Rates For Fleet & Dealer Repairs

[Toby 1 kenobi]

I'm over in Wakefield Screenman, I keep seeing that glassdoctor van about and they charge £60 for the first chip, plus £10 per extra, £10 per after 5pm call out. £20 on weekends, £10 to guarantee. And if you describe the damage wrongly, well they charge you another £30 for wasting their time. This was retail but daaaaammmbbb! I've seen less charges on a teenagers phone bill! That price list would scare most people, but I guess the psychological thing kicks in where we believe the more expensive, the better it is. Still, I think repeat custom means less stress.

Thanks for input

[screenman]

Glass Doctor started with a guy I know quite well back at the same time as I did 1988, so he is doing something right. Remember price is only a small part of a persons buying process, quality and reliability are up there and even higher.

[Toby 1 kenobi]

I've just seen someone with that same name on here... whoopsy. Sorry if I offended. I did mention I have trust issues.

It's the variation in prices that I find hard to mentally digest. I can't find an average or bench mark. I sort of believed, in my head, that it was reasonable to say that the repair had to cost less than the price of installing a second hand windscreen; in order for it to make financial sense. Please excuse my ignorance, this is my perception based on what I know and have experience in, and I look at things sometimes as numbers. I also understand that in logistics, if the fleet isn't moving, it isn't making money, so fleet managers look to keep em rollin.

Again sorry if I offended. I'm trying to learn but some things throw me.

Screenman, I've done a lot of sales, but zero repairs. So I guess I'm looking at it from the point of "What's the sizzle?" You've just made me aware that I can't judge quality, because I've only seen youtube posts (god I bet you hate hearing that) I've never seen it done in front of me, and I've no examples to compare that too lol. Big hole in my plan eh? I'm not only trying to create sales points in order to convince someone to use my service; but really, I'm trying to convince myself to invest in this area of business. Opportunity cost and risk analysis. Simply trying to do this without knowing the ins and outs, could jeopardize my benefits. If I fail, I can't simply do something else, it was hard enough to find this, and damb hard to get my benefits.

I intend to purchase a windscreen from a scrap yard and buy the kit bit by bit. Try some cheap ebay stuff and compare the results... may be take photos and use it as part of the pitch. Is that your number on the delta website? A training day looks like it will be required

[Brent Deines]

Regarding pricing. I have been repairing windshields since 1987 and have always charged more than the majority of my competition, most of whom are no longer in business. Coincidence? One of the problems we have in this business is that because the cost to get started is so low we attract a lot of people who give very little thought to sales and marketing. The newbie thinks "that looks easy enough and I have $1000...I think I'll start a business". So he buys a car windshield repair system, gets some business cards and visits the car lot down the street thinking he will surely be rich by the end of the week. Then reality sinks in. The car lot already has ABC Glass repairing their windshields and they are happy with them but would consider trying someone new if the price is low enough. The phone isn't ringing off the hook with people looking to have their windshields repaired either, in fact, it isn't ringing at all. What to do?

Ah, but in a moment of sure brilliance the new windshield technician, we'll call him Joe, comes up with a marketing plan that he is sure no one has ever though of before. Lower the price! He knows the car lot down the street is paying $50 so he goes back to the lot and offers $45. Again rejection, $5 is not enough to take a chance on someone new. $40? Nope. $35? Finally the car lot owner agrees to give Joe a shot but doesn't have any cars to repair at the moment so tells Joe to check back next month. No problem, now Joe knows he can get business if he lowers his price to $35. So he goes all over town offering to do repairs for $35 and gets several business to agree to try him the next time they need to have a windshield repaired.

In the mean time another newbie, Bob, has the same idea as Joe and calls on the same car lots. Since Joe was just there and offered $35, Bob can't get anyone interested unless he drops his price to $25. Jane also starts a new windshield repair business and calls on the same shops right after Bob but she gets lucky and one of them happens to have a windshield that needs to be repaired. However, since Bob just quoted them $25 they tell Jane they will call him unless she will do it for $20. She knows she can't make a good living doing $20 repairs but she has bills to pay and desperately needs that first customer so she agrees to the $20 price. Unfortunately Jane did not get training and bought the least expensive windshield repair kit she could find without doing any research. Being much smarter than most she also bought some cheap resin off eBay that had been sitting in someones toolbox for the past 12 years. Her first repair turns out terrible!

Now ABC Glass comes back around and finds out his customer just had a repair done for $20. One of two things happen. One (most common), even though Jane's repair quality was very poor the car lot owner tells ABC he has to beat $20 if he wants to keep the business, or at the very least match that price. In this case ABC needs to decide whether he sticks to his prices or match Jane's prices and try to put her out of business. Or two (less common), the car lot owner recognizes that you often get what you pay for and goes back to using ABC for the $50 price.

Overnight a customer who was happy paying $50 for a quality repair is now unhappy paying anything more than $20 and ABC is faced with a very difficult decision. Screenman, the Glass Doctor van you mentioned and Delta Kits all believe in charging a fair price for high quality work. The $65 we charge is not excessive for a quality repair considering we were charging nearly that much 25 years ago. In fact, I believe the price should be closer to $100, and we could likely get that if it were not for Bob, Joe and Jane. You will never get every customer so you need to decide if you want customers who always demand the lowest price or those who demand the highest quality and are willing to pay a premium for it. In my opinion the competition is far less for customers who demand high quality so that is the market I prefer to target. When you think about it almost every industry faces the same problem. Some accountants charge $50/hr while others charge $500/hr. The same is true for doctors, mechanics, painters, etc.

To Bob, Joe and Jane. Please don't be offended by the above. If you don't need a lot of money to get by on or if you are just repairing windshields part time for some extra spending money, you certainly have every right to do so. I'm simply explaining why there is such a difference between what you charge and what I charge. I am a huge advocate for quality however, so if you are sacrificing quality for quantity I really wish you would reconsider your career choice. Poor quality repairs are a disservice to your customers and to our entire industry.

To Toby 1 kenobi. I recommend getting your training wherever you buy your equipment and I would be careful about piecing together a repair system. It may cost you a few hundred dollars more up front to get everything you need to do the job correctly but it will pay off in spades in the long term. A high quality bridge/injector and high quality resin are essential to making quality repairs that will last for the life of the windshield and the cost per repair is only pennies more. Far too often we see people switching from one brand to another, to another, to yet another, never being satisfied because they never really learn how to use any of it correctly. Whether you purchase Delta Kits products or another brand, get training from the mfg or from a mfg representative with a good reputation.

One more thing, and this is very important, if you choose to purchase equipment and receive training from screenman, be sure to insist that his lovely wife treats you to some of her baked goods. I've heard from many satisfied customers that his training is excellent and her cooking is fantastic!

[Toby 1 kenobi]

Don't worry Brent, I'm not one of the daft buggers that try to start a price war. But I am a person that if I get charged admin fees, or if I'm paying above average prices, I would ask the seller to justify that difference. As mentioned earlier, I had no idea of quality difference. But I got a little better idea now, I watched none professionals yesterday. The justification? It won't turn out like their attempt!

I don't want to undercut, sort of beats the point of trying to keep physical stuff to a minimum for max profit belief. (disabilities and what...)
I do want to price match, which means I need to be as good at repairs as them, and provide the same quality of service. a 20+yr head start lol

I try to think like I'm the "Nightmare Customer/Fleet manager." If I can say to you what they would say, then you give me the rebuttal. However, without showing a customer what it could end up like, or risks of doing it wrong, the customer will probably believe all work turns out the same. Like I just did... cheers for the lesson.

I try to BELIEVE in what I promote. Kinda hard if you don't know what your doing :-)

Let me just tag this on the end so you understand I'm learning.

Newbies Note Please: It all looks very simple on YOUTUBE, but there is so much more than what they show you. It doesn't tell you what to do when it all goes wrong, it doesn't tell you about why it goes wrong and the best conditions. It doesn't tell you the resin type makes a difference (or if they do you believe it's just sales hype,) if waters in the crack during a fill what will happen if it freezes. It definitely does tell you to get a 100 repairs under your belt. But you need to know it, because without it all you have to compete with the next company is price.

[Brent Deines]

Sometimes you have to match prices but for what it's worth I typically use a different approach with fleets. I offer the first repair for free so they can see the difference in the quality of work I do, then offer a reasonable price. Sometimes that price is a little higher than they are currently paying and sometimes it is a lot higher. My reasoning is this. If I can prove the quality of my work is better it should be worth at least a little more than what they are currently paying and it is very difficult for the previous vendor to get the account back if the issue is not based on price. If I get the job based solely on my pricing I know someone will be in the next day offering a lower price.

Offering a free repair has been debated many times on this forum over the years so clearly it is not the right approach for everyone, however it has worked well for me. I can't just tell them there is a difference in the quality of my work, I have to show them, and it's usually not hard to find a number repairs done by the current vendor that were done poorly so it's easy to show the difference between damage that has been repaired correctly and damage that has been repaired incorrectly.

It sounds like you understand sales and marketing better than most so obtaining new customers may not be as difficult for you as it was for me when I first started. It took me awhile to get past the fear of rejection and to learn not to under value of my services.

[Toby 1 kenobi]

I actually have companies asking me to start up, I did it by striking up conversation with my friend while taking a taxi. I gave the taxi driver something negative to consider causing an emotional response; by the end of it I'd convinced the driver that it was like some personal battle against large firms that replace when they could repair, taking money out of the pocket of the hard working man and ripping them off. Seems to hit a cord. I further stoke the fire by insisting insurance companies are the richest fat cats and went on to show a way to fight back by not making claims. The driver butted in, "I'd be interested, get in contact with the office when your ready." (note: turned out it was the drivers company)

Very next taxi: "Are you the fella that repairs windscreens?"

Was surprised at that result.

Tried it again in our neighbouring city; they asked for a card... (Toby you dumb @ss, stop testing the waters before you mess it all up)

You know your getting them when they keep glancing in the mirror, or turn down the radio. I know the local taxi company keeps asking, and it's only 2 people I tested the waters in. (Again numbers, statistically not a large enough sample to be all big headed, but a definite boost to moral which will effect future results psychologically.) I expect to get rejected a lot by phone. I don't get as much in person. In person I can read the body language, "mirror" the customer (because ppl like themselves,) make them laugh. Sales is a numbers game, the more you ask, the higher the probability someone will say yes. I once quit a company because I refused to sell a £500 mobility scooter to a dying man for £5k, he didn't want me to leave without sorting him it out and was determined to buy. He imagined being able to get out, go down the coast with his air tank attached, he had done the selling himself! I packed my briefcase, the man almost in tears. I nipped out to the car, brought in a local newspaper with an advert for a local mobility shop, showed him the same model at £500. I told him to buy that, then take the rest of the money and make it the coast of Australia. I could not justify the jump in price, I HATED my product and company; I didn't BELIEVE in it.

(Brent this really isn't written for you, you know what your doing, I don't lol. I do know sales though and I'm really writing it as a contribution to others searching.)

I REALLY like your method Brent. Because they already have a negative (old poor work) and a solution (Your work). I actually read a lot of your posts on marketing. I like your methods because you build trust and "you don't write a cheque you can't cash" (you can do what you say you can do.) You don't come across as pushy, but you actually get the "puppy dog" style of sell in there too. You did the work, they can't fault your work, in their heads they owe you something (subconsciously), which is another call out or simply a chance.

Thanks again and sorry if I've gone of on a tangent. Just really wanted to give something back for all the help and education I'm getting here. (see! subconsciously I owe something! lol )

[Brent Deines]

Your posts are welcome and appreciated. Everyone has a little different angle so I constantly learn new things from my customers and from the forum, especially when it comes to sales. I like your taxi story. I used to drive a city bus in another lifetime and one thing you can be sure of, word spreads fast between drivers. It never occurred to me to use that type of networking as a marketing strategy but it makes perfect sense.

You also have a very good point about some of the large glass replacement chains having a conflict of interest. I used to own a glass shop and always repaired 1st if that was an option, and I know other shops that do the same, however that is probably the exception to the rule. When a repair shop advertises a repair cost nearly equal to the replacement cost it's a sure bet that they are pushing replacements whenever possible but if they must do a repair they are getting top dollar for it. I'm not sure that is in the customer's best interest but it is an effective marketing strategy for selling glass.

Another practice that I believe has helped me sell my services, although also controversial, is a satisfaction guarantee. I always tell customers that if they are not 100% satisfied with the work I do for them they don't have to pay me. It forces me to do my best on every job and gives customers that "nothing to lose" feeling. Some feel this is too risky but by setting realistic expectations up front it has worked well for me.

[screenman]

I like to think that instead of costing my customers money I save them money, get them in the same mind frame and it is win win.

[Toby 1 kenobi]

I like your way too Screenman, I may be wrong, but the impression I get is that you use the argument: "by spending this now, your are preventing costly replacement, and loss of revenue due to a vehicle being out of commission." I see you arguing with infallible logic. I used to be a logistics manager for a bank overnighting next day loans. Reduction of stress, cost, and prevention of loss of custom, no angry customers with failed delivery times... yep negative emotional response followed up by a positive solution. One less thing to worry about, SOLD!

Don't worry Screenman, I'm sure upon meeting you, I'll have picked your brains and given you a hell of a head ache.

Brent, I like that, you take away the risk factor (and impose a psychological debt,) but that means I have to be 100% satisfied... and I'm the ""customer from hell" What I mean is, from what I'm learning about quality, I've got a way to go before I can make that offer.