TireHub Hubber Spotlight: There is nothing more gratifying than showing people how to optimize their business with new tools

Interview with Sal Trinidad, Learning & Development Specialist

Sal is a Learning & Development Specialist, supporting TireHub’s business units with learning content and process documents. A 14-year automotive industry veteran, Sal uses his sales experiences to sell processes and policies to help Hubbers (TireHub employees) succeed in supporting customers. Read below to hear more about Sal’s experiences before and with TireHub.

Please share a little info about yourself.

My name is Sal Trinidad and I was born and raised in Sonora, Texas, now living in San Antonio. I’m a Learning & Development Specialist for TireHub, meaning I create and design learning content such as videos and process documents for Hubbers. I also manage the process/policy documents on our intranet and a document storage site for safe keeping. My work supports all business units in our company.

How long have you been a Hubber?

I am a Day 1 Hubber who worked through the standup transition [in July 2018].

How long have you been in the tire industry?

I’ve been in the tire industry for 9 years and 14 years total in the in the automotive and heavy duty truck parts industry.

How did you get into this field?

I have always been a Salesman – it’s been something that even as a kid I was passionate about. When I worked for Bridgestone, I decided to apply for a Field Systems and Operations Training Manager position in 2016. When I found out I was hired, two region managers called me and asked me pretty much the same thing: “Sal, do you think that you will be just as passionate in the Operations Training role as you have been in your sales role?” My response was not difficult. “I’m not going to stop selling in my new operations role. The only difference will be what I’m selling and who I’m selling to. Instead of selling tires, I’ll be selling processes and policies. I will still have to sell and earn buy-in from a new set of customers.” With that I was wished well wishes and told that I’d do just fine in my new role.

How would you describe life as a Hubber?

Life as a Hubber has empowered me to enact my ideas to create a positive impact on all Hubbers. There is nothing more gratifying than helping someone learn something new that can improve their efficiency and productivity.

What’s something you wish people knew about tires/the industry/etc.?

I really wish people knew how much science goes into the manufacturing of tires we sell. The misconception that all tires are the same can cost consumers more money in the long run.

Do you have a favorite customer interaction?

Customers have always been my favorite part of any job. I’ve always said that a well-informed customer makes a happy customer and doing what you say you’re going to do is equally as important. One of my favorite interactions comes before TireHub, but I carry the lessons learned still to this day.

We had a local tire shop in San Antonio, Black Jack Speed Shop, owned by Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. I was a Branch sales manager when I started visiting the account. Every two weeks I would stop in for a quick visit to talk about our specials. The General Manager had a phenomenal relationship with a competitor’s salesperson, yet he was always willing to give me a few minutes when I dropped in.

One day I overheard him searching for a tire. Once I realized what he was looking for, I got to work. Before he was ready to speak with me, I had a solution for him. I waited for the perfect moment and let him know I could supply the tire in question within a few days. He didn’t believe me. It wasn’t until he had exhausted all hopes of finding the tire he needed and me being there at the committed time with a solution that it finally sunk in for him that I could be a valuable resource to him for the product he needed. Keeping an open stream of communication along with keeping true to the commitment to do what I said I would every time allowed us to win that day.

How is TireHub different?

I enjoy the appreciation and respect that we experience at TireHub. The constant push for improvements through change always keep life at TireHub Exciting.

Describe your approach to providing exceptional customer service.

Spend more time listening to your customers to tailor your action plans towards their needs. Keeping customers informed and following through on your commitments are extremely important towards earning their trust.

What would you deem your greatest success since starting with TireHub?

There is nothing more gratifying than being able to show people how to use new tools to optimize their business. Being part of the team who rolled out Roadnet (route optimizer) for TireHub was a challenging, yet amazing experience. Just when we all thought launching Roadnet could not be done remotely, COVID changed our way of doing business. We overcame obstacle after obstacle in order to deploy Roadnet in our centers. When many said it couldn’t be done, and at times doubting our own selves, we rose to the challenge and accomplished it.