2011 Auto Chain Product Study: Starters/Alternators

Jan. 1, 2020
A correct diagnosis of the actual problem is a necessary first step prior to any sale being made because the culprit may not even be attributable to the starter or alternator.

A correct diagnosis of the actual problem is a necessary first step prior to any sale being made because the culprit may not even be attributable to the starter or alternator. Belts, batteries and other components need to be investigated as part of the process before a purchase is pursued.

With 50 stores in five states, Arnold Motor Supply of Spencer, Iowa invests a considerable amount of money in providing education to avoid such situations. Alliance University and manufacturers are among the sources tapped to impart information to counter people, sales representatives and installers.

At the clinics “we stress giving that customer the right part the first time, plus we suggest to them things that can complete the job faster,” says marketing manager Dave Kimbell. Technicians from different shops come in to be trained at the company’s Lunch and Learn programs. “We give a good overview of new items that will help them do their jobs better.”

A live-wire outside sales force that emphasizes high quality is what drives starter and alternator sales at Brooks Auto Parts, Inc. in Douglas, Ga. Eschewing the “good” product designation, they sell only “better” and “best” to their installer customers, encouraging them have a complete stock on hand. “We rely on the quality of NAPA, and you have to have the correct inventory,” notes Wayne Marsh, vice president of store operations.

While sales peak in early winter, the really big blast comes under the blazing mid-summer Georgia sun. “You do more of those when the old blower is running wide open and it’s sucking the juice out of the battery,” causing the units to overheat and subsequently fail.

It’s a similar scenario in sweltering Houston, the Texas home of XL Parts, LP. “The summers eat them alive,” says general manger Terry Bryden. Sales are 30 percent higher than the other seasons “just because of the heat.”

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As an exclusively wholesale provider, hot-shot delivery is a primary requirement within this category, according to Bryden. Among installers, if a customer’s car is up on the rack “they’re not going to wait” for more than a couple of hours for you to get there.

XL has five hub and 26 satellite locations in Houston, Dallas hosts three hubs and nine satellites while a single hub and two satellites serve the Oklahoma City market.

“We go to every store eight times a day on a scheduled route, so nobody’s very far from a given part,” says Bryden. “It’s all about having the product in stock” so it can be quickly passed along to an installer.

Some 95 percent of XL’s shop customers are now ordering new starters and alternators instead of rebuilt models. “Your new items are roughly the same price as the rebuilt,” Bryden notes. “Our ‘new’ sales have quadrupled in the past two years.”

A correct diagnosis of the actual problem is a necessary first step prior to any sale being made because the culprit may not even be attributable to the starter or alternator. Belts, batteries and other components need to be investigated as part of the process before a purchase is pursued.

With 50 stores in five states, Arnold Motor Supply of Spencer, Iowa invests a considerable amount of money in providing education to avoid such situations. Alliance University and manufacturers are among the sources tapped to impart information to counter people, sales representatives and installers.

At the clinics “we stress giving that customer the right part the first time, plus we suggest to them things that can complete the job faster,” says marketing manager Dave Kimbell. Technicians from different shops come in to be trained at the company’s Lunch and Learn programs. “We give a good overview of new items that will help them do their jobs better.”

A live-wire outside sales force that emphasizes high quality is what drives starter and alternator sales at Brooks Auto Parts, Inc. in Douglas, Ga. Eschewing the “good” product designation, they sell only “better” and “best” to their installer customers, encouraging them have a complete stock on hand. “We rely on the quality of NAPA, and you have to have the correct inventory,” notes Wayne Marsh, vice president of store operations.

While sales peak in early winter, the really big blast comes under the blazing mid-summer Georgia sun. “You do more of those when the old blower is running wide open and it’s sucking the juice out of the battery,” causing the units to overheat and subsequently fail.

It’s a similar scenario in sweltering Houston, the Texas home of XL Parts, LP. “The summers eat them alive,” says general manger Terry Bryden. Sales are 30 percent higher than the other seasons “just because of the heat.”

PAGE 2

As an exclusively wholesale provider, hot-shot delivery is a primary requirement within this category, according to Bryden. Among installers, if a customer’s car is up on the rack “they’re not going to wait” for more than a couple of hours for you to get there.

XL has five hub and 26 satellite locations in Houston, Dallas hosts three hubs and nine satellites while a single hub and two satellites serve the Oklahoma City market.

“We go to every store eight times a day on a scheduled route, so nobody’s very far from a given part,” says Bryden. “It’s all about having the product in stock” so it can be quickly passed along to an installer.

Some 95 percent of XL’s shop customers are now ordering new starters and alternators instead of rebuilt models. “Your new items are roughly the same price as the rebuilt,” Bryden notes. “Our ‘new’ sales have quadrupled in the past two years.”

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