Growing Customer Awareness With Bill Bainbridge, Former VP of Marketing and Business Development with CJ’s Tire and Automotive

Bill Bainbridge retired in March 2023 after more than 45 years in the tire industry. Bill was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for CJ’s Tire and Automotive, where he helped grow the brand from 11 to 17 locations. His journey in marketing, communications, and sales involved nearly every area of the tire business, from retail to wholesale. During his career, Bill established a track record of creating and managing marketing platforms that generated exceptional returns on investment.

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In this episode…

It seems like there’s a new tire brand every time we turn around, and they’re all competing for space in the minds of consumers. What unique steps can someone starting a new brand take to drive awareness?

According to Bill Bainbridge, who recently retired from working at CJ’s Tire and Automotive, sports are a highly effective channel. Bill says he would make a significant investment in marketing through motorsports if he were launching a brand. He urges new brands to have their products associated with motorsports or the technology involved. Otherwise, Bill advises using regular athletic competition, like putting a magnet on the minivan driven by a soccer mom or hanging a banner on the outfield fence at the local high school baseball diamond.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Neal Maier and Matt Peters sit down with Bill, who draws on his vast marketing and sales experience in the tire industry, to share some advice for building customer awareness with new tire brands and shops with only a few locations. Bill talks about how local sports can bring attention to stores, brands, and products. He also reveals a potentially surprising media platform that often drives results for tire shops.

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

• Bill Bainbridge details his unique entry into the tire industry
• Why working the sales counter at a tire shop is the most challenging job in the business
• Bill shares why he came out of retirement to work for CJ’s Tire and Automotive. 
• What advice would Bill give to a new brand looking to build customer awareness?
• How a store can firmly establish itself in a community 
• Why radio is Bill’s preferred advertising medium
• Bill explains why sports marketing is a great investment for tire and repair shops

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Bill Bainbridge on LinkedIn 
• CJ’s Tire and Automotive
• Paul Levengood Jr. on LinkedIn 
• Matthew Peters on LinkedIn
• Neal Maier on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Transcript

Mike Edge:

Hey folks, Mike here. I want to invite you before we get started today, to join us in Durham, North Carolina, September 28th through the 30th at the ASTE Show, that’s the Automotive Service and Technology Expo. You can find out more about it at asteshow.com, that’s A-S-T-E-S-H-O-W.com. Look for me there, Mike, with the Gain Traction podcast. Hope to see you there.

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.

Neal:

Hi, this is Neal Maier. And today, I’m joined with by Matt Peters. We’re host of Gain Traction where we talk with top automotive business leaders about their journeys and how they’ve found success along the way. Before we jump in with today’s guest, 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. Using our strategy, branding and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires, and very simply, put more cars in bays. So, what are you waiting for? Visit us at treadpartners.com. Today, we’re joined by Bill Bainbridge, who’s had a lengthy career in marketing, communications and sales from retail to wholesale. Bill’s worked in just about every area of the tire business. And we’re excited to have him today. Bill, welcome to Gain traction.

Bill:

Neal, thanks. Look forward to speaking with you this morning.

Neal:

Well, Bill, let’s just jump right in. Everybody has a pretty unique way of entering the tire business. How’d you get started?

Bill:

I don’t think you’re going to find too many that are more unique than mine. I was a young man, and had a young family. And hurt my back, went through three back surgeries, and really needed a job. So, I applied for a retail sales position at a B.F. Goodrich Company owned store in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. This was back in 1976. And I didn’t get the job, and I kept looking and searching. And three days after I interviewed, the store manager called home and said, If you’re still interested, I’d like to hire you. And it’s like, Well, I’m very interested because I need a job. Because again, young, family and a lot of medical debt, so I really needed a job. So, I reported the next day and said to the store manager, Well, Mr. Sarnak, I really appreciate this. But I am curious, I didn’t get hired a couple of days ago, but now here I am. Can I ask what happened?

And he said, Well, yeah. He said, The guy… I really liked your interview, but I decided to go with a guy, had a little bit more tire experience. Because I had none. And he showed up, and he didn’t have his false teeth. I looked at him and said, This is not the image that we want here. I’d like you to go home and get your teeth. And he said, Well, that’s about 25 miles away. It’s like, I don’t really think I want to do that. And John said, Well, why don’t you just go home and stay home? So, I got started in the tire industry because a fellow that beat me out for the job showed up for work without teeth.

Now, like I said, Neal, I don’t think you’re going to find too many more stories that are more unique than that.

Neal:

No, no. He certainly created an opportunity for you.

Bill:

Yeah. Quite an opportunity. And I didn’t know anything about tires. But I didn’t know anything about refrigerators, bicycles, and lawnmowers, and those were the things that back in the day, the tire stores, if you will, sold appliances and lawn and garden products and so on and so forth. And the other unique thing about the store where I started, it was very close to the B.F. Goodrich tire plant at the time in Oaks, Pennsylvania. And so, we got a lot of business in our store from employees. And it was a great learning experience. Learning retail and learning the tire business was, in and of itself, pretty interesting.

But having to deal with employees of the company was very different because they all wanted something for nothing and thought that the benefit of having a tire store so close is that they should get 50% discounts on everything. And of course, that wasn’t the case. So, it was a great way to get started. And I certainly recommend anyone that’s going to have a career in the tire business, I think why mine is judged pretty successful is coming up in retail, there’s nothing like it, if you understand the retail tire business, the knowledge that’s needed, the confidence that’s needed, the long hours that are required, there’s nothing like it as a basis. And it served me well in my career.

Neal:

That’s where I got my start. And I’ve said it many times, there is no more difficult job than working the counter in a retail tire shop.

Bill:

Well, I think that’s so true. Two things that have been a part of my career is number one, is buying tires for most people is like going to the dentist for a root canal, you’re going to spend a lot of money that you’d rather be spending on something else to cure a problem. And you don’t really understand exactly what’s happening. So, that you don’t really understand the product and the service. You just want to feel better afterwards, and then go on and forget about it. And I think that’s how people… Most people anyway, treat tires on their car. It’s like, Well, I just take the… They take them for granted.

And one of them mentors of mine in the industry explained tires and what they mean to consumers this way: being a commodity product, tires have probably as much technology as your iPhone. If you really stop and think about what a tire is asked to do, it’s pretty amazing. And when we think about what our smartphones do… I said an iPhone, but any smartphone. When you think about what your smartphone is asked to do, most folks don’t know or understand the technology that goes in there, but it’s pretty phenomenal. Well, tire’s the same thing. It carries so much weight. It’s responsible for the movement of your car. It’s responsible for changing direction, starting and stopping. It is really a phenomenal product. And might very well be the most misunderstood and undervalued consumer product that I can think of.

Neal:

Yeah. No, that’s a really good point. Years ago, I had a really good friend who was a BMW motorcycle dealer, and he was in buying tires from me. And he said, You know the difference between my customers and yours? Mine are smiling when they buy their tires.

Bill:

There you go. That’s a good one.

Neal:

His were always proud that they wore them out so quickly, and mine were the polar opposite. But you’re absolutely right. There’s so much technology that goes into these, into tires. And especially today, my gosh, even the cheapest tire on the market is still a phenomenal product.

Bill:

Yes, no question about it. And certainly, the one thing that’s very clear overall, my time in the industry is the gap between the most premium product and the highest performing product and the lowest economy opening price point. The gap between those two isn’t nearly as wide as it used to be. Technology has really come a long way to make a phenomenal product even more phenomenal.

Neal:

Yeah, absolutely. Well, as you move through retail, what was the next step in your career?

Bill:

Well, again, with BFG, they had a program for independent… It was probably one… It was certainly the first independent learning program I was exposed to, called T/A certification. The T/A Radial line was BFG’s premier product. And so, there was a self-study program that you could participate in called T/A certification. And as a company employee, I participated in the program. I was fortunate enough to earn the top achievement, the highest level inside that program. So, I got a little bit of recognition, if you will, inside the company. And a job opened up, and there was no promise of what your future would be, but you were going to spend the next 10 months going around to the rest of the B.F. Goodrich company stores around the country and helping a new computer system come in. So, our job on that team was to go into a store, manage and audit their inventory, and close things out on Tuesday night. And Wednesday morning, the new computer system would be on.

Now, this was the day when the size of the computer was almost the size of this office. But anyway. So, that was my first corporate job, if you will, coming out of retail. And that got me into Akron. And when that job was over with, I wound up, again, in a very good place, joining what was known as the performance team. So, with BFG T/A Radials, there was a small group of folks that would travel around and be consultants and sales trainers, if you will, on the BFG brand. So, I got into… That was my toe in the water, so to speak, in training and business development. And got a few promotions, if you will, through all that. Lived through the merger of BFG and Uniroyal brands, which was two, basically, broke companies getting together, and then trying to throw away the trash, and hoping that someone would acquire what was left, which was, primarily, manufacturing a few good people.

And that of course, was… Then Michelin acquired Uniroyal-Goodrich. So, at the time, we lived… We had moved out Pennsylvania to Akron, Ohio, that was BFG’s headquarters at the time. Michelin acquired a company and decided that everyone… They were going to move out of Akron and put everyone down in Greenville. And my wife and I decided… Well, we didn’t think we wanted to go to Greenville. So, I stepped out, hung a consultant’s shingle, if you will, was doing some independent work and was recruited by Toyo. We didn’t go there. We hung out a consultant’s shingle. And Michelin had an opportunity to come back, again, after they had acquired everything and things had settled down. So, I was actually one of the first guys that was rehired, if you will. I had left Michelin, and was actually then rehired back by Michelin. Because they were launching an initiative to try and reenergize the B.F. Goodrich brand.

As a result of the whole Uniroyal-Goodrich thing and then the Michelin takeover, the BFG brand had really settled into a bad place. And that was the time in the industry, 70s, when a lot of the other companies really… Performance tires really became the core profit maker in the industry. So, they wanted to re-energize the B.F. Goodrich brand. So, they hired me back as a business development manager, and we re-launched, if you will, B.F. Goodrich by going back into and doing events and training around the country and so forth. And so, we did that for about two and a half years. And then Toyo started recruiting, and I joined Toyo in 95, I think, it was. And never thought I’d wind up living in California. But my wife and family, we moved to Southern California. Was with Toyo. And during my time at Toyo, we really wanted to establish a stronger relationship with our dealers.

So, that was, again, a primary objective that I had as Director of Marketing, was to try and energize… And I’ll keep using that word energize a lot because that just seemed to be in business development, a good way to describe what I did, is to try and put some energy back in and develop relationships. So, we did that for a few years. We had gotten a really strong relationship with the Tire Industry Association and with SEMA. And again, a mentor of mine was Don Turny, who was the Vice President of Marketing at SEMA for many, many years. And Don passed away. And Chuck Blum, who was the President of the SEMA at the time, recruited me away from Toyo to be the Marketing Director… Actually, Marketing Vice President at SEMA. So, for the end of 99, and for 2000, I was with SEMA, the Trade Association of the Aftermarket.

Good time, but it wasn’t really right for me. We managed the 2000 trade show, which was a very unique show because it was the first time the show had grown so much that we actually had to have temporary tents. We call them the silver halls, the great big tents out on the parking lot in front of the convention center. And we worked our way through that, but I just wasn’t comfortable, if you will, in that role. So, back into the tire industry, Hankook was recruiting. And my wife and I were interested in leaving the West Coast and coming back east. So, I joined Hankook. And again, that was a pretty terrific time during the 2000s because once again, Hankook was looking to a degree, Americanize, if you will. So, we did a number of programs there to try and help both consumers become aware of the brand and help dealers, again, have more of a relationship, if you will, with the company.

So, we did a lot of dealer meetings in some pretty nice places to try and build the relationship with our customers, the dealers. We started the programs for rebates with Hankook, which they had not really ventured into in the past. So, we launched consumer rebates. And then we were pretty instrumental and lucky at the time when a lot of the new stadiums and arenas were being built for sports around the country, and electronic signage was coming into play. We had done a dasher board for the New York Rangers, and we did some center court signage for the Knicks, and saw the value, not just from an in-arena standpoint, but the exposure that you would get on television the next morning, as ESPM in its heyday, was really flourishing in the mornings and SportsCenter was a big deal. And we saw the value that, Wow, these impressions are… These are pretty good. They’re very valuable when you get those highlights.

So, we convinced Hankook to grow that. And eventually, we’re in all 32 Major League ballparks with signage behind home plate. And I think that was one of the things that was really instrumental, if you will, in Hankook’s growth in the 2000s. And we did that. We were with Hankook for 10 years, and decided it’s time to start winding out and all this travel. I traveled so much for all of my career, and I wanted to settle down just a little bit and reduce the travel. So, I decided to retire thinking I was just going to hang on another consultant shingle again. And I knew enough people in the industry and with the trade associations, I knew I’d be able to find some things to occupy me. And lo and behold, C&J Tire, which became CJ’s Tire and Automotive, I’d known the owners, Paul and Levengood Sr, known as Skip, and his son Paul Jr. I’d known them for years.

And I was at one of my last meetings, and Paul pulled me aside and said, You’re too young to retire. Why don’t you think about doing some stuff for us? And I said, Well, I don’t know. What is it… What are your objectives? And so, we talked about how Paul wanted to grow the business, develop more locations from a retail standpoint and more profitability in the business. And I said, Well, that sounds interesting. Let’s do a little… Let’s test the waters for each other. So, I was retired from Hankook, and was doing a little consulting primarily for the Levengoods. It’s like, This is silly. You just need to come and go to workforce. And he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. So, that’s how I wound up at CJ’s as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development.

And we’ve had a lot of success, grew from 11 to 17 locations, one warehouse to six distribution centers. So, we’ve had a lot of growth over the last 10 or 12 years and decided, again, to retire for now. This is the third time. Decided to retire this past March. So, I am a consultant these days, so I do have a shingle out there, still doing a little bit of work for Paul and the team from a training standpoint, and still helping to manage some of the wholesale business that we had developed over time with key accounts. But doing about 50-50 and just trying to enjoy life.

Neal:

I love it. I love it. And I find it really interesting. It seems like although CJ’s is not entirely retail, it does seem like if you start in retail, there’s always that pullback.

Bill:

If you start in retail, it just gives you such a great foundation, in my opinion, no matter where you’re going to go. Because if you think about the wholesale business, your job is to sell product to someone that’s going to sell it to their customer. So, once again, if you can help… If we can help our customers, the dealers, if we can help them sell to their customers, the consumers, well, logic says if we help them sell out, we’ll sell more in. And I think that’s been a formula that’s worked in all of my business development roles on the manufacturer side with Michelin, BF… BFG, Michelin, Toyo, Hankook. And it’s certainly been part of the success we’ve had here at CJ’s.

Neal:

I think about all the… There’s so many tire brands out there now. And it seems like there’s-

Bill:

[inaudible].

Neal:

There’s a new brand, seems like, every time we turn around. All of them are competing for spacing the consumer’s mind one way or another. So, thinking back even to Hankook, I love that process of building awareness and using sports as the vehicle. If you were starting, or bringing a new brand to life, what would be your advice to help build that consumer awareness?

Bill:

Well, I’m a big fan of sports and motor sports marketing. I’ve just seen it work. In all of my years in the business, I’ve seen the power that has, number one is it’s just a known fact, if you will, research shows that consumers gravitate towards brands that support things that they like. So, again, with sports… And if you’re a motorsports, if you really like racing, if you will, generally speaking, you’re going to be a performance tire buyer. So, marketing your brand that way makes sense because performance products, they not only lead in sales, but they lead in a manufacturer’s profit pockets. So, that’s why everyone wants to be the king, if you will, in performance tires, an 18 inch and up and so forth. So, again, I’m a big fan in using the affinity that people have to support brands that support what they enjoy, what they like, what they work with, and so forth.

I’m a big fan. So, if I were launching a brand, I try and… I would put my toe, if you will, either through the motor sports side if you can afford it, because that’s going to be a very large investment because it’s all about technology. If you’re going to get involved in motorsports, you have to have the product in motorsports and the technology in motorsports. With regular athletic sports competition, your product can be as broad as your mom’s… Soccer mom’s van that she takes the kids to-and-from practice and to-and-from school.

So, if I were going to launch a brand, I would find some way to tie my brand into sports or motorsports. And when you think about… What we looked at particularly, again, focusing on the time at Hankook and really trying to create awareness for that brand, you look at the other companies that were involved with Major League Baseball and sports, they’re some of the top 20 or 40 companies in the United States from a brand image standpoint. So, we felt very comfortable saying, Well, if we can have people associate our brand with all those other brands, that’s going to create a much bigger and better perception, if you will, of the brand. And that’s why I think sports marketing works.

Neal:

Wow, that’s genius. And I couldn’t agree more. It is truly interesting to see… We’re fans of using a one to many strategy. Anytime we can have… Initiate one impact that reaches many, many people. That’s always a win for our clients. And no different there, especially if you can make it through SportsCenter.

Bill:

Well, the value of those impressions, literally, multimillion dollars in value, if you will, of those impressions. Because particularly in the heyday when… Well, of course now, Hankook’s really getting some value because they’ve stepped up and they’re an official product, if you will, of Major League Baseball. But back in the day when we were really just focused on home plate signage and we had all of those clubs, you could watch 15 minutes of SportsCenter and not be exposed during baseball season, a brand image behind home plate. The other thing that was really important at the time is we not only saw the ESPNs and the spectacular growth there, but because sports really… And maybe this is because of sports betting, I don’t know, but as it just seemed like sports became an industry, if you will, unto itself, that caused in major markets, then the local… And again, I’m relating to Philadelphia, that’s where Comcast really had a foothold.

So, they created their own morning sports program to talk about specifically Philadelphia sports. So, I found myself, and I know lots of other folks in the mornings, you would get your dose of SportsCenter, you got the national perspective, then you switched over to local Comcast, Philadelphia, and you got the Philly perspective. So, the exposure that it gave to the brand was… Throughout the 2000s was just phenomenal. And they’re continuing with it today. So, they must believe it to be somewhat successful.

The other thing that I’d really like to interject… I know I’m talking a lot here, but-

Neal:

No, please.That’s great.

Bill:

When we got here with CJ’s, I could take that model, if you will, from doing it as a corporate sponsor and could take that to the local level. CJ’s headquarters is in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, that’s Berks County, and that’s where the City of Reading is. Well, the Philadelphia Phillies AA affiliate is in Redding, Pennsylvania. So, we immediately decided, Well, let’s engage in Minor League Baseball. With the same idea in mind, let’s get signage behind home plate. Let’s get signage in the outfield. So that in park, everyone would see the signage. Local cable would broadcast probably a third of their games. So, we’ve got the advantage of the exposure on local cable. And the terrific thing about Minor League Baseball… And this isn’t just in Reading, this is Minor League Baseball in general. It’s not just about baseball, it’s really about family entertainment. In Minor League Baseball, they do a lot of fun things in between innings.

If you’ve been to a Minor League Baseball game, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Anywhere in the country, you’ll find that. And it becomes a real family event and it’s very affordable. So, once again, by being there and having CJ’s brand being associated with the number one bank in the area, being associated with the Pepsi’s and the utility companies and everybody else that was there that have been known, if you will, around the area. And Minor League Baseball draws from a very wide marketing radius. So, again, the pull, benefits, like eight of CJ’s 17 stores from that sponsorship. So, again, I think some of the growth that we’ve enjoyed has been because of the engagement and the brand building that sports marketing has given to, again, this regional retail business.

Neal:

Well, take it a step further. So, you’ve advised all sorts of retailers through the years and help them grow even individually. What would be your advice to, say, a small group, a group of three to five stores? Any advice for them?

Bill:

I’ll even take it down to one store, if you will, or one location business. Again, I believe that there is value, if you will, in sports. So, a small business can get involved with Little League, they can get involved with the local high school sports, they can get involved… You don’t have to go very far to find some sports entity, if you will, that you can support. And again, I think using Little League as an example, for a couple hundred dollars, generally, somebody can put a banner out there. Now, is that going to look terrific like it does in a professional ballpark? No, but it’s putting your brand there and the parents of all the kids from both of the teams that are there saying, Hey, CJ’s Tire over there, they’re sponsoring this. And it’s important for me to be here with my children and the rest of my family.

You know what? That creates awareness. So, when the need arises that they need tires, or they need automotive service, we believe that the awareness, if you will, that generates, the perception that it builds, we think helps to drive traffic. So, you can start very, very small with very minimal investments in sports. Now, having said that, I don’t want to be naive. Sports isn’t the end all, beat all. I think sports marketing is a part of a marketing mix.

Again, I’m a strong proponent… From a broadcast standpoint, I’m a strong proponent of radio. I know some people will question that. But when the radio is on and the commercial airs, especially when there’s inclement weather, so buying radio [inaudible] makes sense. I’m a proponent of direct mail. Direct mail is expensive. Some people call it junk mail, and I get that. You get through that, and you flip it, and you flip it, and you flip it. But even when you’re flipping it, you don’t have a need. You flip it two months later, and you don’t have a need. All of a sudden, then when you have the need, I was flipping those things off. Who was that? Oh yeah, that was that CJ. I’ve never been there. And they go online and they find you.

Neal:

I’ve told this story a couple of times that. For several years, my wife had a Mini Cooper. And a Mini Cooper specialist on the other side of town, not in the least convenient, they started dropping direct mail pieces to us. And I pay attention to it, obviously, because I’m in the business. But at the same point, they never gave up. And more or less, the entire time we owned that car, we continued to receive mail. And in the back of my mind, I always knew, if we ever have a really serious problem with this car, ever really need a specialist, there they are. And it is almost the same… That repetitiveness is the same thing… Same impact from being behind home plate, game after game, night after night. But the advantage, I think, that comes with sports is, you said the word, perception. Our business, our industry doesn’t always have the best perception. And I think by pairing your brand with something wholesome, gosh, it goes miles.

Bill:

Yep. Again, I just think that sports has proven, if you will, over time, that it’s one of the best investments that a brand, a company, and even a small, one location retailer, getting involved with sports marketing, I think, is fundamentally, it’s a sound investment.

Neal:

I love it. I love it. Well, thinking back on your career, Bill, all the phases of it, I’m sure, you’ve had plenty of mentors. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Bill:

Well, again, I don’t know that I would call it advice, but it brought things in perspective to me. And I mentioned this before, about tires being very, very misunderstood and undervalued. And I’m tire industry specific here now, obviously. But I think if we understand that as the people selling product, whether we’re selling it wholesale to someone else who’s going to sell it to the consumer or selling directly to the consumer, we just have to remember that tires are something that needs to be sold. And you don’t have to be a magician, if you will, in order to get a consumer to understand value. So, if you can make the… At the end of the day, when someone comes into your place of business, when they’re leaving your store, if they feel comfortable and confident that they made a good decision today by coming to your store, that’s nirvana.

Think about the best piece of advice that I have for… Think about your customer, whether it’s your wholesale customer or whether it’s your retail customer, at the end of the day, at the transaction, if you will, have you done anything to make that customer feel like, I made a good decision today? If you do that, the next time the need or opportunity presents itself, you’re going to get consideration. I’m not saying you’re going to definitely get the sale, but you’re going to get consideration. And that’s all we can ask. Because when the consumer leaves your doorway, gets back into their car, they’re no longer a customer. They were a customer. Now, they’re back to being a shopper. So, you better leave them with a good impression. And so, the goal should be, again, wholesale and retail is did you do something in this transaction that makes the customer just for a moment say, I’m glad I did this here today. I’m glad I did it with this person today. I’m glad what I did today. It makes me feel good?

Neal:

That is excellent advice. Matt, I know, you just bought tires not long ago. You’ve been in and out for service. Thinking about walking towards the car with that receipt in hand, that feel right there determines everything as far as your next step with that business.

Matt:

Yeah, Neal, I agree with what Bill’s saying. If they walk away feeling good, then you’ve succeeded. If they walk away feeling jaded and not feeling fulfilled, then especially in today’s world with social media, they can rip it out of you pretty quickly and pretty severely.

Neal:

What I-

Matt:

But yeah, I bought some tires myself, and I can tell you I left feeling good, and I felt even better as I was driving down the highway. And I had a nice smooth ride on those new Michelins I bought.

Bill:

One thing I’ll add, Neal. In my mind, I think what really summarize this part of our discussion is, one of the things that I preach in every visit that I make, from a training standpoint, whether I’m working with our wholesale team or retail team, is remember satisfying the customer isn’t good enough. I can’t think of a single competitor that we’ve had at CJ’s, I can’t think of a single competitor that Hankook had or Toyo had, or Michelin and BFG had, I can’t think of any competitor that doesn’t want to satisfy their customer. So, if all you’re doing and if your goal is satisfying the customers, you’re going to lose, because everybody’s out to satisfy the customer. Satisfying the customer isn’t good enough. You have to do more than that. You have to leave… Or the consumer or the customer has to end the transaction saying, I made a good decision today.

Neal:

I love it. I love it. Well, Bill, this has been fantastic. And gosh, I can’t thank you enough for your wisdom. And I think that really, really resonates with our audience as well.

Bill:

Well, I probably rambled a little bit every once in a while, but this industry has been remarkably good to me and to my family, and the opportunities I’ve had on the corporate side, I’ve traveled the world thanks to the tire companies. From a retailer standpoint and my time with CJ’s, it’s been very rewarding to be here while the company has grown and gotten stronger at a time when other companies are selling out or being acquired. It’s great to see a family run business like CJ’s, that has a good core foundation and is using that to grow regionally. So, I’ve had a rewarding career. And anything I could do to share and help other people have some success in the industry, that’s what I do.

Neal:

Bill, tell us the best way to reach you.

Bill:

Well, email’s probably the best way to start. I have a profile on LinkedIn there, but email’s probably the best and easiest, and probably get the fastest response because I’m an email junkie, if you will. So, it’s B Bainbridge, so [email protected]. Don’t ask me what the 4445 is all about, I have no idea. But way back when I created my personal email, that’s what I use. So, [email protected].

Neal:

Perfect. And we’ll include a link to your LinkedIn as well in our show notes. And Bill, I can’t thank you enough.

Bill:

Well, Neal and Matthew, I appreciate that. I’ve enjoyed the time that we’ve had together. Matt and I go back quite a lot of years, and he’s an integral part of the success that CJ’s has had before he joined Tread Partners. So, I wish you and Matt well and continue to grow your business.

Neal:

Thank you, Bill.

Matt:

Thank you, Bill.

Neal:

It’s been a pleasure.

Thanks. Take care.

Announcer:

Thanks for listening to the Gain Traction podcast. We’ll see you again next time. And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.

• Bill Bainbridge
• CJs Tire and Automotive
• Gain Traction Podcast
• Matt Peters
• Neal Maier
• Tread Partners

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