Jeff Deans is Vice President of St. Lucie Battery & Tire, an 18-location tire and automotive service company based in Florida. His operating experience covers tire shop customer service, centralized phone support, reputation management, customer retention, and multi-location growth.

During the company’s expansion, St. Lucie Battery & Tire built a six-person call center to handle advertised phone lines, appointment scheduling, and customer follow-up. Deans also works on the shared services and technology required to support further growth.

In this episode…

Busy service counters divide an advisor’s attention between the customer in the store and the caller on the phone. St. Lucie Battery & Tire addresses this conflict with a six-person call center that answers tire questions, manages appointments, and follows up with customers while store advisors remain focused on face-to-face service.

Deans connects this approach to a broader view of tire shop customer service. Advisors need to avoid judging customers by their vehicles, take ownership of service problems, and recommend tires based on driving habits and long-term value. The same discipline guides expansion as the company strengthens its technology and shared services before adding locations.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:12] Customer acquisition in a growing tire retail market

[06:50] Centralized call handling and front counter service

[13:11] AI-assisted sales coaching for tire retail teams

[15:55] Tire recommendations based on driver needs and vehicle requirements

[18:34] Resolving service issues and restoring customer trust

[27:41] Building operational capacity for multi-store expansion

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Jeff Deans on LinkedIn
• St. Lucie Battery & Tire Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “You give what they need on the phone, they’re going to come in to see you.”
• “We take every opportunity with every customer real serious, and we try and capitalize and make the most of it.”
• “When something doesn’t go right, just put it in a headlock.”
• “And once they understand that they are important to you, it becomes an us against the problem type situation instead of them against us, even though we’re there to fix it.”

Action Steps:

1. Measure counter interruptions. Track call volume, abandoned calls, and interrupted customer conversations during one full shift.
2. Assign phone ownership. Route calls to a dedicated employee or centralized team with access to scheduling, pricing, and inventory.
3. Protect tire shop customer service. Keep advisors focused on active repair discussions instead of routine phone coverage.
4. Review capacity before expanding. Resolve gaps in staffing, technology, and shared services before adding another location.