Price Increase

To compensate for the slow time of year, would it be good to advertise along the lines of:
On whatever date we will have a price increase, beat that cost by getting your car tinted Now !
Consumers love to save money, and they might get it done during the
off-season to save that money ?
Just an idea.

if its slow now why not just raise your prices to the customers you have now to make up for the ones you dont have then when next summer comes your prices are already up there and you have lots of work then you can retire ad go do banners with tintbds next winter.

Raising prices when demand is low is against basic economics!
When you have high demand, (I.e. a waiting list, or a 2 week wait period for appointments) you have to raise your prices until you find the balance between how many cars you CAN do a day and how many cars are scheduled a day.

And its the exact opposite when the demand is low. Lower your prices to find the balance.

I've actually raised the prices by $30-40 per car and raised the price of tint removal by 50% and people aren't complaining. But I'm just an employee now, and don't have to worry about paying the shop bills anymore. The good thing is that the guy I work for is letting me use some of his unused space to make us both money. He loves it cause he's getting a 4-5k a month in his pocket for doing nothing, I handle everything. He buys the film and I do everything else. I'm getting 40% which is fair enough for me.

That sounds like a pretty good deal

I must be living on a different world when i read stuff on this site. like raising price now and no complaints , having appointment 2 weeks out and people willing to wait and the best is telling dealership you will only tint there cars at a certain day or time. Here in florida if you dont do there car when they want there is another one around the corner and most dealers want the deal closed asap and arent going to wait 3 days to get an accessory on.

THEN YOUR IN THE WRONG BIZZ HOSS

Sometimes in the winter when it is slow (especially this one) I dont think it would matter how much I lowered my prices, even if I wanted to. I dont fluctuate my prices depending on the season though.

I set my prices based on my busy season and if I am closing at least 80% of inquiries and staying busy then I am not charging too much. When I am busy it seems crazy to offer discounts since there is only so many cars I can do in a day to begin with.

I think the "avoid the increase" is a very good strategy and should be affective with the approaching tax refund season.

makes no sense you should never lower prices just because it's slow, if so you will find yourself starving, don't beg customers to come to you, your rep alone should do it

Reputation is key for long term success.However,when your prices are more than double your competiton($99.00) it is more difficult to attract new business.
So it doesn't hurt to offer a discount when business is slow.By offering a discount to new and old clients it not only gets work in your door it also shows that you understand their concerns on spending too much in this struggling economy.It also gives you the opportunity to have a new customer for many years to come.

Explain to your customers when they have a sh!t fit about your price compared to the guy down the road that you plan on being here next year. Its the shops have have been in the same location for years that succeed. Their prices are typically higher, but the customer knows if a problem comes along they will be there to fix it.....reputation, you got it OCC!

THANK YOU, those who have been around for a while like your self UNDERSTAND those who do not wont be around long enough ever to understand

You are in control, dont ever let someone punk you into thinking you have to do what they want when they want it, you would be surprised how quick they change when your confident, I'm usually booked a week in advance, and the ONLY way you can get an appointment with me is by putting a 50% non refundable deposit, People have no problem doing that and there are 6 other shops in town besides me who can usually get someone in the same day

[/quote]Reputation is key for long term success.However,when your prices are more than double your competition($99.00) it is more difficult to attract new business.
So it doesn't hurt to offer a discount when business is slow.By offering a discount to new and old clients it not only gets work in your door it also shows that you understand their concerns on spending too much in this struggling economy.It also gives you the opportunity to have a new customer for many years to come.
[/quote]

There is truth in what you are saying about getting people in the door but for me discounts during the slow times is only a temporary fix. That discount you give in Feb. while it is still cold can bite you in the a$$ in March when the weather breaks and that Feb customer's brother, sisters, friend comes in wanting that Feb. discount. I used to give discounts when it was slow but too often maybe even the same customer comes in even 6 months or a year later wanting the same deal. Not necessarily a bad thing but it ain't gonna happen when I am booked and have cars lined up for a week out.

When you say temporary fix....what is the permanent?When a discount/coupon is offered wouldn't you have an expiration date?If so,why not enforce that exp.date?Does a food manufacturer discount be applied after the expiration date?NO.I understand that months or years to come you might hear "I paid --- back then,why so much now?" or "You gave so&so 15% off 6 months ago can I get that discount too?".The answer for me is NO.That discount was available then if thay want it done pay up or go somewhere else.

I am with you maddtinter, I see it both ways cause I have handled it both ways. Customers just dont get it, in my case most know I am owner/tinter so they feel like if their friend got a deal they should as well. If I say no then they feel like their friend got preferential treatment.

I know its crazy but some customers seem to have more respect for me because I am able to say "my prices are just that, my prices, I charge you the same as everyone else and while I appreciate your business I have to be fair".

Both ways have their advantages but I would rather tough it out in the slow season then to cut prices just to get people in the door, for me there is less headache involved later on in the busy season.

I touched on this earlier but heck, If I had a sign out front right now that said "any car $99" I really dont think it would make a difference. It is just really slow right now.

I try to have optimism because of the approaching tax returns but its a little scary right now.

You ask what is the permanent fix?

I wish I knew brother....I wish I knew

the fix is "the best work in town at competative prices". sometimes it just cant be done if you are competing against $99, but it is true. if you have the persaverence to stick with it and last a couple of years it will work out perfect. but there are other variables.

most of them are:
cost of living
room and board
dependents

we started off and blasted our area with name branding everywhere we could. but we were young and didnt own homes or have any kids or wives to feed. so it wasnt that hard to just make it and still advertise a bunch. it has paid off now though.

the hardest problem for us is raising prices. i stand behind good customer service and most of them always remember us very well and by name. so they are very loyal but they always remember what they paid last year and always have their receipt to show. we strongly encourage our custys to keep them. we emphasize good work at cheap prices, so when they refer us they say "the work is great and CHEAP. it only cost $_____" so their friend comes in saying "but my friend said it was $____". we usually meet the old price half way. if the price is now $200 and their friend said $180, we do it for $190.

so every 1 or 2 years we try to bump up newer models and other only $5-10.

there you go again making a dumb azz coment

I see you are following me little man with little rooster driving big road hogging truck.Relax,dude.

in my area in cape coral florida swfl also there is a shop down the road that advertise johnson film on sliding doors for 49.00 each and bed room windows for 29.00 each and cars for 69.00 . then there is the local fleamarket that these 2 guys come from miami florida to ft myers /cape coral area. and some time when there slow the price is 50.00 and when there alot of business it like 39.00 to tint cars they clam that the film is suntek window film .

i get 125.00 for cars and i get 8.00 sqft for residential and commercial film

what do you guys think that the lowest price wins what do you do to compete with low prices

i not sure the shop make alot of people happy i heard customers that call for prices tell me horror storys about how they where delt with and its about the shop down the road from me.

and the mad customers coments on craigslist like you should of threw a brick at threw there window and went somewhere else.

Is there something in the water that makes everyone from Florida a complete idiot?

[quote name='TintDude' date='Apr 29 2009, 08:56 PM' post='683195']
Is there something in the water that makes everyone from Florida a complete idiot?
[/quote

Yeah... They are called alligators!!!
But seriously, being a rep for the state until recently, I can tell you that there are legitimate reasons for the low prices ( and standards ) in the state.

Florida is the number one state in terms of volume in the U.S. Almost every major manny dedicates the state as a distribution "territory" unto itself. The volume often times makes the state of a dumping ground. I know MAJOR manny's selling lifetime film for dirt 60% of the price in other states.

Then you have a major import market for lessor films in Miami. Retail price for a 40" roll can be bought for as little as $70. I have seen the film and it is every bit as good as other 3-5 year offerings.

Thats the supply end. The customer end also pressures the market down. Anything south of Orlando is going towards the low end because the customer accepts the lower quality install for the lower price. The $39 to 49 market does not even roll down windows to cut or install the film. HOW CAN THIS BE? The customer is okay with what they pay for and the dealer makes up for his end with VOLUME.

In the end, the demand is high, everybody can install and the customer does not like to pay. My suggestion to those who find themselves in a market that is like this AND cannot make a desent living out of it....is TO MOVE. There are many places that a dealer can make a good living.

WTF??????

but strange

I'd say it is time to put down the crack pipe!!!!

customers refuse to pay...very scary post from the manny dude..... this is the same thing I heard from a PPF dude in that state who is a top rated installer in the country. He told me that the film bizz is completely shot between the flee market tint installers and the mobile PPF'ers doing a short cut Ferrari for $4 beans. Good luck with the price increase....

Hi all - you know as I read this string it seems there are two groups talking about two different kinds of customers, not two kinds of tinters.

Some shops have built a successful business over the past few years pumping out dozens of vehicles for the lowest price - their customers that are still around were trained by these tinters that price is king - they haven't changed or become cheapskates, they still buy only on price. When these guys were pumping out cars for $99 this board was filled with frustration at the low price pressure these guys created. Well, they created something else - a customer that is hypersensitive to price.

Others of you have built your business over the years on something in addition to price - these customers that are still around haven't changed either. They were trained to buy on price plus something else and they still do. You are now able to command a little higher price and you are busier because all along you have been selling your services as something other than price.

The good news is you can change and learn from this experience that a little time spent studying your customer and shifting away from a price-only mindset will make your mountains less high and your valleys less low.

Just 2 cents from a guy who respects what you do and wants you to succeed.

realistically its a free market and theres nothing wrong with them charging what they do. Does it hurt the others like us? Most definately, but theres not really anything you can do about it. If a customer is going there and getting a full car for $50, their not the kind of customer you want. They ONLY care about price and are obviously fine with their tint job if theres still so many shops that do that quality of work.