EPISODE 11
Boosting Retention with a Tire-First Strategy
Featuring Guest WES VOLKERT
Episode Description
Why do so many dealerships let tire sales—and customer retention—slip through their fingers? Wes Volkert, Parts Director and tire expert, breaks down how dealerships can transform their tire sales strategy to drive loyalty and long-term growth.
In this episode, Wes dives into the often-overlooked role of tires in retention. He shares how leveraging manufacturer programs, optimizing inventory, and fostering customer awareness can dramatically boost retention rates. Wes also highlights the critical opportunity dealerships have with EVs and why tires will become an even bigger focus as other maintenance needs decline.
Takeaways from this episode:
- The surprising impact of tire sales on customer retention
- How to overcome common challenges like inventory management and space constraints
- Why EVs make tire expertise essential for service departments
- Practical steps to increase tire penetration and keep customers coming back
BILL SPRINGER
and president of Krex Inc.
Wes Volkert
Parts Director/Tire Geek
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A customer can leave your dealership completely satisfied and still never come back. That’s the loyalty paradox, and according to data from DriveSure’s 2026 Dealership Service Retention Report, it’s happening far more often than most service departments realize. The real danger isn’t the angry customer. It’s the quiet one who had a perfectly fine experience and simply had no compelling reason to return.
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In this episode of Retention Roadmap, Bill Springer dives deep into the 2026 Dealership Service Retention Report to break down the anatomy of defection, using data from 1,277 vehicle owners across the country. The top two defection drivers — a bad dealership experience (cited by 50% of respondents) and lower prices elsewhere (44%) — have held their positions across all three of DriveSure’s studies, going back to 2020. That consistency isn’t a trend. It’s the rule.
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What if the biggest problem in your service department isn’t your technicians, but your calendar? Most dealerships think they’re managing capacity when in reality, they’re reacting to chaos they created themselves.