Continental Tire the Americas LLC has added plenty of enhancements to its Gold associate dealer program for 2014.
The company shared those changes with its elite Gold retail dealers in Cancun, Mexico, this week. They were well received.
And why not? As National Programs Manager Chris Jenkins told attendees, they were all designed "to put more money in your pocket."
The nine-year-old retailer program was "infused" with more than $5 million. Here are some of the changes.
1. Marketing line rewards. Continental increased the Gold Reward on its most popular Continental and General lines.
* Continental: CrossContact LX20, ExtremeContact DWS, ExtremeContact DW, ProContact EcoPlus, PureContact and the new TrueContact, from $4 to $6 a tire to $7.
* General: G-Max AS-03, Grabber, Grabber AT and Grabber HTS, from $2 to $4 a tire to $5.
All dealers continue to be eligible for volume bonuses, which are paid quarterly.
2. ContiLink. Gold dealers now have complete access to all Continental programs through ContiLink, including Engage 360, the company's online training program; RPM (for Real Performance Motivation), a rewards program that awards points for tire sales; and the improved Gold Calculator.
Continental Gold dealers also were treated to major product news. Continental introduced the Continental TrueContact, an all-season performance touring tire available in 31 T-, H- and V-rated sizes.
The T- and H-rated sizes are backed by a 90,000-mile limited tread wear warranty. The V-rated sizes are backed by an 80,000-mile warranty.
