An introduction of sorts, a thank you and some questions -

[benswindshieldrepair]

Hi everyone. I'm Ben from Montana and I have spent hours upon late night hours looking at this forum for the past half-year. I have decided to finally post so as to hopefully be able to someday contribute to the board as so many others have been a great help to me. The experience on this forum (once you figure out who is who) is tremendous and I couldn't have made it this far without the knowledge base here, so thank you to all of you who provide quality feedback and info to this site. Also a huge thanks to the Delta Kits folks (especially Korey) for their promptness and patience.

I finally decided to start my own mobile WSR service up in February, purchased a dual bridge Delta Kit, and travelled to Eugene for their course. I am a full time Sheriff's Deputy but my schedule allows the flexibility required for a part-time business so WSR is a great opportunity for me. I have been comfortably busy but I would like to be busier. I have some questions for you all so I hope you can take the time to read. Particularly those of you who service RURAL areas. This is what I have done so far:

I have taken care of all government red-tape and I am a legal sole proprietorship.
I paid for professional graphic design and have very professional business cards and invoices. (I am in the process of having a uniform embroidered)
I have paid for a small sign at a coffee kiosk at a major highway junction.
I am set up with a lot of the insurance networks (SGC is still in progress, as are a couple of the ones under LYNX)

As stated previously, I have been comfortably busy. But I want to be very busy. Though there is a lot of good advice on this board regarding marketing, I am hesitant to follow some of the advice due to the fact that I need to be EXTRA careful in my area. Geographically my area of service is very large, even larger than some eastern US states, however, there are few people here in relative terms, and I feel I need to be cautious about any approach I take in marketing my services. Door to Door will not be an option. Tent sales is probably not an option. Even cold approach could be considered gimicky or cheesy here. Because of the rural atmosphere, people are very accustomed to and actually prefer being left alone. That is oftentimes the reason people live here. So far, my business has all been word-of-mouth sales through friends or other business contacts but it just won't be enough if I am to stay profitable in this. Car lots are not working out too well either though there has been some movement and I feel I have a pretty good approach/sell down now. The good news is there is not a lot of competition around here. So for those of you who work in the more rural areas, what are your methods of success? One thing I think I will try is a referral system with local auto shops/detailers, but what are some other ideas? Also, with regards to cold approach - do you have an approach that works really well for you? Particularly in areas where folks might not be as "approachable?"

Also, wanted to mention that though I am very new to this, I am very pleased with how my repairs have turned out using the DK equipment. I have repaired multiple windshields that had been previously "professionally" repaired and have been shocked to see the poor quality of other work that folks have paid good money for. I never bad mouth another's work, but when I notice there is still a huge pit on a previous repair, I ask the customer if it bothers them when its raining and they always say yes. I then fix the pit for them.

Anyway, I hope to get some feedback.

Thanks again!!!

[t4k]

I won't be any help to you because all of my business is done through car lots and fleets and I understand your rural situation. I do applaud you for doing your homework and getting the right training. You have started off this business venture in the right way.
Good luck to you and I am sure there are some members who can shed some light on your questions.

If all else fails.............Call Korey!

[Brent Deines]

I started repairing windshields in Billings but have worked in some "very" rural parts of Montana as well. The good news is that relationships still count for a great deal in the rural areas and you probably already know a lot of people given your other line of work. We wish you the best of luck!

[Glasseye]

Reading your post, you seem to have covered all the bases pretty well. What you now need to allow for is time. Continuing to do good work and targeting sources of potential work will eventually pay off, but you have to allow time for your reputation to build. From my experience with rural people they are wary of new faces and new ideas but once you have gained their trust, they stick with you.

[ghost rider]

I consider the area I am in very rural. The two closest towns are five miles away in either direction and their total population combined is less than 600. The closest "city" with a population of 50,000 is 30 miles away. I find these small town people trust their insurance agents as much as their bankers and lawyers. Get to know all of the agents in the area you are willing to travel. You will find some that just tell their customers to "call the 800 number" but in most cases the agents would like to be able to refer to someone they know and trust. Most of my insurance work comes from agent referrals and it could be the same in your area. You will need to be flexible on what kind of customers you service. You probably can't get enough business from just insurance. I do about 50/50 insurance and fleets/dealers. I have never had advertising help much, too much word of mouth referral in the small towns, but once your name gets out there you will get calls.
Good luck, Ben.

[just chippen away]

You may want to lets say do a free day,,, Free inspetion and free repairs just to get the folks to know you are there.... Free water or what ever...... Find a gathering that does get the flks out there, or make up some flyers letting folks know who you are and that you are starting up and that to shoe folks who you are and what you do, you are going to put on a FREE day...
Sounds like you are in a tight nit comunity and that kind of towm likes gatherings.

Good luck if you do something like that.

[benswindshieldrepair]

Thanks for the responses of you all. I am going to try a few referral type things I think also. Like approach the Boy Scouts with some referral cards that donates $5 back to them...Things like that. I am also considering joining the local chamber of commerce.