Grow strategically
To facilitate large-scale growth while still maintaining a local neighborhood marketing presence, you need to develop new stores to place in new neighborhoods.
To find new dealers and off-site locations that could potentially house a service center, Cape needs to take an approach that is equal parts sales and strategic planning.
“We really have two ways we grow,” Cape says. “One is our traditional way, where we communicate the strengths and attributes of Quick Lane to our dealers through all sorts of methods. They could be dealer events, regional meetings, or we might meet individually with dealers where we feel we have a good opportunity for expansion. You take a message, sell them and convince them to take it on as an active project.”
The other growth tool is technology based — a program by which Quick Lane’s leaders can punch in an address and identify the growth potential for a store at that location based on a number of factors, including traffic flow, retail hubs, household income and population density.
To Cape, a good growth strategy boils down to finding where the soil is the most fertile for your product. And no matter how you conduct the research, in order to effectively market and sell your product, you need to have a clear view of the landscape you’re trying to enter.
“When you identify where the soil is most fertile, there is value in that because you can focus your resources on that geographical area,” Cape says. “You can form a more robust marketing plan for that area. For us, it is really about having a committed operator, a dealer that is going to grow and a back service center, providing them with the right resources and ensuring that they have the conviction and commitment we’re looking for. Overall, you want to balance your zealousness for growth with quality of growth, so that you can grow the right way.”
How to reach: Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers, (800) 392-3673 or www.quicklane.com
