Tyrepower Werribee gains National Attention!
Tyrepower Werribee recently won the “Victorian Tyre Dealer of the Year 2017” awarded by the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce or better known as the VACC. The word of our family owned and operated store winning such a prestigious award spread across the country gaining the attention of “Tyre Business Australia” a National Magazine within the industry. Tyre Business Australia has humbled Tyrepower Werribee by writing an in depth double page article in their “Pick of the Crop”, as well as full page on the front cover! Read the full article below or read it in PDF form here: PDF article.
Source: Tyre Business Australia Jan 2018 edition from: https://www.aaen.com.au/tba/.
By now most of our readers would already know that Paul and the team at Tyrepower Werribee, Victoria won the prestigious BEST TYRE DEALER category at the annual VACC business awards in late 2017. We decided to have a closer look at this impressive family-run business.
Readers outside Victoria need to know that the VACC Awards are not just handed out willy-nilly either. They are assessed by a panel of independent judges, whose decisions are audited by a standards expert taking into consideration customer service, training, occupational health and safety, environmental compliance, and more factors.
In fact, Tyrepower Werribee were also a finalist in the VACC Industry Awards in 2016, and they have also been finalists in Tyrepower’s Region A (VIC/SA/NT/TAS) Dealer of the year -Top 5 Stores in 2016 & 2017!
The team at Tyrepower Werribee consists of…
Paul Joannou, Andrew Clark, Yovaan Lee, Nathan Zahra, Brandon Falker and in the background Paul’s parents Chris Joannou (Now Retired).
Let’s start at the beginning.
Chris Joannou, a very successful IT Consultant who has consulted for businesses such as General Motors, Qantas, Australian Airlines and the list goes on, purchased an old and very rundown mechanical workshop in November 2003 rebranding it Tyrepower Werribee, then located at 333 Princes Highway, Werribee.
This site (derelict for almost 10 years) proved to be very challenging due to Chris overseeing operations from afar. Poor building visibility, lack of access from highway combined with the previous business having a very poor reputation made it extremally difficult to get things off the ground.
The site being almost hidden away from view became an invitation for crooks to break in almost monthly costing Chris countless amounts in insurance claims, security and repairs not to mention losses in income due to business disruptions. The first year was very rough indeed.
Desperate times called for desperate measures! Chris re-invested countless recourses and asked his son Paul Joannou to assist in the recovery..
Paul understanding what was at risk took on position as Manager with little to no knowledge about the industry. Thrown in the deep end with an N-Joy book along with a mechanic (Andrew Clark), who is still with the team today pulled off what seemed to be impossible with just the basic of necessities.
In 2009 after years of hard work, sleepless nights, blood, sweat and tears they outgrew the Werribee site and the business relocated to 1/294 Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing where it has thrived for the last 9 years and has arguably become one of the best state of the art tyre & service centres in Victoria!
Tyrepower Werribee also boasts impressive workshop facilities with a trained, skilled team of fitters, aligners and mechanics.
In the workshop is some impressive equipment including Automatic Tyre Changer, Road Force Balancers, and they even offer FIA Wheel Alignments.
They also have a luxurious showroom and customer waiting area which would not only be impressive to customers but an envy to many local and distant automotive businesses.
"We have been servicing customers’ vehicles in the Wyndham area for over a decade now providing very high levels of customer service. We also stock a large variety of products such as Tyres, Wheels, Batteries, Brakes, Suspension, Steering, Car Servicing parts and accessories," said Paul.
Customer Satisfaction Guarantee
"We take pride in our work and we guarantee customer satisfaction. We also adhere to safe work practices and are environmentally friendly by using certified recyclers. Our workshop just like our showroom is very modern; clean and features advanced facilities and equipment. Our highly trained tyre technicians, qualified wheel aligners, expert mechanics and professional sales team aim to give the best possible service and advice. Our fully qualified mechanics use modern technology and the latest equipment."
So, why do customers come back for service to Tyrepower Werribee?
"It is very important to keep in contact with customers, especially today via SMS, social media, website, newsletters and feedback forms, also offering promos and specials help. Our primary customer base is repeat business and referrals which helps not only build loyal customers and advocates but creates a strong foundation as well."
"The technology, processes and customer care from reception to workshop is also noticed by customers and acknowledged daily."
We asked Paul about the future of tyre retailing & technology.
"Interesting, exciting at the least! From self-driving transport and flying personal drones peeking over the horizon I think this is a very interesting time to be in business. Bricks and Mortar Retailers and jobs in general are being challenged every year by the advancements in technology. Soon I think as the demand grows in Australia the next big movement in Tyre Retail would be mobile tyre fitting, which has already taken Europe by storm. After that, robotic workshops maybe, who knows? Technology is developing at a rapid pace!"
Paul commented that staff training is very important – "if you don’t keep up with technology you will fall behind the pack."
In such a competitive field, why does this business stand out from the crowd?
"It would have to be customer service, ensuring every customer and vehicle is treated with the upmost respect and care. Listening to customers wants and needs and making the appropriate recommendations."
"State of the art equipment and a highly trained team creates consistency in workmanship and we also encourage customer feedback, whether positive or negative we use it to better our operations and customer experience."
What do you think about online tyre sales?
"First it was Ebay, then TyreSales, now Amazon. Online sales is here and growing at a strong pace. Don’t be afraid of change, instead embrace it and use it to your advantage!"
"Consumers in Australia when looking at purchasing online want to know who they are dealing with are trustworthy and require someone reliable to fit their tyres. This online reputation will take a business time to build so the earlier you get involved the better. As for right now online presence is important but online tyre sales to the public is still in its infancy and needs refining, along with consumer trust before it becomes big in Australia."
So, are you seeing an increase in customers asking to FIT ONLY ?
"To us it’s an opportunity to win over a customer for life and an upsell opportunity but business owners need to understand most people have second vehicles, family and friends so if you do a good job you will more than likely pick up extra work and/or get a referral.
If you are constantly dealing with this and see it as an issue I would suggest creating counter measures such as Product Wavers, Increasing labour rates to offset loss of product sales and charging for all costs (E.g. Disposals, Valves etc.) Customers are smart enough to work out that if they purchase product elsewhere they still need to have them fitted, and if you happen to be the fitting centre then create an experience which will entice the customer come back and recommend your store to others."
THE AWARDS
"Considering there are hundreds of tyre centres in Victoria the odds seemed against Tyrepower Werribee but something about our family owned and operated business seemed to have rubbed off on the VACC judges," Paul said.
"We would like to thank our families, friends, staff and of course our customers, local businesses and community for their support over the years."
"This would not have been possible without years of support from my family, especially my father Chris! "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me." said Paul.
Paul would also like to thank Toyo Australia, Tyrepower and Exclusive Tyres who have been especially helpful over the years and helped in their overall success.