'Icing on the cake'; What sells? Design expert says it's a dealership's showroom.

Byline: Vera Fedchenko

After 13 years of evaluating the service and sales techniques of thousands of tire and auto dealerships, Steve Brown maintains that a showroom is a store's most critical selling point.

When two auto repair shops are vying for a customer's business, showroom appearance and overall cleanliness really can differentiate one store from another, especially when pricing and service offerings are equal.

"It's kind of like the icing on the cake,'' he told Tire Business. "The consumer experience, the condition of the facility, my sho