be due at 100,000, for example. Okay, well, you’re at 85, your vehicle takes full synthetic, that’s 5,000 miles. Well, let me let you know now so you have a few oil changes to be able to plan for that. Truly, we try and be as competitive as we can in pricing, but at the end of the day, anywhere, all prices are going up. So, we try and give our customers the most time in advance to be able to plan for these things, instead of, oh, hey, you’re at 100,000 miles, you need A, B, C, D, whatever the case may be.
Mike:
Yeah. And there’s nothing worse than walking in on a Monday morning or any morning for that matter, and you’re thinking, you’re just coming in to get your tires rotated, and the next thing you know, you find out you got some other problems, that they could have probably given you a heads-up on, like you said, three oil changes ago.
Brooke:
Right, exactly. I think it’s just we do our best to set ourselves apart, and make sure that our customers are aware that they have our best interest. We look out for them, and of course, sometimes maybe it’s not going to feel like that, the industry we’re in, they’re going to need their cars, but we want to make sure that we set things apart, you know what you need, you know what you can wait on, so you’re not dropping whatever kind of money. So, we do [inaudible 00:12:00] to look out for them and keep them in the loop. It’s still their car, they’re still going to need something eventually.
Mike:
That’s awesome. What about tires? So, here you are, you knew nothing about tires, and tires have a lot of parameters, and you stepped into it, and now you’re here. How do you selling tires? What do you think about it?
Brooke:
I love it, it’s become second nature now. I will say, it has been harder lately, we sold lots of sets of two versus sets of four because it’s just hard right now, all over, across the board.
Mike:
You’re talking about the economy and people struggling to buy. Yeah.
Brooke:
Yeah, absolutely. But it’s still going well, we just want to make sure again, our customers are informed. That’s also something we want to warn people on, your tread is recommend replacement at 330 seconds. Okay, well, you’re at five. Let me let you know because we’re going to go into the winter. Things like that, just to make sure that our customers have those things in the back of their mind. Selling tires can be incredibly overwhelming at first, when you know nothing about them. That was a rough patch for me, to be honest with you. Because there’s just so many. But anytime we’ve trained anybody now, I’ve just broken it down of, if you know what goes on a Ford Fusion, you know what goes on a Camry, you know what goes on [inaudible 00:13:38], and just trying to take your time, when you have your spare time, to go out to the parking lot, get tire sizes, just doing your own research, but it’s truly something you just really get the hang of once you’re truly in it. [inaudible 00:13:50]-
Mike:
Yeah. Well, and it had to be a little overwhelming, I think, about you from the perspective that you literally knew nothing, like you said, you didn’t even know what a tire rotation was, and then you were going home at night, probably overwhelmed, like how am I going to make it through the next day-
Brooke:
Oh, yeah. My dad was actually a mechanic my whole life, but I was always sitting in his garage with him, not paying attention at all. Daddy’s girl who wanted to hang out in the garage, and here I am now, my first six months to a year in, and I’m like, dang, I really should have listened to him.
Mike:
Yeah. Shouldn’t we all listen to our parents, we always know that after the fact.
Brooke:
Right.
Mike:
Well, in relationship with the other folks that you work with, do you guys… Do you feel like you have a specialty within the organization that you specialize in? Or are you known as a tire person, or are you known as a…
Brooke:
So, I have recently been promoted to store manager, really exciting. I truly feel like my specialty is just always people. Whether it be the customer or coworkers, whatever the case may be. But I always tell people, being a manager or being the boss isn’t about being bossy, it’s about maintaining the ship. Making sure things are staying afloat, making sure someone’s manning this, someone’s manning that. So, I do feel like I do a pretty good job of making sure that all hands are on deck, and everybody’s manning their areas. And our industry here, you have to think on the fly, and adapt quick, and things could change just like that. So, I do feel like that’s something that I’m really good at.
Mike:
I can see that. Well, congratulations on your promotion.
Brooke:
Thank you.
Mike:
Yeah. So, you had mentioned to me, we were talking about favorites for the program or whatever, do you have… Just allow the audience to get to know you a little bit better, do you have a favorite movie?
Brooke:
Oh yeah. My favorite movie is Greece, the original.
Mike:
The original, okay. So, what makes you like that movie? Okay, so, I’m a little older than you, obviously, and I remember when that movie came out, and I was a kid, but I remember it. And John Travolta was huge, and he was almost typecast for a while as that dude from Greece, but then obviously he went on to have a very successful career. But why am I going blank? Who was the girl?
Brooke:
Olivia Newton John.
Mike:
Oh yeah, Olivia Newton John. And she recently passed away. Right?
Brooke:
She did
Mike:
I know. I know.
Brooke:
Yeah. That was sad.
Mike:
She was a beautiful lady. But apparently they had a long friendship that lasted or whatever, because they were both real young when they did that movie. What’s your favorite song in that one?
Brooke:
Summer Nights.
Mike:
Oh yeah?
Brooke:
Yep. I had the movie and the CD in elementary and middle school, and there’s no shame here, I will listen to it now. My husband would probably rather not be in the car when that occurs, but he married me. So, he signed the papers.
Mike:
That is funny. What’s his favorite movie? I’ll just see if you have any comparison contrast here.
Brooke:
Boy, what is his favorite movie?
Mike:
Or what genre that he likes?
Brooke:
He is a comedy guy.
Mike:
Oh, yeah?
Brooke:
Yeah, probably… Oh my gosh, I can’t think of what it is called. Any of those movies like Dodgeball, or… What’s-
Mike:
He likes some slapstick then, right?
Brooke:
Yeah, all that stuff, like the John Heder, the Will Ferrell, those.
Mike:
I’m with you, I’m with you. Well, is there any words of wisdom that you particularly like to live by, in managing, as well, now that you’ve gotten this position, but also when you were just doing this customer facing relationships? What do you try to live by?
Brooke:
Yeah. So, something, honestly, real simple, I’m sure a lot of people have, is truly just to treat people the way you want to be treated. And it’s just because it’s true. Nobody wants to… At the end of the day, we can run a fantastic business, but nobody wants to come here, nobody wants to have car troubles and get those things. So, you just have to put yourself in their shoes. That’s not an easy time for anybody. And then, the other thing is just don’t be afraid of what you don’t know, and that it’s absolutely okay to not know as long as you figure it out. And to just be honest. This kind of industry, I have learned so much in three years, but I am still learning so much. And I’ll tell a customer, hey, I do not know, but I will absolutely find out for you.
Mike:
I got to tell you, I’ve got to tell you, that is one of my favorite pieces of advice that I’ve had somebody say on an interview, right there. And the fact that you know that now, and only three years in this industry, I think it’s going to help you tremendously. Because if you’re not afraid of what you don’t know, you’re going to be fine, and you just be straight up with people. I would much rather somebody tell me what you just said there. I don’t know have an answer for you right now, but I’ll get one.
Brooke:
Mm-hmm. This industry is just ever-changing. And whether it’s electric vehicles, or honestly, right now, the biggest thing is working on a lot of older, we can call older 10+ year cars, which really isn’t that old, but the way the market is right now, everybody’s keeping their vehicles. So, there are some things that maybe we don’t see as often because people are getting rid of their cars before they have this type of problem. We’re seeing timing problems, we’re seeing transmissions, we’re seeing engines, which is something we’re capable of, but just not something as common you’re seeing. But right now, it’s becoming more of the norm because nobody wants a car payment, understandably so.
Mike:
No. Yeah, interest rates have changed for that, for sure.
Brooke:
Yeah.
Mike:
Well, you’ve been an awesome guest, and I’m thrilled to have you on here, and I really appreciate Kim recommending you.
Brooke:
I appreciate her.
Mike:
Well, keep us in mind, come back one day.
Brooke:
Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for having me.
Mike:
You’re welcome. So, to all our listeners out there, thank you for being part of the Gain Traction Podcast. Again, if you’d like to recommend a guest to us, please email me at [email protected]. Until next time, be safe and have a great day.
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