Business really takes off for tent guy!

[OmNi]

True... we won't make an immediate financial gains. But the other the temp was dropping and a previous customer noticed me hanging out there keeping warm and she brought me a hot and ready pizza. Not a huge investment

[Brent Deines]

I'm with you OmNi. I have given away a great deal over the years and feel that it has come back to me many fold. One could argue that doing anything that does not bring a direct return is a bad business practice, but you will never convince me of that. Besides, it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I do something nice for someone, and I need that feeling to stay motivated.

[screenman]

There is far more to life than just money, the rewards you get for helping someone are far greater than money can buy.

[maxryde]

When is lowballing considered such? if someone charges a few dollars less than me would that be low balling. Would the guys charging less now than what they did 20 years ago be low balling in that case almost everyone would be lowballers.

I for one admire anyone trying to better them selves and if it means undercutting my price then so be it.I will find another USP to work on.

I would like to think I can find better things to laugh at than other peoples misfortunes. I for one wish the tent guys all the luck in the world, that way they will stay in the tents and not in my fleets. Do they affect my business I do not think so.

I think it funny too, the tent airborne and all. LOL I too have had this situation happen to me and my techs!! I've lost 2 canopys due to (greed/hunger) by my son and my brother. I had a canopy take off on me also when I tied it down as usual but the wind came up from the east. (not it's usual direction) The damage was to my new truck and the canopy!! The thing rolled over my trucks canopy causing some severe scratching on the paint! Bummer! Tie it to a structure, securely, and you can be safe. What about your customer? If that happened while their vehicle was under it? We have been lucky 3 occurances in 4+ years.

Now as far as the low balling issue, around here I am the most expencive provider of WSR in this area. The glass shops do repairs for $29.95 and upsell most repairs as unrepairable. I get a little more, not alot mind you but I pay my morgage eat good and stay dry and warm. I have no complaints. I had to laugh at Screenmans "fleets" comment, I agree whole heartedly, I love the fleet work especially in winter! And here it comes!! Rotsa ruck!:p

[Bois]

I too have lost 3 canopies due to high winds. I've learned to quickly remove all banners tied to the canopy because they act like sails on a boat. One time a customer tried to help me hold down the canopy. I told him instead to move his car rather than risk any damage.

As far as freebies - today I repaired a 2nd chip for free for an elderly woman who was driving a 91 vehicle. She seemed so in need and she appreciated it. [It was a very small break - almost un-noticeable.]

[daytrader]

I laugh because he got what he deserves. I laugh because he's out there lowballing everyone else and doing poor quality repairs. I laugh because his type give this industry a bad name. It's aint about the tent, it's about the guy working it. Yep, stupidity led to his tent flying away and that gave me a good laugh too!

Hum, How do you know ALL his repairs are low quality? Set up in a tent and getting biz. NOTHING wrong with that. UNDER CUTTING YOU. That is good biz. If he can do it cheaper then you. Then deal with it. You have plenty of margin. UNLESS you are carting around in a vehical doing insurnace work.

The guy that can do the repair at the cheapest price DOSN'T always get the work. MANY times its conveniance. That tent set up at say Home depot. Hell I would use them my self. Save me some time while I shop. THAT IS GOOD marketing.

Folks this is running your own company. RUN IT LIKE ONE. You have to be on top of it. EVERYDAY it changes. What worked 1 year ago WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT work now. If it dose for you. YOU ARE DOING SOMTHING WRONG or You are the one man show.

Now, who would you rather have do your repair. The guy in a van that dose 3-8 a day. Or the guy in a tent that has done 300 in the last 30 days?

The guy in the van. MOST folks will never remeber. The folks at a fixed location. They will be remebered.

I bet you do not have your oil changed out of a van, brakes replaced out of a van or your exahast repaired out of a van. Some folks do, IN EMERGANCY times.

Other wise you want to go to a place were you know if in the next day or two. If something isn't right you can go back and talk face to face with a person.

SOME TIMES. Folks need to voice their concerns to a person. NOT OVER A PHONE.

I say this while I set waiting on a Dealer to open up that will get my vehical back in, in the am to fix their repair. GOOD THING. It wasn't a guy out of a van.

I do not have a tent. We do not have anytent guys hear yet. I am exploring the idea as it is a great one. ITS CALLED SERVICE. That is all we provide.

The nice thing about a tent guy. If he screwed me. I know were to find him. IF HE SCREWED TO MANY. He will not last. As folks like me. What the heck is one more battery or assult charge? Heck a bad credit report is worse then beating the heck out of a guy with a ball bat.

Competition is good. You just have to be competitive and offer what tent guy can not offer.

[nolenworks]

We have guys on the side of the road here in Albuquerque that charge $15.00 for a repair. People in New Mexico want something for nothing!!!

[glassdoctor]

I wish that $30 was considered lowball around my area. Glass shops have $19.95 ads and my dealer accounts get offers like that all the time.

I agree that's low for retail... I don't go that low. But it's not a $60 market everywhere. Some here crap their pants over $50 when they have that 19.95 in their head.

[splitpit]

It would be hard to take pride in what you do, when doing it for peanuts!

[screenman]

Monkeys do.