Windshield Repair Forum

Hello All,

I am getting ready to start cold calling the large compnaies in my area in hopes of picking up some fleet accounts. I have already approached many of the used car dealerships (tough tough crowd )with limited success.

My question to you all is this, If i go to a large car dealership like a Ford or Chevrolet dealer with a new and used car lot, who do I ask for to speak about the WSR?

Who do I ask for when I go to a business like Coke or UPS or Fed Ex?

I reallize that I will probably start with the receptionist, but I really want to use the correct term/ title when I ask.

Thanks so much.

For car dealers ask for the used car sales manager. Some dealerships have their own detail shops and in a few cases the detail manager will select outside vendors. But it's usually the used car sales manager. Don't forget to address the non-factory brand used car lots. They can often give you as much if not more volume than the factory stores primarily because their inventory is older - thus the odds of damage per vehicle can tend to be greater. Car dealers are really easy to qualify. They either have a WSR vendor or they don't. It's purely a numbers game. And they don't respond particularily well to a sales pitch. Generally, they assume that all vendors perform equally. And they are always looking for low price. So my approach is to be quick about it. I tell him what services I offer and then I ask a few simple questions:

1. Do you have a WSR guy?
2. Are you satisfied with their price/service/product?

If the answer is yes to all thank him for his time, give him a card and don't let the door hit you in the rear end on the way out. Check back in a few months. Things change. Vendors change. Sales managers change. Dealerships are bought and sold and sometimes change personnel in the process. Personality clashes happen.

For fleets ask for the service manager if the company has a service facility (shop). Smaller fleets that reside in warehouse districts or light industrial parks often don't have a shop. In that case ask for the warehouse manager or the transportation manager. These guys are generally more willing to listen to a sales pitch, but their focus is saving money on glass replacement. So with fleets it helps a lot if you have weaned yourself away from the ROLAGS specifications and repair loooong cracks and BIG damage. They generally value structural integrity over cosmetics. The more glass you can save, the more they'll appreciate you. And they really value johnny-on-the-spot service. I built a durable reputation with fleets repairing damage that my competition deemed unrepairable and being there right now whenever they needed me.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

For companies like Coke, UPS or FedEx I ask for the fleet manager or the person in charge of vehicle maintenance at the facility. They sometimes have different titles but that pretty much covers it. If you happen to know a driver for one of these companies, see if they can get you a name, or better yet, help you set up an appointment. Sometimes just having a name goes a long way toward getting past the receptionist. Often times companies like this will have one or more mechanics working during the day and one or more working at night, but the decision makers may not even be local. In that case I try to get to know the mechanics so they can help me figure out the best way to get the fleet manager to take me seriously. Sometimes the mechanics even have authority to decide who to use for their windshield repairs.

Feet Manager, Service Manager, Body Shop Manager, Parts Manager... Just a few that I deal with, most have the same job, but like stated before, the titles vary.

Actually, a really good default query is "HOO DA TRUK BOSS?"

Cheers;

Puka Pau

I usually ask for Jim or Bill, ( because almost all of the car dealers managers I know, are usually named Jim or Bill, occasionally you might get a Bob).

Thanks for the responses...and laughs!