Tough sell to local dealers...

Iron Duck Designs · November 25, 2007

:rollin

Any advice on whether or not to give a free PP kit to a local dealer, or several, who have kinda shown interest in PPF, but are too chicken :ninja to invest in a "new" product.

Should we just go after the big boy high end car market, or does the midwest just not know, not care about PPF.

Most individuals who come into our shop ask about it, look for it, buy it, the dealers just won't budge....

November 25, 2007

Gifting is a good way to get you in the door and expose the potential client to the product. Just make sure the prospect is really interested in YOUR services and not trying to get a freebie. I think it might be a possible tax right off as well but you should check with your accountant.

November 25, 2007

Boy...I am not sure about the midwest but here up north, 100 miles and car owner already sees rock chips (we just did a 5 series today with just over 200 miles with 3 rock chips JUST on his A-Pillars!!).

Anyway, because of this, all we do is throw a free demo on the GM's demo vehicle (or the F&I's personal vehicle) and it is a done deal. They preach it like no tomorrow. We had one F&I guy say that after we did his Grand Cherokee, every customer he showed it to over the course of the next two months bought it....which equaled GREAT money for him. This is REAL important. Dealers care about their customers to an extent but the $$$ is what really drives them. I always tell them that if they can sell a paint sealant for $200+ (which I can do for $40 meaning they are pitching a petty product) then they can sell film for a lot bigger mark-up no problem. When they can get $100-500k per year profit for no work other than pitching it...that means something.

But then again.. I'm sure all areas are different. Good Luck!!

November 25, 2007

Oh...and if you have any dealers that know their customers well, word of mouth is HUGE. Just tell them that the last 10 Porsches you did could have gone through them and made them 10k for nothing.

Example...."We do a lot of retail business as it is...some of which you deal with as well...Dr. Smith...who has bought his last 5 Porsches through you has had us do his last three cars and won't even drive them until we protect them..."

To be honest...word of mouth and reputation has gotten us every account that we have.

November 25, 2007

I know...I know...3 posts in a row....but I could talk on this subject for hours as we have had to literally introduce this region to PPF.

As for Demos on showroom floors..this is EXACTLY what I tell dealers. "Sure, we will do a hood & fenders demo (NO MIRRORS...this is JUST to give the customer an EXAMPLE) for you so that you can show customers but there are a few ways we can do this.....I will put this one on for free and if you show it to the customer and then upsell them for a full package (hood, fenders, mirrors, bumper, lights) so that I get it back and then get paid for my demo (which, in my experience, is good anyway as most demos have been "picked" at and need replacement anyway) then I will make sure you ALWAYS have a demo on a car in the showroom (as I get paid in the end anyway). If I DON'T see it back for an upsell and get reimbursed (basically consignment), then I will do 2 or 3 a year depending on the volume that I see from your dealership so that I can make sure and cover the "freebie" I am giving you"

That is how we approach it.

November 25, 2007

If you give a free one to the dealers, make sure the F & I department knows about it. a good way to do this is to get the GM to let you in on there sales meetings, then you get all the sales people captive at once. Once you get the people at the dealership on board, they do alot of advertising for you, good portion of people buying new cars don't even know about the product yet. Get in enough of the dealerships and you got the F & I department educating the city and all you've spent on advertising is a $40 hood kit. Once the customers are aware of the products inevitably they start looking for places other than the dealership to have it installed. I can't stress enough though you have to educate the people that are going to be selling it to the car buyer (sales & F & I), its good to educate the managers but they are not the ones for the most part interacting with the customers. Its no good on a demo vehicle if no one knows about the product!!!!!! Good luck to ya!

November 25, 2007

You give it to them free and they'll be laughing all the way to the bank when they mark it up, make money, and then never call you again.

They see a "one time freebie" as a "one time way to make more money".

Speed · November 26, 2007

Put one there on consignment, if you give it away, they will think whatever you charge is too much at that point.

ply187 · November 28, 2007

its a slippery slope giving away products... we used to do mirrors for free (because it is only a small piece of material) and landed one of our bigger accounts that way, and giving the gm a free kit can get pretty expensive considering they might get a new demo twice a month...

like another person said it is a good idea to find where your retail customers are coming from because chances are you will find one (or ten) that have come from the dealership(s) you are targeting.. and either asked the customer to tell the dealer where they got it or take a picture of their car with the dealers tag on the license plate in front of your shop...