New shop, too many choices.

Soldier_Tint · January 20, 2017

Hey guys

Finally decided to open up my own shop here after days of painstakingly searching for tint for my own personal vehicle and running into nothing but cheap films at high prices.

Due to the area im looking to carry at least 1 brand of 3m to bring in the business, its highly sought after and only 1 or 2 shops carry it in town, Not sure yet but for 3m my choices are between FX premium, FX HP and color stable. All are close in pricing.

For my bargin shoppers who come in looking for 3m but not willing to pay the price im looking to carry Solar FX Carbon line. Ive read nothing but great things about SFX and they seem like a great choice, I was also milling around the idea to carry the SFC Ceramic line for my upsale to those willing to spend a little more over 3m.

was also looking at flex Film but after reading about them and talking to some people, i was advised to not go that route.

SO here is my lay out idea

Entryl level/ bargain shoppers ; Solar FX Vintage

Mid range ; 3m CS

Top shelf; Solar FX Ceramic

Id love some input from the pros on here. All ideas, constructive criticism and opinions welcomed. Have a few days, I plan on ordering Monday.

Edited...

Ryker · January 20, 2017

jh812 · January 20, 2017

So solar fx carbon is a color stable film that you're going to be using as a base line film but then try and upgrade to 3m fx which to the best of my knowledge is not color stable. So using a film that is essentially lesser quality as an upgrade doesn't make sense to me. With that thinking you may be better off offering the 3m as your entry level to get them in the door then upgrade them to the color stable film. I've used three lines from solar fx one being the ceramic line and I really like it. Good luck on your new venture

Tint Eastwood · January 20, 2017

Hey guys

Finally decided to open up my own shop here after days of painstakingly searching for tint for my own personal vehicle and running into nothing but cheap films at high prices.

Due to the area im looking to carry at least 1 brand of 3m to bring in the business, its highly sought after and only 1 or 2 shops carry it in town, Not sure yet but for 3m my choices are between FX premium, FX HP and color stable. All are close in pricing.

For my bargin shoppers who come in looking for 3m but not willing to pay the price im looking to carry Solar FX Carbon line. Ive read nothing but great things about SFX and they seem like a great choice, I was also milling around the idea to carry the SFC Ceramic line for my upsale to those willing to spend a little more over 3m.

was also looking at flex Film but after reading about them and talking to some people, i was advised to not go that route.

SO here is my lay out

Entryl level/ bargain shoppers ; Solar FX Carbon

Mid range ; 3m FX

Top shelf; Solar FX Ceramic

Id love some input from the pros on here. All ideas, constructive criticism and opinions welcomed. Have a few days, I plan on ordering Monday.

IMO, sounds a lot like a bait and switch scenario, if I were your 3M rep I would think twice about selling to you. :dunno

Soldier_Tint · January 20, 2017

Bait and switch? How's that? Having options now is considered bait and switch?

The reality is that you need a budget film here. I live in a area where people can go and get crap work done for $50.

DynamicATL · January 20, 2017

Hey guys

Finally decided to open up my own shop here after days of painstakingly searching for tint for my own personal vehicle and running into nothing but cheap films at high prices.

Due to the area im looking to carry at least 1 brand of 3m to bring in the business, its highly sought after and only 1 or 2 shops carry it in town, Not sure yet but for 3m my choices are between FX premium, FX HP and color stable. All are close in pricing.

For my bargin shoppers who come in looking for 3m but not willing to pay the price im looking to carry Solar FX Carbon line. Ive read nothing but great things about SFX and they seem like a great choice, I was also milling around the idea to carry the SFC Ceramic line for my upsale to those willing to spend a little more over 3m.

was also looking at flex Film but after reading about them and talking to some people, i was advised to not go that route.

SO here is my lay out

Entryl level/ bargain shoppers ; Solar FX Carbon

Mid range ; 3m FX

Top shelf; Solar FX Ceramic

Id love some input from the pros on here. All ideas, constructive criticism and opinions welcomed. Have a few days, I plan on ordering Monday.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board. First, 3M FX is NOT color stable nor does the warranty cover it. So you plan on offering a better quality film for less and they will pay more for a less quality film. Second, 3M is not going to sell just one line to you and they stay on top of the people trying to use their name. I became a dealer for 3M last year, and they were all over us to make sure we are actually pushing the film. Even if you BS them to get the line like saying you will be offering all lines, they will quickly pull the product when your ordering doesn't add up. Yes, that can be considered bait and switch as you are using a brand name to draw people in, but then pushing them to another brand. Plus you carrying 3M and being a new shop will not mean much since there are 1-2 established 3M dealers already...I wouldn't go to you based on that alone. You are much better off just offering SolarFX for the whole lineup.

Soldier_Tint · January 20, 2017

Hey guys

Finally decided to open up my own shop here after days of painstakingly searching for tint for my own personal vehicle and running into nothing but cheap films at high prices.

Due to the area im looking to carry at least 1 brand of 3m to bring in the business, its highly sought after and only 1 or 2 shops carry it in town, Not sure yet but for 3m my choices are between FX premium, FX HP and color stable. All are close in pricing.

For my bargin shoppers who come in looking for 3m but not willing to pay the price im looking to carry Solar FX Carbon line. Ive read nothing but great things about SFX and they seem like a great choice, I was also milling around the idea to carry the SFC Ceramic line for my upsale to those willing to spend a little more over 3m.

was also looking at flex Film but after reading about them and talking to some people, i was advised to not go that route.

SO here is my lay out

Entryl level/ bargain shoppers ; Solar FX Carbon

Mid range ; 3m FX

Top shelf; Solar FX Ceramic

Id love some input from the pros on here. All ideas, constructive criticism and opinions welcomed. Have a few days, I plan on ordering Monday.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board. First, 3M FX is NOT color stable nor does the warranty cover it. So you plan on offering a better quality film for less and they will pay more for a less quality film. Second, 3M is not going to sell just one line to you and they stay on top of the people trying to use their name. I became a dealer for 3M last year, and they were all over us to make sure we are actually pushing the film. Even if you BS them to get the line like saying you will be offering all lines, they will quickly pull the product when your ordering doesn't add up. Yes, that can be considered bait and switch as you are using a brand name to draw people in, but then pushing them to another brand. Plus you carrying 3M and being a new shop will not mean much since there are 1-2 established 3M dealers already...I wouldn't go to you based on that alone. You are much better off just offering SolarFX for the whole lineup.

I have made corrections to my original post....Solar FX Vinatage will be my entry level and 3m CS my mid range.

Funny you say that about 3m but i spoke with them and was upfront about my plan to use them as my mid entry product and they were fine with it. Same thing with Solar FX. I have not misrepresented my intentions at all and have been 100% on the level with both distributors. This is the first time im hearing anything negative about my product-line. Besides, most local shops carry 1 brand 3 shades and thats it.

Bait and switch is a harsh and bold claim. Never thought giving customers fiscal options was a bad thing, weird. So by your thought process, Mercedes Benz is bait and switch also? They do offer a C Class, E Calss and S Calss to fall within the individuals budget? Bait and switch would be more along the lines of selling someone on one product and its price point and giving them a less superior product in return.

Soldier_Tint · January 20, 2017

So solar fx carbon is a color stable film that you're going to be using as a base line film but then try and upgrade to 3m fx which to the best of my knowledge is not color stable. So using a film that is essentially lesser quality as an upgrade doesn't make sense to me. With that thinking you may be better off offering the 3m as your entry level to get them in the door then upgrade them to the color stable film. I've used three lines from solar fx one being the ceramic line and I really like it. Good luck on your new venture

Thanks for your positive response, first one so far...lmfao

I made an edit to the original post. Think it was about 2 am when i wrote that and ive been going on 3-4 hours sleep for the past week.

Solar FX Vintage will be my entry level, 3m CS my midrange and Solar FX my Ceramic.

DynamicATL · January 20, 2017

Hey guys

Finally decided to open up my own shop here after days of painstakingly searching for tint for my own personal vehicle and running into nothing but cheap films at high prices.

Due to the area im looking to carry at least 1 brand of 3m to bring in the business, its highly sought after and only 1 or 2 shops carry it in town, Not sure yet but for 3m my choices are between FX premium, FX HP and color stable. All are close in pricing.

For my bargin shoppers who come in looking for 3m but not willing to pay the price im looking to carry Solar FX Carbon line. Ive read nothing but great things about SFX and they seem like a great choice, I was also milling around the idea to carry the SFC Ceramic line for my upsale to those willing to spend a little more over 3m.

was also looking at flex Film but after reading about them and talking to some people, i was advised to not go that route.

SO here is my lay out

Entryl level/ bargain shoppers ; Solar FX Carbon

Mid range ; 3m FX

Top shelf; Solar FX Ceramic

Id love some input from the pros on here. All ideas, constructive criticism and opinions welcomed. Have a few days, I plan on ordering Monday.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board. First, 3M FX is NOT color stable nor does the warranty cover it. So you plan on offering a better quality film for less and they will pay more for a less quality film. Second, 3M is not going to sell just one line to you and they stay on top of the people trying to use their name. I became a dealer for 3M last year, and they were all over us to make sure we are actually pushing the film. Even if you BS them to get the line like saying you will be offering all lines, they will quickly pull the product when your ordering doesn't add up. Yes, that can be considered bait and switch as you are using a brand name to draw people in, but then pushing them to another brand. Plus you carrying 3M and being a new shop will not mean much since there are 1-2 established 3M dealers already...I wouldn't go to you based on that alone. You are much better off just offering SolarFX for the whole lineup.

I have made corrections to my original post....Solar FX Vinatage will be my entry level and 3m CS my mid range.

Funny you say that about 3m but i spoke with them and was upfront about my plan to use them as my mid entry product and they were fine with it. Same thing with Solar FX. I have not misrepresented my intentions at all and have been 100% on the level with both distributors. This is the first time im hearing anything negative about my product-line. Besides, most local shops carry 1 brand 3 shades and thats it.

Bait and switch is a harsh and bold claim. Never thought giving customers fiscal options was a bad thing, weird. So by your thought process, Mercedes Benz is bait and switch also? They do offer a C Class, E Calss and S Calss to fall within the individuals budget? Bait and switch would be more along the lines of selling someone on one product and its price point and giving them a less superior product in return.

Per your post, you want to carry 3M for the name to draw people in while majority of your lineup is not 3M. The reason people are drawn to 3M is in their mind it represents quality. So from a customer's perspective, offering the "best" up front and then when they come in majority of it is not the "best". Even though it is not the exact definition of "Bait and Switch", I can see how a consumer could/would feel that way.

Talking to a 3M distributor and actual 3M is very different. 3M has to approve you to be a dealer and based on the two Territory Managers I spoke with before, they would not be okay with you carrying one line.

Not trying to be negative, just offering opinion on your lineup thoughts...which is exactly why you are here? No? Even with your new lineup, doesn't make sense from a consumers perspective. You use the 3M to draw people in, but your entry level is SolarFX. They have to pay more for 3M which once again is the best in their mind. Then the highest end is back to SolarFX...same brand as the entry level. To each their own, but IMO doesn't make for the best model.