Pro Demand Is Booming — Are You Priced for It?

Tyreese: Good morning. Welcome in. It's Monday, the start of a new week, and the doors are open. Grab your coffee, let's get our heads right before the first job rolls in.

Tyreese: Here's the signal. O'Reilly Auto Parts reported its third quarter numbers on Friday, and the story inside those numbers matters for every one of us running a truck. Comparable store sales were up seven point two percent, better than the company expected, and they raised their full-year outlook because of it. But here's the part I want you to hear: the professional side of their business, the shops and the fleets and the working vehicles, grew more than ten percent, split right down the middle between more transactions and bigger tickets. The do-it-yourself side actually saw fewer transactions. People are still spending on maintenance, but more of that spending is flowing through professionals, not driveways.

Tyreese: And there's a second piece in that same report. O'Reilly said oil and lubricants were the biggest driver of price inflation in the quarter, with same-item prices up more than four percent. So your oil is still getting more expensive, even while the pros are busier than ever.

Tyreese: Here's the thing. That combination tells you exactly where the money is and exactly where the risk is. The money is in serving working vehicles, the fleets, the contractors, the businesses that cannot afford downtime. The risk is eating rising oil costs while you stay busy and wonder why the bank account doesn't reflect it. I have watched operators run themselves ragged all week and still lose ground, because their price list was written for last year's oil bill.

Tyreese: So here's the tactic. Price like a pro, and sell like a pro. Your price has to move when your cost moves, full stop. Nobody owes you a margin you didn't protect. And your week should have room in it for the customer who brings you five vehicles instead of one, because that is where this market is heading. The chains and the parts houses are all leaning into the professional customer. You can out-service every one of them, because you show up at their lot and they don't have to send a truck anywhere.

Tyreese: Now the action, and this one you can finish before the first job today. Pull your last oil invoice and your price list, and set them side by side. If your oil went up and your price didn't, move one price today. Just one. Pick the service you sell most, adjust it to cover the cost, and write the new number on your dash card so you quote it with confidence all week. That is it. One price, protected margin, before job one.

Tyreese: Go take care of your customers today, take care of your prices, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning. And stick around, because the full show drops right after this briefing.