Blew 3M out of the water today

[Cuttingedge]

Went to a residential estimate today for 165sf (6 large panes) in a great room. They had a 3m dealer come in yesterday to give them a quote using their Prestige-70 line. They quoted them $2500, which I personally think is highway robbery ($15.85 per sqft). I showed them a sample of Geoshields IR-70 (nanoceramic line) same numbers and look as the Prestige but came in about $900 cheaper. Needless to say they went with my quote and we set an install day up and left with deposit in hand. The people even agreed they were enamored by the 3M name but in no way were going to pay that much for a name. They were more than happy to loose the name brand recognition for a fairer price and a very similar film. Not really bashing 3M so much as the company balzy enough to charge $15.85 per sqft when there is 6 inches of snow on the ground and obviously dealing with a customer getting several quotes. Apparently he thought being one of the very few 3M dealers in the area gives him the right to gouge the customers. Thanks to Hoosier for getting me hooked up with Geoshield...

[Guest vclimber]

Congrats

Prestige 70 and Geo IRIS 70 look and perform the same because they use similar technology and neither of them are "nano-ceramic."

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

[Guest tintgod]

Went to a residential estimate today for 165sf (6 large panes) in a great room. They had a 3m dealer come in yesterday to give them a quote using their Prestige-70 line. They quoted them $2500, which I personally think is highway robbery ($15.85 per sqft). I showed them a sample of Geoshields IR-70 (nanoceramic line) same numbers and look as the Prestige but came in about $900 cheaper. Needless to say they went with my quote and we set an install day up and left with deposit in hand. The people even agreed they were enamored by the 3M name but in no way were going to pay that much for a name. They were more than happy to loose the name brand recognition for a fairer price and a very similar film. Not really bashing 3M so much as the company balzy enough to charge $15.85 per sqft when there is 6 inches of snow on the ground and obviously dealing with a customer getting several quotes. Apparently he thought being one of the very few 3M dealers in the area gives him the right to gouge the customers. Thanks to Hoosier for getting me hooked up with Geoshield...

good job dude...sell the crap out of that geoshield..great product IMO...

and GREAT company to buy from.

[hoosierwindowtek]

Hey, that's cool! I'm glad things worked out for you that way.

Sounds like you priced @ around $10, which is reasonable, but be careful about charging too little on expensive films. Geoshield is great about selling only what you need for a job, and that helps a lot, but with expensive films it's easy to make no more profit compared to lower priced films if not careful. If you don't make more PROFIT on premium films, then there's no point in selling them because they cost more to keep in inventory and mistakes are a lot more costly.

FWIW, Geoshield is easy to install, I like the Iris 70.

[Cuttingedge]

Congrats

Prestige 70 and Geo IRIS 70 look and perform the same because they use similar technology and neither of them are "nano-ceramic."

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

I guess Geoshield better change their website descriptions then:

"Geoshield offers a new line of designer nano-ceramic window films for residential applications. Similar ceramic materials have been used by NASA for years to create space shuttle tiles because of their outstanding thermal properties. Geoshield's window films are spectrally-selective, which means they allow high transmission of visible light and low transmission of infrared, heat-producing light. This also means that Geoshield is able to make its films light in color and virtually invisible, so they are very aesthetically pleasing. Geoshield's films will far outperform even much darker conventional window films. They also effectively filter over 99% of the sun's harmful UV rays, which will help protect your furnishings as well as you and your family. Geoshield's films allow customers to maintain the vision they want while keeping out the heat they don't, which is especially important as families work to keep up with rising energy costs."

I like higher selling per sqft pricing as much as the next guy but I also don't believe in price gouging either. The customer even showed me their quote sheet before I even stated a price so I could of priced it just $200 cheaper and still would of got the job. Sometimes you have to put yourself in the consumer's shoes. They definitely could of afford the $2500 by looking at the size of their house and the neighborhood, but weren't ignorant to price gouging either. Im sure some might say thats not a smart business move to take less money, but I am a big believer in offering fair prices for a great installed product and customer service.

[Guest vclimber]

Congrats

Prestige 70 and Geo IRIS 70 look and perform the same because they use similar technology and neither of them are "nano-ceramic."

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

I guess Geoshield better change their website descriptions then:

"Geoshield offers a new line of designer nano-ceramic window films for residential applications. Similar ceramic materials have been used by NASA for years to create space shuttle tiles because of their outstanding thermal properties. Geoshield's window films are spectrally-selective, which means they allow high transmission of visible light and low transmission of infrared, heat-producing light. This also means that Geoshield is able to make its films light in color and virtually invisible, so they are very aesthetically pleasing. Geoshield's films will far outperform even much darker conventional window films. They also effectively filter over 99% of the sun's harmful UV rays, which will help protect your furnishings as well as you and your family. Geoshield's films allow customers to maintain the vision they want while keeping out the heat they don't, which is especially important as families work to keep up with rising energy costs."

I like higher selling per sqft pricing as much as the next guy but I also don't believe in price gouging either. The customer even showed me their quote sheet before I even stated a price so I could of priced it just $200 cheaper and still would of got the job. Sometimes you have to put yourself in the consumer's shoes. They definitely could of afford the $2500 by looking at the size of their house and the neighborhood, but weren't ignorant to price gouging either. Im sure some might say thats not a smart business move to take less money, but I am a big believer in offering fair prices for a great installed product and customer service.

They have single-ply ceramic films but IRIS 70 is not one of them. Also the specs for the IRIS 70 are on 1/4" single pane rather than 1/8" single pane. That is a bit misleading -imo but 3M has their own misleading specification as well. Touche!

Hey you won that bid fair and square and your pricing is surely is not low. I have no problem with that at all. I just hear people on this site complain about $99. tint jobs and employees needed better wages, etc... so I don't have a problem with nor do I see $15. sq ft as price gouging. Additionally, it is hard to determine what should be charges without seeing the job and knowing the distance of travel, etc.

[Cuttingedge]

Hey, that's cool! I'm glad things worked out for you that way.

Sounds like you priced @ around $10, which is reasonable, but be careful about charging too little on expensive films. Geoshield is great about selling only what you need for a job, and that helps a lot, but with expensive films it's easy to make no more profit compared to lower priced films if not careful. If you don't make more PROFIT on premium films, then there's no point in selling them because they cost more to keep in inventory and mistakes are a lot more costly.

FWIW, Geoshield is easy to install, I like the Iris 70.

Point well taken, but I believe a $7 per sqft profit margin is good for a one man show like myself. And compared to my other basic films the profit margin is between $4-$5 per sqft. (All depending on total sqft of course) I think it is way better to offer a fair price initially instead of negotiating down after the customer declines your first high quote. I personally hate it when a salesman initially quotes me a high price and by the time I am done negotiating him down, I feel like he must of been trying to rip me off by giving me that initial high price when he could of just quoted me what we negotiated down to. In fact it really irks me when salesman do that crap... I think its more important to offer fair prices and stand behind your initial price. Also you have to account for regional pricing. Window film is still a relatively new concept here in ohio in regards to residential applications.

[Roach]

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

+1 and that's the direction I'm trying to move the way I price... we'll see how it goes.

Either way, congrats.

[Cuttingedge]

Congrats

Prestige 70 and Geo IRIS 70 look and perform the same because they use similar technology and neither of them are "nano-ceramic."

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

I guess Geoshield better change their website descriptions then:

"Geoshield offers a new line of designer nano-ceramic window films for residential applications. Similar ceramic materials have been used by NASA for years to create space shuttle tiles because of their outstanding thermal properties. Geoshield's window films are spectrally-selective, which means they allow high transmission of visible light and low transmission of infrared, heat-producing light. This also means that Geoshield is able to make its films light in color and virtually invisible, so they are very aesthetically pleasing. Geoshield's films will far outperform even much darker conventional window films. They also effectively filter over 99% of the sun's harmful UV rays, which will help protect your furnishings as well as you and your family. Geoshield's films allow customers to maintain the vision they want while keeping out the heat they don't, which is especially important as families work to keep up with rising energy costs."

I like higher selling per sqft pricing as much as the next guy but I also don't believe in price gouging either. The customer even showed me their quote sheet before I even stated a price so I could of priced it just $200 cheaper and still would of got the job. Sometimes you have to put yourself in the consumer's shoes. They definitely could of afford the $2500 by looking at the size of their house and the neighborhood, but weren't ignorant to price gouging either. Im sure some might say thats not a smart business move to take less money, but I am a big believer in offering fair prices for a great installed product and customer service.

They have single-ply ceramic films but IRIS 70 is not one of them. Also the specs for the IRIS 70 are on 1/4" single pane rather than 1/8" single pane. That is a bit misleading -imo but 3M has their own misleading specification as well. Touche!

Hey you won that bid fair and square and your pricing is surely is not low. I have no problem with that at all. I just hear people on this site complain about $99. tint jobs and employees needed better wages, etc... so I don't have a problem with nor do I see $15. sq ft as price gouging. Additionally, it is hard to determine what should be charges without seeing the job and knowing the distance of travel, etc.

I feel yah bro.... 3 panes approx 6ft x 5 ft ground level and the other three above them about 10 feet off the ground, 3 year old house, vinyl edges, plenty of room to work, and about 20 miles from me.

[Guest vclimber]

Congrats

Prestige 70 and Geo IRIS 70 look and perform the same because they use similar technology and neither of them are "nano-ceramic."

In a market that suffers from underpricing, I don't think I mind hearing stories about a dealer who charges $15.+ per square foot. If you study this industry's retail pricing structure and inflation over the last 20 years, $12-15. per sq ft is where things ought to be.

I guess Geoshield better change their website descriptions then:

"Geoshield offers a new line of designer nano-ceramic window films for residential applications. Similar ceramic materials have been used by NASA for years to create space shuttle tiles because of their outstanding thermal properties. Geoshield's window films are spectrally-selective, which means they allow high transmission of visible light and low transmission of infrared, heat-producing light. This also means that Geoshield is able to make its films light in color and virtually invisible, so they are very aesthetically pleasing. Geoshield's films will far outperform even much darker conventional window films. They also effectively filter over 99% of the sun's harmful UV rays, which will help protect your furnishings as well as you and your family. Geoshield's films allow customers to maintain the vision they want while keeping out the heat they don't, which is especially important as families work to keep up with rising energy costs."

I like higher selling per sqft pricing as much as the next guy but I also don't believe in price gouging either. The customer even showed me their quote sheet before I even stated a price so I could of priced it just $200 cheaper and still would of got the job. Sometimes you have to put yourself in the consumer's shoes. They definitely could of afford the $2500 by looking at the size of their house and the neighborhood, but weren't ignorant to price gouging either. Im sure some might say thats not a smart business move to take less money, but I am a big believer in offering fair prices for a great installed product and customer service.

They have single-ply ceramic films but IRIS 70 is not one of them. Also the specs for the IRIS 70 are on 1/4" single pane rather than 1/8" single pane. That is a bit misleading -imo but 3M has their own misleading specification as well. Touche!

Hey you won that bid fair and square and your pricing is surely is not low. I have no problem with that at all. I just hear people on this site complain about $99. tint jobs and employees needed better wages, etc... so I don't have a problem with nor do I see $15. sq ft as price gouging. Additionally, it is hard to determine what should be charges without seeing the job and knowing the distance of travel, etc.

I feel yah bro.... 3 panes approx 6ft x 5 ft ground level and the other three above them about 10 feet off the ground, 3 year old house, vinyl edges, plenty of room to work, and about 20 miles from me.

Nice job, less than an hour travel and about 2 hrs setup/tear down and install. Good day.

If your 3M guy comes down in price in the future to meet your pricing, how are you going to sell against him? Lower your price? See what I am getting at is don't fall into the habit of "blowing the competition out of the water" with lower pricing. In this case, it is not so much your sq ft pricing that concerns me but rather the attitude that may lead to market devistation rather than market preservation. If you want to move into window film full-time someday, you need to start preserving your market now. Your sq ft pricing is fine, just ask yourself how you will sell against someone who matches your price. 3M Prestige is easy to sell against even when your sq ft pricing is higher, hone your skillz in that department so you prevent a pricing battle...