PODCAST: SD International’s big opportunity for dealers

In today’s podcast Sarah talks to SD International sales director Dan Wheeler and sales and marketing manager Bob Stewart about their new ZETA brand tires and the big opportunities for dealers wanting to partner with an independent distributor.

You can listen here:

Or, if you don’t have time to listen, you can read about SD International in the show notes:

Show Notes

Here are some key take outs from Sarah’s chat:

• SD International is a 15-year-old company exclusively dealing in tires. It has several proprietary brands, eight global offices and is headquartered in Shanghai.

• SD International is looking for mid-size dealers or regional wholesalers to partner with — especially those dealers who feel their business doesn’t really fit the mold of the manufacturer or large distributor they’re currently dealing with “because those people aren’t looking after his business’s best interest.”

“We feel we’ve got quality product at a very reasonable price — not cheap, but reasonable — something that the dealer can really make a good profit on. And our driving concern is to try to bring a profitable product that’s not sold to big box retailers, internet resalers or any of the mega wholesalers.” — Bob Stewart

• The company has moved production of its ZETA brand of tires to Thailand to make the product more affordable in the U.S. (It’s tariff-free, unlike China).

• ZETA is a tier-three quality product with a true dealer program, including consumer purchase incentives, salesman rebates and dealer trip incentives — all the perks independent tire dealers are used to getting from the big boys.

“Let’s build something the dealers want, let’s not dictate what the dealer has to do for us. It’s what we can do for them.” — Dan Wheeler

• The tires are being built in Sentury’s modern, state-of-the-art plant — helping to ensure quality.

• Promotions are timed according to the dealer’s requirements.

“If a dealer is unhappy with some of his supplier relations and the lack of loyalty — several of the majors are directly selling tires to consumers over the internet now — if that bothers you; if several of the manufacturers exiting tier-three and moving up into the OE business, if that is bothering you or creating a void in your profit portfolio, then we should talk.” — Bob Stewart

Here are the links you might need

• For more information about ZETA tires (including specs), visit the ZETA website.

• Here’s SD International’s website. You can find a contact page for Bob and Dan there.

• Or, you can call Bob and Dan on their cell phones. Bob can be reached at 865-337-3393 and Dan at 201-704-3885.

Tagged: SD International

PODCAST: SD International’s big opportunity for dealers