Soliciting Car Dealers

[TGD]

How do you guys deal with the car dealerships when you solicit them for work and they turn you down by saying " we've been using the same guy for over 10 years now!" that was the response at nearly all of the dealerships that I've been to in the last couple of days. I basicly responded, "well you probably been paying too much for the past 10 years", left them my card and walked out. One dealer told me that he has been using the same guy for over 30 years (I didn't know WRS exsisted back then lol). I am not very good at kissing @ss and that is what I felt like I was doing each time they gave me the cold shoulder. One guy litterally picked up the phone and called someone as I was explaining my services to him, totally ignoring me. Well I was very discouraged and frustrated to say the least and wanted to throw my kit away, but I decided to not give up and keep at it. has anyone have a similar experience with the dealers? and are they even worth trying to solicit?

[ChipMaster52]

I amnot sure where you are located. But you will get the cold shoulder a bunch in this business when dealing with dealerships. I have had a little luck by offering to do a couple of windshields free to show the quality of my work.
Some will let me just to get the work done for free (unfortunely that is the way this business is with some) and I have actually got 2 dealerships this way.
But I would look for other places like any business with 3 or more company autos and offer them fleet service pricing. I did this and have been doing good with it. But you must be willing to bill the company instead of expecting cash payment when the work is done. I go after all city, parish (county) school boards, I even go to the police and fire departments and offer fleet service. You have to do it for a lower price but once you get into it then it is gravy. I go by all my accounts once per week. I even go by the ones that said no to me before (not the car dealerships) like the city or town shops. They will all have a rock chip sooner or later.
I hope this helps.
ChipMastetr52

[screenman]

I feel this is a sales industry that happens to sell WSR, you have just got to keep calling. Some of my best customer took 10 or more calls before I started getting work, one took about 15 visits they have now spent in excess of £200,000 with me, well worth the effort.

[t4k]

I do mostly car dealerships. When they tell you they have someone who has been working their lot for years it may be true. I've had my company for 10 years and I've had basically the same dealerships the whole time. The guy who owned this company before me, started W/S repair in 1978 and I am still doing some of those lots....32 years!

[bill lambeth]

I dont fool with car lots.Where I am at they are the bottom of the food chain line.I will not do a repair for 15 or 10 dollars.My work is to good and valuable for that.The car lots are out there where everybody can stop and call on them but like screenman said fleets are much more harder to get but when you get them you have something and it is not 15 dollar repair.I have one or two car lots and they are high end cars and they know what a good repair is worth.That is my 2 cents!

[Brent Deines]

I'm not big on car lots either, but if I'm out prospecting I'm not going to drive by one without leaving my card. If I told someone I had been using the same vendor for 10 years and they responded with "well you probably been paying too much for the past 10 years", I would probably tell them not to let the door hit them on the way out. The last thing a business owner or manager wants to hear is that he has been a fool for the last 10 years, which may not be what you meant, but it is what he hears when you offer a response like that.

Try something a bit more subtle like, "Wow, it's good to hear you have such a great relationship with your current windshield repair specialist. Generally I can sell a customer on the quality of my work, would it be possible for me to see a vehicle that you have had repaired recently to see why you are so loyal, or better yet, would you be willing to allow me to do a free repair for you so you can see why you may want to give me a shot?" Of course if you use this approach you have to be very confident in your repair ability.

If they still send you packing leave them with something like, "Thank you for your time, I'll check back with you once a month or so in case your needs change." Then just be sure you follow up on your promise. I can't tell you how many times I had to call on some of my best customers before they gave me the opportunity to prove my value. It's often about being in the right place at the right time. Remember, the harder it is to get a customer, the harder it will be for someone else to take that customer away from you.

I have a little different take on butt kissing as well. You have to look at it as a game. If you let someone upset you they win! But if you can keep a smile on your face as you walk out the door you win! I try to have a servant's heart and be as nice as I can to every prospective customer, regardless of how they treat me. I cannot change the way they behave toward me, but more often than not I can eventually win them over by not letting them get under my skin. Am I butt kissing or am I providing the best possible customer service?

Make no mistake, you may still get rejected 9 out of 10 times, but you have to shrug those off and focus on your next call. None of us likes rejection but it is nothing personal, just part of the game. I guarantee you that the guy who made a phone call while you were talking to him is not going to lose any sleep over anything you say to him, so you should not lose any sleep over anything he says or does to you.

[t4k]

I dont fool with car lots.Where I am at they are the bottom of the food chain line.I will not do a repair for 15 or 10 dollars.My work is to good and valuable for that.The car lots are out there where everybody can stop and call on them but like screenman said fleets are much more harder to get but when you get them you have something and it is not 15 dollar repair.I have one or two car lots and they are high end cars and they know what a good repair is worth.That is my 2 cents!

I with you on this Bill. I won't get out of bed in the morning for a $15 repair and I know of no dealership that would expect it either.

[screenman]

Are all WSR guys the same? Are all WSR equipment suppliers the same? Are all women the same? So why expect all used car dealerships to be the same. I have some extremely good one's, you just have to get control.

[t4k]

Are all WSR guys the same? Are all WSR equipment suppliers the same? Are all women the same? So why expect all used car dealerships to be the same. I have some extremely good one's, you just have to get control.

Do what??? All women aren't the same?

[TGD]

Thanks for the advice, being that im not good at the kissing up game, i'll just stay away from soliciting the car dealers. It takes a special type of person to keep on trying when you are getting treated like trash, (offer a free repair, yeah right). I guess I'm not that desperate for a few bucks, my pride is worth more to me. I'll try the fleets instead.