First post, getting ready to enter the industry!!

[JKrepair]

Hello everyone, I have been viewing this forum for the last several weeks and want to thank everyone for all the information.

I am very close to purchasing my kit and kicking off my business. I have few questions and would appreciate all of your comments and opinions.

I am 22 years old with a BS degree in Business Administration/ Marketing emphasis, so I have a basic knowledge on how to run a business. I have always wanted my own business and I like what windshield repair has to offer.

1. Is Delta better then GM?

2. I see alot of opinions on this, cash business or get paid through insurance companies??

3. Best ways to market to dealerships, fleets? Letters, calls, etc....?

4. I need an honest opinion here...When first starting off, how long (average or your experience) does it take to make a comfortable income??

5. Can I learn through the videos and manuals and still do as well as hands on training??

Thats all for now, thanks for your time

Jordan

[JKrepair]

Also, does anyone do business for paint and body shops in your area. I know the body shops come across alot of windshield damage but don't do windshield repair. Could this be another market to target??

[SGT]

Hello everyone, I have been viewing this forum for the last several weeks and want to thank everyone for all the information.

I am very close to purchasing my kit and kicking off my business. I have few questions and would appreciate all of your comments and opinions.

I am 22 years old with a BS degree in Business Administration/ Marketing emphasis, so I have a basic knowledge on how to run a business. I have always wanted my own business and I like what windshield repair has to offer.

1. Is Delta better then GM?

That is a personal preference thing. I use Delta so...

2. I see alot of opinions on this, cash business or get paid through insurance companies??

Cash is king but I am able to offer customers the choice

3. Best ways to market to dealerships, fleets? Letters, calls, etc....?

In person along with a marketing plan which might include, calls, letters advertising etc... Remember "No Does not mean no, It just means not right now" Follow up with your prospect repeatedly.

4. I need an honest opinion here...When first starting off, how long (average or your experience) does it take to make a comfortable income??

To many unknown variables to say.

5. Can I learn through the videos and manuals and still do as well as hands on training??

I lean towards no but perhaps, eventually. Videos are not interactive and you surely will have questions. Tapes cannot tell you did a good or bad repair and since you do not know the difference how will you determine whats what. Your learning curve will be longer.

Thats all for now, thanks for your time


Good luck to you.

[mrchip]

Brian gave you a good post..but to throw in my 2cents worth...
1. delta is a great product and the people know their business..their product is time tested
2.you should strive for a mix of accounts..make it a big pie ....with a slice of everything
3. only you know what you need to survive monetarily
4. spend the money and fly out to Oregon for hands on training..it will be the best investment you will ever make
5. most important to not get discouraged with a No!..like Brian said ...no doesn't always mean no..you have to be persistant...if customer asks for a business card it is a good sign that the no is not no but are you serious about your business...not too scare you but this industry has a very high failure rate...mainly because people get discouraged with the no's...but if you stay at it some of the no's will turn to yes
GOOD LUCK1

[JKrepair]

Thanks for the replies so far, keep them coming...I want to here more thoughts and opinions....

[splitpit]

I wouldn't encourage anyone to get into this business anymore. Most market areas are already way too saturated with wsr techs. That along with lowball marketing has driven the ability to do well way down. Also, the cost of doing business has risen considerably over the last few years. Older established wsr businesses are still doing well but new guys fall by the wayside each day or are barely getting by scratching out a living in a tough market. If your education or background gives you viable options other than wsr, I recommend that you consider those other alternatives.

[SGT]

Certainly not what someone who is starting a new business wants to hear. Nontheless it is realistic advice from one persons point of view and very well may be what you will encounter so I think the post has strong substance.

On the flip side, if you did your research you and only you know what drives you to persue this. There are plenty of people doing well at WSR fulltime and Part Time. Your efforts may make you very successful in your area.

[Brent Deines]

I wouldn't encourage anyone to get into this business anymore. Most market areas are already way too saturated with windshield repair techs. That along with lowball marketing has driven the ability to do well way down. Also, the cost of doing business has risen considerably over the last few years. Older established windshield repair businesses are still doing well but new guys fall by the wayside each day or are barely getting by scratching out a living in a tough market. If your education or background gives you viable options other than windshield repair, I recommend that you consider those other alternatives.

I have been hearing the same negative argument for 10 years, but from my chair I know that simply is not true. In fact, I believe it was much tougher 20 years ago when I started as no one knew what windshield repair was. We had to educate the consumers as well as the insurance companies, and that was no easy task.

Every month we see new windshield repair technicians start and run very successful businesses. We also see some that struggle for awhile, and some that don't make it at all, but that is the nature of any business. Some will succeed and some will fail, but there is always room for smart technicians that do high quality repairs and aren't afraid of a little work.

I can understand why established technicians would like to discourage new technicians in hopes of limiting competition, but based on our 25% increase in sales last year it's obvious that there are many new technicians doing better than ever.

I have started and operated a number of small businesses over the years, and none are easy, but windshield repair still represents an excellent opportunity for success. What other business can you get into for under $2000 (including training) that gives you the tools and supplies to generate over twice your initial investment before having to purchase "anything" else? What other business opportunity can you get into that offers a money back guarantee on equipment? I have tried window tinting, pin striping, interior repair, pressure washing, and glass replacement, to name a few. I have also owned a mobile tool sales franchise, a yard service, a UPS shipping center, a truck rental business, and have been involved in several multi-level marketing businesses. All had potential, but all had a considerable learning curve, and none provided the income that windshield repair did, and I didn't make as much repairing windshields as many of my customers now do.

Do people fail in the windshield repair business? Of course, but I think if you compare the success rate of windshield repair technicians to the success rate of "any" other small business startup you will find windshield repair technicians are far more successful on average, and the gap widens even more when you compare windshield repair to other businesses that cost less than $2000 to start.

As for low ballers, they have always been here and always will be, but seldom stay in business long. Of course as soon as one goes out of business they are replaced by another one. I have said it many times before, but I will say it again. I was always the highest priced windshield repair technician in town, and I always had the most business. I lived in small towns, and there were several repair only guys in addition to every glass shop in town offering windshield repair, but it did not stop me from doing quite well, and it is not stopping anyone else that has the right attitude.

I always find it interesting that when two new technicians start a business in the same area at the same time, one will call me to say how great things are going, and the other will call to tell me how horrible the market is. Usually what I find is that the guy that refuses to bill insurance companies, refuses to accept checks or credit cards, refuses to pay a location fee, refuses to come to training, and refuses to try different marketing techniques, is the same guy that calls us every day to tell us that the market sucks. That guy isn't going to make it in any business. On the other hand, the guy with an open mind and a can do attitude will do some if not all of the things above and find that there is always a market for his services.

If you want to be successful you have to do what successful people do, and sometimes that means stepping outside the box. You also have to quit listening to the negative Nancys and start thinking positive if you want to get ahead in this world.

I think it would be great if I had no competition as well, but the truth is that I do a better job because of my competition. I have to if I want to survive, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sorry, I didn't mean to write a book here, but this is supposed to be a forum to help people, not scare them away from an industry that has been quite good to the majority of us.

[screenman]

Jordan, you already have a head start on a lot of guys that post here, namely admin and marketing skills. Most of those that fail in this very easy business do not have those.
Go for it now, get trained at Delta you will come out with a good base knowledge and with a little practise afterwards will be as good as most.
There is very little in Brents post that I can disagree with. I know if I was 22 I would not hesitate to get into this trade again.

As for getting up to a good living, in 1988 it took me 6 weeks before I was topping

[splitpit]

Well it's my honest opinion that windshield repair is not a good choice for the majority of the people who are just now deciding to get into it. My business has been operating for over 12 years, so it is established beyond the problems that new guys encounter. It's not just a negative argument, as Brent calls it. It's a cold hard fact. I'm not being negative to discourage competition. I'm being honest and realistic about the industry.
Brent, you are in the business of selling the industry. It's your bread and butter. Just because your sales increased 25%, that isn't a fair indicator of the success of new wsr businesses.
I run a sucessful and profitable business. I'm not a "negative nancy".
All I did is give my honest opinion of what you can expect. If that scares you away from the business, then you shouldn't have asked for honest advice.