Getting Buisness

[comtstl]

I just added Headlight repair to my services and am trying to get some new buisness. I have tried putting flyers out on cars that need the service in parking lots, but have had no luck. Has anybody tried this and had any luck? Has anybody found a good way to market this service? Any feedback would greatly apreciated. Thanks

[Brent Deines]

We created flyers that we leave with local automotive related businesses to pass out for us. If they refer a customer to us we give them a commission. The amount we give can vary, but we try to make it worth their while so they will not just hand out flyers, but actually promote our service.

We have not been doing this long so I can't say how successful it will be, but so far we have had some shop owners get pretty excited about the opportunity. We hand deliver the commission checks monthly and make a big deal about it which also helps generate some excitement.

I also recommend targeting high end car dealerships. As Kory mentioned, the cost to replace some headlights can be $1500 a pair or even more, so $100 to a Jag owner is a bargain. Someone who drives a 10 year old Neon may or may not have the cash restore their headlights, but someone who owns a 10 year old Mercedes probably does, and probably cares a lot more about how their car looks.

Volvo owners, at least my friends who own them, are very environmentally aware, and tend to love their cars, so be sure to push that aspect of the service as well.

[atag]

Brent that is exactly how I am trying to market my WSR business right now. Have you done this at all? What was your outcome like & if you don’t mind me asking, what's your average commission? I have a list of about 75 auto related business that I'm working on going around to & I figure if I can get 10 on board that each send me a few jobs a week, I could have myself a decent paycheck & possibly a warm shop to do the repair in if they have an open bay.

[Brent Deines]

We have been so busy that we have not called on many businesses yet, but so far are getting 10%-20% of those we call on to refer business to us. I prefer not to list our commissions on the forum, but I will be happy to share that information in private.

If you can get 10 out of your 75 businesses to send you a job or two a week it would be a nice boost, but I think you can do even better than that if you promote your referral program consistently. We have kind of dropped the ball on that as there are only so many hours in the day and product sales and support is our first priority.

[atag]

Brent Thanks for the feedback! It is very encouraging! I went out today & talked to some shops for the 1st time & was pretty surprised at the feedback that I got. I visited with 10 shops in about 3 hours. Out of the 10 shops, I got 2 shops (20%) that were not interested, 3 shops (30%) that were not running home to grandma about it, but at least took the time to listen to me & said that they would keep my card. I think with a little persistence, could lead to a few jobs. Then I had 5 shops (yes 50 %!) that thought it was a good idea & said they will keep an eye out on windshields for me! I know that this will take some time before I’m getting steady calls, but with the feedback that I got today, I'm pretty sure that after I prove myself to these shops, it will lead to a GREAT source of income. It will be interesting to see how many of those 50% turn into good referrals.

[Brent Deines]

That's an excellent response in my opinion. I think a lot of business owners think it's too good to be true or that there must be a catch, but after they receive a couple of checks is when they really start to get excited. We hand deliver the commission checks at the end of each month, but when we get the first referral from a shop we hand deliver a commission check right away so they know we are for real. That generally gets the ball rolling.

Keep in mind you do not have to limit this to automotive related shops. There are a lot of small businesses that are hurting right now and many of them welcome the opportunity to make an extra couple hundred bucks a week. I have not tried it yet but I think the local Dutch Brothers coffee stands have huge potential, along with barber shops, tanning salons, and other small businesses that build personal relationships with their customers.

You don't have to limit this approach to businesses either. Friends and relatives may be interested in earning a commission for referrals. Hopefully they are already sending people your way, but adding an incentive may make it a bit more of a priority to them.

Another angle to use when approaching larger businesses like banks, retail stores, restaurants, fitness centers, etc., is to donate the commission to charity in that company's name. The get the benefit of showing their support for their favorite charity and you get the benefit of free advertising. Most importantly the charity gets a benefit as well.

Be sure you talk to your accountant about how funds should be paid out and keep track of anyone who you will need to issue a 1099 to at the end of the year. It's not difficult, but something you do not want to overlook.

[atag]

More GREAT suggestions from Brent!!! Thank you, thank you thank you! I think that all of the above ideas are good ideas; I really love the coffee stand. We have one on every corner, with cars lined up at all of them. They can see the windshields & offer the service & as part of the commission, I’m thinking of maybe a free coffee coupon for the customer! I'm thinking that may just go over GREAT! Why not have your rock chip fixed for free & get a free coffee out of the deal! I also like the idea of paying the 1st referral to the shop on the spot so that they can see you’re for real & that will motivate the other workers at the shop to be looking. And donating their commission to charity is great as well, I think that a lot of business love to give as much as they can afford & the bottom line is now they can "give" without paying out, it's a win win situation! Thanks again for all of the feedback! I am heading out this afternoon to visit another 10 shops, so we'll see if I get similar feedback as I did yesterday:!:

[CV Windshield Repair]

If there are Wal-Marts in your area that offer headlight restoration has this affected the price that you guys set for your retail service? Here in North Texas I have my price set at $49.00 per lense retail and though there are times when I do get busy doing headlights there are other times that work is pretty slow. Just wondering if adjusting my price may be necessary?

[harrellbenjamin]

The Walmart H/Light service has at most negligible results......Keep your pricing at what it is and sell the quality of your repair instead of the Wallyworld price.Once you see their finished product you will see what I mean.....Its sucks to say the least ....its just the wipe on wipe off stuff they sell in auto parts stores.....not good at all for really bad lens.

[fdisale]

It is good to network with auto dealers. It's difficult to sell a car with a cracked windshield. Auto dealers regularly hire windshield-repair providers to help correct any imperfections in used cars. Speak to the dealers in your area and find out what it would take to earn their business. Dealers are generally margin-conscious, so expect a lower rate than for a retail job. On the positive side, dealers can get you a steady stream of business.