Competing with the No Deductible-Free windshield replacement

[GlassStarz]

cfix,
Dont let things get you down its the easiest buiness in the world the repairs themselves could be taught to a slow chimp the sales part will take a little time to learn here are some ideas that have worked for me

1. Start at the small used car lots (these guys dont get as much saturation from WR guys because there are bigger fish out there ) Walk the lot make a list of which cars need repairs and go inside dont tell the guy you charge so much per car rather I saw 5 cars out there with 7 chips i will do em all right now for $100 trust me they can do the math and most will jump at it so your there 2 hrs and make $100 $50 hr is good money wherever you live
2. find the local school bus company do the same thing remember the average flat bus windshield costs about $45 and takes 15 minutes to install so price yourself accordingly again if you found 15 busses with 20 chips and charged em $200 so your there 4 hrs at $50 hr
3. walk the parking lot of places like real estate offices these guys are busy and dont have time to go sit at a glass shop so you might be surprised how many chips are there find the owners and tell em you will fix them now for ($35? and $10 for each extra? or whatever goes in your area) these guys are easy sales
4. after getting in to several used lots slowley start doing the same thing at the larger the little lots have freinds there and if you have become buddies with them they will steer you to the right people and a cold call with a reference or 2 will get you alot farther dont call ahead just show up look professional and give em the pitch.
good luck

[Lee]

"I would be stressing the point that NO ONE can duplicate the ORIGINAL FACTORY SEAL on the glass no matter how good they are".
I'm sure all of the urethane manufactures out there will be glad to hear this.
This is another ploy to sell wsr. Scare the customer with lies, it will never be the same, it will leak, your car will rust, if you get in a wreck the air bag will blow out the glass, your dog will get pregnant(you know how those glass installers are). We do both repair and replacement here and have never had any problem with urethane installs.

[Glasseye]

Speaking from experience in the UK, back in the late seventies,early eighties a lot of Insurance companies provided free windscreen replacement as part of their comprehensive policies. They soon found out that replacement screens began to rise alarming rates due to abuse of the allowance plus drivers having their glasses changes for the most minor reasons. I recall one motorist changing his glass 3 times ( charged) because of the reflection from the glass when standing outside the car !!!????. Slowly but surely the Insurance companies revised their policies to a point now where they actively promote repair. So don't despair, like my other colleagues have said keep plugging away, repair will not go away.
As to the point about Factory fitted glass being the best. As you are probably aware the urethane is applied by a robotic arm which is great as long as the reference points are constant, unfortunately one manufacturer in the UK let their inspection standards slip and over a thousand cars went onto the market with their urethane beads onto the body being 1/16" wide !!!!. We had to put them right and you could push them out with one hand!!.

[CrackFixKY]

So I guess I should stay away from retail to begin with? And here is the perfect example. My friend has 2 chips on her windshield, I gave her my little speal, but she asked why I should fix the chips when she could get a free windshield replaced. I didn't know how to answer that question, which I am afraid is going to be a common one.

[GlassStarz]

Sales is a learned art practice it in the mirror just like you did for that school play a salesperson is an actor the biggest reason people fail in this buisness is the inability to sell ones self

[CrackFixKY]

When you all go into a used card dealership and they say they are not interested in getting the chips repaired do you still stop by every other week or so and check out their lot and ask them again? Or do you take No means No. I want to go after the sale but I don't want to seem like some pushy salesman that they cant get rid of. Almost a fine line to walk,.

[screenman]

Be firm not pushy. Salesmen are quite often the easiest to sell to. If you do not get a job make the last line as you leave I will call again next week. Learn a new joke evryday make the customer happy to see you. I suppose it is easy for me to say these things because I am such a nice happy guy everyone wants to see me all the time. Keep on smiling it might make you look stupid but it makes everyone happy. Last but not least if you get a no, go and do another 10 calls do not give up. Have a target for calls each day while you are establishing your business. Once you are going well you can slow this down a bit if you want to and are happy with your income.

Work will not come to you be proactive not inactive.

[GlassStarz]

keep going keep selling there will be a time when they need you and then your in

[autoglassrich]

The zero deductible law to me is a great idea when it comes to replacement.
Competing with that is not a problem, if you are required by law not to have a broken windshield and it is mandatory full coverage comp. on your ins. the glass installer has it made, the pricing is the same for everone and the only thing you can legally offer your customers is donuts or something, your sales and service skills win there! Sure it hurts the Repair guys, and most people will keep in mind the amount of windshield they have replaced in a year and keep the repair guys busy by not cracking up the windshield all year! I live in the Rocky mountains and would love to see a law like that! C/ya Rich