Windshield Repair Forum

Hello to all. been out for a time. i have been repairing windshields for about two yr,s now. feel i have it down. about 15 to 20 repairs a week. now im opening up the to the local market. and seek advice on three points.
1. On local advertizing? the local paper here is about 500.00 dollors per week for a add that you need a microscope to find. but what about penny savers and such?
2. Getting in with local insurance companys?
3. And what about used car lots/ rental agentcies/ dealers..?
thanks for any advise you may have, i will gladly listen to all.
Jimmy Scruggs/texas jim

Well Texas Jim,before I would spend $500.00 a week advertising in a local paper I would buy the biggest add I could afford in the Yellow Pages because that is where someone is going to look first.Also make sure your business name starts with the first letters of the alphabet.

souchie, thanks for the advis. and i do have a ad in the yellow pages and get some bis from that ad. and no i would not consider paying the prices ask by the houston news papers. thanking that i will run some add,s with the local penny saver . worth a try. and some what reasonable. thanks again and have a great day.

Try it for one month and see what happens. I have not had any success with these in my area. I would try bus stop sign space and mailers to nearby zip codes before going with the newspaper. The key is unlocking effective local communication. An ad on local cable TV might work as well. I was on the news for 3 minutes at 10:00PM on a monday night several months ago and people still remember it. TV is powerful!

One easy way to get your name to the right people is flyers (some towns restrict thier use so check) If you walk major parking areas and put a well composed flyer that give a sense of urgency on every car with damage you will get some imeadiate response without spending a lot of $
lots of newspapers have broad coverage so a huge percentage of the people you reach are not in the area you cover focuse on the area pennysaver/buyers digest type papers that target specific areas.
In most states it is against the law for a insurance rep to refer you you could waste a lot of time courting these guys with little effect.
Fleet and auto dealers are a great way to make a consistant income this is where I earn my living I would recomend making some stops to introduce yourself start showing up walk the lot dont go in until you have walked the lot and made a list of what needs repair look up the used car mgr and tell him what you found give him the price to fix them now and dont say a word stand there and wait for him to answer

Thanks scratchy and glasstarz for your input. it,s hard to dicide how to go with advertizing. but your input really helps. sounds like both of you have run down that road a few times. i will put that advice to good use. i have spent the last two years shapening my skills and i know you cant learn it all in just two years but i feel that i can now go full steam ahead in my market area.
Again thanks for the help and if i can help you dont hesistate to ask. and thanks also to delta for the use of this forum.. texas jim

Bus stop sign's over here are aimed at people who do not have cars! is it not the same over there. Personaly I have never spent a penny on advertising but I used to do a lot of cold calling at least 2 a day no matter how busy I was.

As the founder of McDonalds said, "Treat your customers right and the business will take care of itself!". You can spend a fortune on advertising and in the beginning you might have to - but once that ball starts rolling, as we have found, the best form of advertising is word of mouth.:eusa_ange

Myself I feel Flyers put on cars are TACKY and very unproffesional. AN easy way out. Nothing makes me madder than to come out and find a flyer on my windshield. I have heard some horror stories from this type about people saying their car was scratched. Glass broken, fender dented,etc. Nothing is better than cold calling. My 2cents!