Windshield Repair Forum

Ok, here is another one of my ongoing posts about looking for business.

Every once and a while (like everyday) I for some reason have the urge to do nothing. Just sit around and relax and be my usual lazy self.
Anyway today was no exception to the rule, however my sister calls me up and asks if she can ride with me today to see how I go looking for new places to go to, to find more business. Well since I have nothing better to do I say ok, sure why not. So I wait for her to get to my place, which for my sister means she arrives at about noon, when she said she was going to be by at 9 AM..... Ok late start why not.

We get going and I go out and I basicly say to her, pick an area of town that you want to go to. She tells me and I say fine, lets go. We drive around and all I am seeing is large office towers, I mean like 5 to 15 stories high, no good I can't work with these. So I am getting a little tired, I have a headache and besides she's my sister, we are just going to screw around and do nothing but chat and drive. :-s

Now my self talk starts to rear its ugly head...... why don't I just go home, I don't feel like doing anything today, its cloudy and dreary today, and beside its just my sister I am with, I really don't need to do anything today, you now trying to justify to myself why I don't really need to do anything today. {|=

So anyway, I convince myself to just keep going and looking around showing her that you can sell chips basicly anywhere in town, I don't care what part of town it is, you can sell chips there. So we pull up this little side street and she is telling me to go somewhere else, only 2 or 3 little offices back here so just to be in spite of her I have to stop. (I know big brothers are stubburn) So I stop and jump out of the van and walk into this little office and ask my question.... WOW what a responce I get the lady tells me that she has the chip and that I am a God Send to her, not only that she gets on her company loud speaker and starts telling everyone with chips in there vehicles to get their butts up front so they can get them fixed. (my kind of customer) \:D/

So anyway to my disapointment no one else has one, but hey I got 1, so I start fixing this chip and accross the street this guy comes out of his office to take a smoke break, I say to myself, what they heck, I walk accross the street to him and ask him if he has a chip.... nope oh well, I guess I will check these cars since I am over here, first car I check has a chip... I point it out and turns out its that guys car who said he didn't have one.... he is shocked and asks me how much it costs (I love to hear that question). Anyway I sell him, nice huh, he goes inside while I finish my first chip repair and I am walking over to now work on the second guys car and 2 ladies come out of his office and both tell me he told them to come see me, because both of them have chips in their windshields. =D>

So anyway I now have 4 jobs worth $270 for 1 hours worth of work because they are all multiple repair jobs. Anyway my sister is like dumbfounded because she didn't want to come down this out of the way street where she didn't think we would find any cars. So anyway I just wanted to post this message because the moral of the story is even when you don't feel like going out and getting business just go out and ask for it. People aren't going to bite your head off, and remember even out of the way places work really well. I really didn't want to work today but I am very glad I did, because for being out for a total of maybe 2 and 1/2 hours I didn't do so bad. Don't forget to go ask for the business, if you ask for it, they will come.
David
Coitster

Coitster what an inspiring story !
I myself am just getting started in this business and have gained so much from everyone on this forum thanks to all. Coitster is correct just ask for the business, today I stopped at just 1 car dealer and introduced myself and asked him if he had anyone currently doing his wsr and to my surprise the answer was no He said that there were 3 vehicles with damage so I took a look at what he had and there was 1 -combonation break 1- star and 1- bullseye he said start with the tahoe and come get me when you have that one done so I completed the repair and went and got him to inspect the work and he was quite surprised at the results so he said go ahead and take care of the other two after all was completed I again went to get him and he said that he didn't need to take a look at the other two after seeing my first repair at that time he asked me if it would be to much trouble for me to stop once a week to take care of his vehicles I told him that I would schedule him for every wednesday.

Coitster is the little question you ask (does anyone have a chip in there windshield ) or did you look for chips before you went into the office.

I always, always, always, always, always, always look for the chips first before I go looking for the customer. I go inside looking for a specific person that way I don't come accross as just some saleman coming into their office.
David
Coitster

Polkwsr, that's a rare find... a dealer with chips to fix and nobody to fix them. What's up with that? Was it a "B" used lot? If it was a good lot, you definitely need to check around and see if that was an anomaly. Cool anyway...

glassdoctor
yes it was a used car lot but all late model vehicles my guess is he keeps 100 or so on the lot at all times, I think it will be a good account but as the old saying goes don't put all your eggs in one basket theres more to be had

Hey Polkwsr, I live in St Lucie county FL not too far from you. Let me know if you want to ride together some day I would like to get some input from someone in the biz.

Hey CPR
Thanks for the invite, I would like to take you up on your offer as soon as I get some extra time I will get back to you on that, I have a lot going on right now! will see if we can hook up soon I think your only a little over 2 hrs away 8)

Coitster your remark about they won't bite your head off made me think of something my mother told me about sales when I was a kid. We had to sell something for school candy, wrapping paper, something. Well I was timid about going up to people's houses and bugging them to buy whatever it was. She said "what's the worst thing they could do? Tell you no". In my normal smart aleck way I said they could pull out a gun and kill me. Her repsonse was heck, they can only do that once. The moral to the story is no matter what kind of silly excuses you can come up with to not ask for the sale, Not asking is the silliest thing you can do. Also my mom never said heck but I thought I would edit it and save Jeff the trouble.

That brings up a good point. A reporter one time was interviewing Wayne Gretscky (the best hockey player of all time) and he was asking him what was the secret to his success...... How in the world did he become the greatest player in the history of the sport. What was the magic that he has, what made him such an inspiring player that everyone was trying to emulate. Wayne smiled.... sat back and said "its because I know.... I will .... miss all the shots that I never take"!!!!!!!!!!! Think about that.
David
Coitster