Windshield Repair Forum

Just had a customer ask about specifics of setting up tent locations, and instead of just answering one person's question, I thought we should open it up on the forum.

Are people having success with them?

Who did you talk to about getting space for the tent? If it's not someone you already know, how did you approach them?

What types of spaces are the best? Retail store? Car Wash?

Are people paying for space per repair? Per day? What kind of rates are people charging?

I think if someone would be kind enough to give these questions a shot, it would certainly help some of our newer members! Thanks!



Jeff Higgins
Delta Kits, Inc.
jhiggins@deltakits.com
http://www.deltakits.com

Removed Extra Post



-DeltaKits

Edited by: deltakits at: 12/3/02 4:09:52 pm

Jeff, about 4 years ago my husband and I purchased a small motor home with the intention of using it for my business. We had signs made for both sides and the back, so it is a traveling billboard.
The gas station/convenience store where we buy a lot of our gas said it was okay with them if we wanted to set up there and put out our banners and do repairs (no charge... his theory was that having me there would be mutually beneficial). So I did on weekends, and was doing very well, even though that part of town is on the border between good and bad elements. One day I stopped in to get gas, and he greeted me from behind a plate glass window with a little 'talk hole' in it. He had been robbed at gun-point. My husband and I decided that it wasnt really good for me to be there any more, especially by myself.
I have done a local flea market several times, and will resume in the spring when the flea market starts up again. At this venue I paid 10 cents a square foot, which included space for clients to pull up next to me for their repairs.
The best locations would be any place where people are going to stop anyway: restaurant, store, automotive store, service station, strip mall... just about any place you can get permission to be there... it should be a well-trafficed area, and the ideal place would be at an intersection with a traffic light. Price is set by the property owner. It may be free. It may be by percentage of your daily receipts. It may be so much per day/week/month, as determined by the property owner.
Whether using a tent, or RV or just working out of your vehicle, it is important to have bold, easy to read, professional quality signs and/or banners. Avoid appearing 'fly-by-night'. If you accept credit cards, advertise it ... people may not always have cash with them, and if they dont have comprehensive insurance, they will appreciate knowing you take plastic. In addition, accepting plastic adds to your credibility in a very powerful way.
I also accept personal checks. I joke with the people, saying "If this bounces, I'll just come and put a new star on your windshield" ... then we laugh. There is a company here that assists merchants in collecting on bounced checks. The merchant receives the full amount of the check; the company collects all their fees from the offending account. The way it works is if a check doesnt clear, the company does an ATF (automatic funds transfer) as soon as there are funds in the account to cover the combined cost of the check and fees, and automatically transfers the face amount of the check into the merchant's account. There is no sign-up or maintance fees, and no minimum usage.
I think what is charges goes according to what the local market will bear. I charge $45 + $15 for those who dont have insurance. When I go through insurance, I get whatever the insurance pays, which is seldom less.
I have been told by price shoppers that I am 'too high', but that's just their opinion. I tell them there are 2 kinds of repairs "cheap and good; mine are good, and are covered by a full money-back guarantee." I win some, I lose some.

Ooops... nothing like being redundant, is there? Well, I did add a comment or two to the second post.

Jeff/Grace,

Thanks for the posts. My real concerns do not come in the form of ideas but rather how to implement them. How do I sell my ideas. For example Grace, How or who did you approach at these venues?(Gas station,Flea Market,Car Wash Ect.)the manager,the owner,the property owner,Where did you find this information? What did you say to sell yourself? How did you determine what was a reasonable fee to pay for each venue? or did you let them dictate the rate? and if that was the case how did you know that it was fair? I can deal with repair customers no problem, but i am real wet behind the ears with the negotiating end of business practices. I dont want to try approach these potential clients without all my ducks line up. I might jeopardize the possibility now and for future dealings. May i should throw caution in the air and just go for it.......any further thoughts guys.

Bfenne:
Well to start with you need to find out what the local city requirements are for temporary use permits to be able to set up a tent or whatever. I have done this in different areas and some have no hoops to jump through as long as you have a State business license, where others (the one I'm in now) the cities seem to have endless ways for you to have to pay them so you can do business. Assuming that you have jumped whatever city hurdles that are required, the tough thing is to find a good spot that will let you set up.
Things to look for in a location are: Lots of traffic, easy access, near an intersection so people can read your signs while they sit at the light, and a main road connected to the freeway where possible this is good for all the commuters that take the freeway where they are more likely to get chips.
Another thing to look for is a privately owned, this helps so they don't have to send your request off to some committee. If it is a shopping center of some kind, you may need to contact the property manager. You can usually find out who this is just by asking one of the businesses. After you figure out who makes the decisions you need, then you put together your sales pitch.
One of the key points you want to bring up in your sales pitch is that your business will improve their business. Offer to pass out coupons or fliers, and that you will suggest that customers go shop while you work while you do the repair. This adds value to your pitch and makes it easier to bargain.
Let them know your a reputable licensed and insured business, because you should be. If you have any kind of links with any larger organizations like you refer your repairs to ABC company, you might mention that just so you don't seem small.
As far as bargaining, it all depends on the area and what they are used to, if there are any other kinds of temp businesses that set up. In my area every summer there are snowcone stands and vegetable tents all over, so its easy to drive down the road and see which businesses allow your type of business to set up, that way you don't have to do so much foot work and flat rejection. however if these types of things are popular than you can expect to pay a little more because the business consider it another means to increase profits.
I have found on occasion a business that just said go ahead and set up without any contracts or payment, I have a partner with a location like that right now. But more often you will need to pay something. I have been in the range of $200 to $700 per month, however anything over $500 better be a sweet spot, and they better give you free drink refils. Go in low and basically try and keep them low.
I have two locations now that I pay $350 a month for each. One thing you want to try and avoid is signing long term contracts, usually a new spot is hot for about a month then it slows down and you start getting repeat customers (as long as you do reputable work) and referrals from previous customers, and people who see your signs and get new chips, they first think of you as to where to go.
There are benifits to staying in one place and also to moving around:
Staying put = repeat customers, word of mouth referrals, no hassle finding new places, peolpe feel secure with a regular set-up pattern.
Moving around = new business boom (people who have chips but have never had it so convinient to have them repaired) you can cover a different traffic pattern.
Try to leave yourself open to re-location if a site goes dead, monthly works for me.
Another thing to do after you have been at a couple of spots or more is to use the past spot as a refference for how your business helped their business.

I hope this helped and is more of what you were looking for. Good Luck

bfenne,
Getting set up at the service station was a serandipitous thing. My hubby took the RV there to gas up and the man asked him about windshield repair. His windshield needed to be fixed, so we did it. One thing led to another and he invited us to come there on the weekends. So we didnt actually go after that one, it came to us.
I found out about the flea market through the local newspaper.
I get information about automotive swap meets from the newsletter of an auto club that I joined.

wasatch,
wow....you nailed it. mucho thanks. i will pay it foward when its my turn to help someone. hey while i have your help would you have any specifics for fleet accounts? whats worked best for you?

thanks

I have been working tent locations for two years. I wish that I could have asked advise from you guys before I started. Instead, I learned the hard way. One time I got city license, bought new tent, paid $300 first months rent, but did not check with zoning board before I started. After one very profitable week in business, the zoning officer shut me down. So, I learned from mistakes. Overall, I am very happy with tents.
The one thing that I did not anticipate facing was boredom. Out of an eight hour work day, there will normally be at least four hours of down time. Some days I am busy continually, but most of the time there is a lot of time spent waiting for someone to stop. That almost made me give up the tents, even though I average 30+ cars a week.
Now I have learned to bring some other project to work on while I wait. I bring hobby projects that occupy my time and cause me to move around, not just sit in van and wait.
In addition I ask customers to come back in a month or so and let me inspect the repair. First, it shows them that I am interested in their windshield. Second, I sometimes find a new chip to repair. Third, it creates the illusion that I always have a car under my tent. It's kind of like when you pass a resturant that always has a lot of cars, you assume that the food must be good. When people see a lot of traffic at my tent, they assume that I do good work. And they are right.
Excuse my rambling, but my point is, anticipate the down time inbetween vehicles and plan something to keep you from getting bored.

MrGlass, you are so right about the boredom aspect. I have a number of projects I take with me. My favorite thing to do, because it attracts attention, is leather-work... I carve and tool (and sell what I make too) while I am waiting for interest in the windshield repair. The tooling especially creates interest, because the sound of the tapping makes people curious.

I also have a drawing for a prize ... people love to win stuff. This accomplishes two things: 1. it gets them to come near, and hear about wsr 2. I add their information to my data files for any mailings I plan to do The tickets for the drawing are two-part, with matching number on each. On one side they enter their information. The other side is actually a business card with my name, number, web address and e-mail. When the person fills out an entry, I separate the two, I keep their information, they keep mine. Even if a person might not take one of my business cards, if s/he has entered the drawing, they get my information on a card that they are going to keep at least for a little while. I try to have lots of handouts, and what I call a 'windshield first aid kit' ... windshield savers, information about windshield repair, my business card, etc. The more things you have to give them, the better they will remember you.