Document k98MjVEnxqeDZybD3O4L5nOyq

. `? V ' v- ' ' ' ` Howard Dayringer created a way to tie the Bargain Buys promotion into the travel portion of M&H's "Go the NAPA Way" Program. SALES/TRAVEL INCENTIVE PROGRAM After spending 25 years with Delco, Howard Dayringer decided to leave Detroit for the sunny South, and in 1973, he purchased M&H Auto Parts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Today -- due largely, by his own account, to his outstand ing group of very competent and dedicated employees -- the busi ness has prospered to the point that, this past September, Howard was able to open a new branch store in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Howard liked NAPA's 1982 pro gram from the moment it was pre sented to him by representatives of the NAPA Miami Distribution Center. He saw it as a way to in crease customer loyalty with a segment of the market that many of his competitors are less aggres sively pursuing due to the increas ing costs of servicing these tradi tional dealer accounts. This past February, Howard con ducted his dealer meeting to intro duce and explain the program. All four travel destinations were pre sented so that his customer hus bands and wives could base their 1982 purchases on a trip to a des tination most desirable to them. The program was presented on the basis that the NAPA Spring and Fall Car Care Days would bring the dealers additional business. These additional sales would stimulate additional purchases from M&H, which would earn bonus awards -- such as trip credits and/or mer chandise awards -- for the dealer. When asked how his February 8 Dayringer feels a well-merchandised sales area can really make a big dif ference. "Your store traffic pattern must flow right past your displays," he advises. SPR NG SUCCESS STORIES .. .a one-on-one selling approach could well prove to be the most important factor in selling the program . . . dealer meeting fared, Howard -- as is his style -- was completely candid. "At first, we were a little disappointed with our dealer meet ing; we didn't have the kind of turn out we expected. And it seemed kind of funny. When we sponsor a dealer participation meeting -- say, for example, a mechanic edu cation clinic -- we've always had good, successful turnouts. We've never had any problem filling our clinics. "But when we're going to have a meeting such as this one, when we're going to sell to the owner, it's different. If he's a successful dealer, he's kind of like we've been. He works a lot of hours, he works hard, and then to steal one of his evenings gets to be tough. He just can't seem to get too excited about going home, cleaning up and then going back out to a meet ing. So we weren't real successful in having a large, formal meeting with our dealers." But, as it has with the growth of M&H Auto Parts, located in a Ft. Laud erdale shopping center. A branch store was opened just under one year ago in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. his business, Howard's persis tence paid off. He decided that a one-on-one selling approach could well prove to be the most impor tant factor in selling the program to his dealer customers -- both those that had attended the meet ing, and those that had not. Of those that did attend, very few made the actual decision to parti cipate on the night of the meeting. But Howard felt it would be very important to make follow-up calls on them within the next few days while the program was still fresh in their minds. He feels very strongly that this immediate follow-up ap proach was what got these dealers to sign on the dotted line. Howard also felt that this oneon-one selling would be the best way to approach those dealers that did not attend the meeting. "It afforded us the opportunity to ac tually pull the customer aside and say, `Hey, we want to help you with your business and in doing so, you'll be helping us with our busi ness. And here's how we can do it.' " He even used the same approach for his fleet customers, going right to the top officers to explain the in centive program that could be of fered to their parts men. He had lit tle resistance when the top man was convinced that this is a na tional NAPA program. Howard admits that taking such an approach provided him with very good reception. At the time of this interview, he had 16 couples signed up for the trip program. "For our regular travel people,