Jeff Stauffer has more than 30 years of experience working with many of the aftermarket industry’s premier brands like Monroe, MOOG, and now leads the marketing and brand strategy, planning and programs support for Raybestos brakes and chassis. Prior to joining Affinia, Stauffer was Vice President of Marketing for the Consumer Products Division of Old World Industries, where he managed product development and brand management for a diverse group of branded products led by PEAK Antifreeze. He is also active in support of the industry by serving on AAIA marketing committees, the Northwood University Advisory Board and currently is President of the Automotive Sales Council.
As the lead marketer for the Raybestos brand, what does the future look like for the brand and what kind of impact can it make in the marketplace?
First of all, the Raybestos brand has more than a 100-year legacy of delivering high-quality products, full-line coverage, technical and promotional support, and the latest in technology and R&D innovations. We have to make sure our lines of Raybestos branded products continue to deliver on these value propositions, while at the same time address the changing needs of professional technicians. Our brand is stronger than ever in both U.S. and Canada.
We recently became the premium chassis supplier to CARQUEST with our Raybestos Professional Grade Chassis parts line, and other channel partner interest continues to grow across both brakes and chassis. In addition, after thorough research and listening to the needs our customers, we are expanding the Raybestos brand into additional product segments that relate well to the steering, suspension and braking categories.
We launched Raybestos Wheel Hubs in 2009, and just recently introduced Raybestos Strut Assemblies. Both new product lines fit perfectly into our mix, are very competitively priced, and deliver on our standards for product quality and coverage. We’ll be introducing a new marketing campaign for the Raybestos brand in the coming months…so stay tuned, more to come!
It’s obviously the “Key Selling Season” for brake and chassis parts in the coming months, what can the professional technicians look forward to in the way of new Raybestos promotions and consumer incentives to help drive sales?
We have a very active Raybestos promotional calendar for 2011. First, our Raybestos spring Speed Into Savings consumer rebate promotion runs from April 15 – June 15. Not only does it offer consumers up to a $40 rebate on Raybestos brake pads and rotors, but it also provides a chance to win a VIP trip to the first-ever NASCAR tripleheader weekend in Chicago this September.
In addition, technicians can earn up to $50 in rewards just for selling premium Raybestos brake products.
We also offer the Raybestos Rewards Program — the industry’s premiere technician loyalty program. And the best part is that it’s FREE for our Raybestos professional customers to join! All they have to do is visit www.raybestos.com, click on the link to the program and sign up.
Once enrolled, members receive a POS kit of our latest signage, merchandising aids and selling tools. Also, automatic enrollment into our Gimme A Reward Box Top Program allows customers to earn some really cool Raybestos apparel and merchandise, or cash rewards. The more Raybestos you sell and install, the more you earn!
Another benefit for Raybestos Rewards members is that we automatically send them the promotion materials for each of the major Raybestos promotions, like this spring’s Speed Into Savings. It’s a great, easy way to stay connected to the Raybestos brand programs going on throughout the year. Our primary goal is to help our customers sell more parts!
Finally, I encourage everyone to check out our two websites. Visit www.raybestos.com for our complete online parts catalog, and to see the latest Raybestos product and promotional news. Visit www.RaybestosGarage.com for a sneak preview of the in-progress build of our ’64 Raybestos GTO-R road racing muscle car — the featured giveaway car in our upcoming summer 2011 Raybestos sales promotion and
media campaign.
Great selling, everyone!
