Dollars per windshield repair?

[DryStar]

puka pau is just fine, not that I agree with his pricing but who knows...maybe that's is all his area of service offers him. Mine is much higher but state to state it differs.

[bill lambeth]

I have not read all of this but in my opinion i think some of this is getting a little personal when it comes to telling everyone what you make.Just saying!

[screenman]

So are you really saying that if somebody offered you $10 per job more you would say no thanks? How often do you put a price increase in?

I negotiate hard when I buy and hard when I sell, just my way I guess.

[puka pau]

A few questions, some rhetorical, some not so:

We can agree that there is an industry standard protocol for star break repair; all legs filled, all tips filled, no silver or black showing from any perspective, no flowering, pit filled and polished. Let's assume that you and I each repair a star break to that specification. You charge the customer $50. You save the customer money. I charge the customer $25. I save the customer money. All other things being equal (like service and range of products) which price represents the best value to the customer?

How would you define "cheap" as opposed to "inexpensive" or "cost effective" from the customers standpoint?

Have you ever shopped for a price (for, say a car, TV, camera, computer, etc) or do you normally pay full retail sticker?
Do you wait for a sale? Use coupons? Buy stuff at big box stores rather than neighborhood independents? Shop online?

We're not selling fine art here. You're not Picasso. I'm not Beethoven. WSR, as much as you may want to deny it is, with the possible exception of long crack repair and more complex damage repair, a commoditized product and as such, most customers familiar with WSR expect their WSR vendors to perform to a standard - or else. Consequently, if you and your competition both repair the garden-variety breaks to specification, the other ways for you to differentiate from the competition is to offer more products (like repairing more complex damage) that others don't offer, provide better service and/or adjust your price. Personally, I do all three: Better price, better service, better range of product and better guarantee. Consequently I can go into a warehouse or business/industrial complex and sell virtually all the fleets that live there rather than just one or two because of the trio of price, service and product - some customers put more emphasis on price, some on product and some on service. As a result I get about eight out of every ten fleets I address. Which makes me more efficient, which means I can charge less and still make a reasonable profit.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

[screenman]

I find the cheap guys have failed to educate the customer that we are a saving and not a cost.

[t4k]

I am with you on this one Screenman. I am about 95% fleet and I am not the cheapest but I am the best and most reliable in my area. As far as earnings, there is no way I would post that for anyone. If you are happy and your customers are happy, what difference does it make what a bunch of guys on a forum think about your hourly, monthly or yearly earnings.

[clearquest]

Puke Pau,

Dude, that's just a feel good theory.

[screenman]

90% of my work is fleet work, and I am certainly not going to post what I earn per hour. My fleets ask me to be good and save them money, they never ask me to be cheap.

[puka pau]

Clearquest;

Peace out, dude. I'm no more "right" about what I do than you are about what you do. You do it your way, I do it my way. IMHO, one of the functions of this board is to illustrate that there are many paths to the waterfall, so to speak. However, consider that no matter in what venue anyone's craft or profession resides, embracing the twin concepts of practice and personal challenge more often lead to mastery than abdication of personal challenge and practice. A weight lifter doesn't start bench pressing 300# from day one. But if that person restricts the weight he lifts to 150# he'll never get to 300#.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

[clearquest]

And repairing the damager you are referring to isnt advanced tecniques! Its a foolish waste of time,