Increasing Sales Through Effective and Thorough Training With Robert “Sonny” McDonald, Senior National Training Manager at Toyo Tires Corp USA

Robert “Sonny” McDonald is the Senior National Training Manager for Toyo Tires Corp USA. He started his sales career in the tire industry as a representative for The Tire Rack, where he worked for over a decade, and has been in his current position for more than 20 years. Sonny has also served as an aircraft maintenance specialist in the US Air Force.

As anyone who works in the tire and auto repair industry will tell you, customers don’t come to your shop because things are going well — if their car and tires were in good shape, they wouldn’t be in your shop. So what steps can you take to ensure your customers will stay happy in unhappy situations? How can you get them to trust you enough to come back to your shop the next time they need help?

According to Robert “Sonny” McDonald from Toyo Tires Corp USA, it starts with great training. His philosophy: when you're more comfortable with something, the easier it is to sell. When a customer service provider can ask the right questions, the more comfortable the customer will feel. Sonny says great training gets people excited, not only about the industry but about what they do.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Sonny for a conversation about all the ways the tire and auto repair industry benefits when its employees receive stellar training. Sonny shares how he came to appreciate the benefits of training, how it makes customers feel more comfortable, and why employees feel great about their jobs when they are well-trained. He also reveals which 1980’s TV show led to him being called “Sonny” instead of Robert. Don’t miss it!

• Robert “Sonny” McDonald’s origin story
• The Notre Dame football eras Sonny most enjoyed having season tickets for
• How Sonny got started in the tire business
• What makes the sales team at Toyo Tires successful?
• The keys to consistency in the tire industry
• Sonny shares how he, as a college student, got to know Tire Rack founder Peter Veldman
• Why people started calling him “Sonny” instead of Robert

• Robert “Sonny” McDonald on LinkedIn 
• Toyo Tires  
• Peter Veldman, Tire Rack Founder
• Traction Summit 2023
• Smithers 
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. 

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.  

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email info@treadpartners.com to learn more.