Does attending Car shows/events as a vendor pay off?

highplains · February 8, 2017

:yeah not only that but think about trying to control contamination and the finished product that you'll then be displaying

DynamicATL · February 8, 2017

Plus if you make a mistake or get a bunch of dirt in it, it will be real embarrassing. Only time that could work is if the show is indoors and you have other people there to market to customers. I would just take vehicles you already tinted.

Edited February 8, 2017 by DynamicAppearance

Roach · February 9, 2017

Agreed... have a car there that is already tinted. :thumb2

Tintguy09 · February 10, 2017

Yea I totally agree, trying to make that work outside would most likely be a disaster. Well I appreciate all of the feedback and advice guys!

Roach · February 10, 2017

If you do it, let us know how it went.

One other suggestion, which you may do this already... Afterward, when people call you, ask how they found you. That way you can get an idea if it was from the show or some other means. Or maybe offer a 10% discount for people who found you at the show.

Any marketing is, IMO, a waste if you can't track it at least somewhat. Otherwise you'll have no idea what is working best for you. :twocents

Tintguy09 · February 10, 2017

Will do! Every time I hand out flyers or attend regular car meets I always offer 10% off. I'll let you guys know how it works out! Thanks everyone!

InfiniteTint Ink. · June 21, 2017

Hey Tintguy09 I was wondering if you ended up doing the show and if so how did it go? Our local community is having a small fair where vendors can rent a booth for the day for a cheap price but I have no clue what I would use the space for besides handing out flyers, our cards ect.. Even with that I really want to start branching out into more commercial and residential since obviously there's more money to be made and especially because I can not find another tinter to work in our shop strictly on cars.

Tintguy09 · June 27, 2017

Hey Infinite Tint Ink. The timing of our question was perfect! When I originally wrote that question I got a little discouraged from some of the feedback I was getting so I ended up not going . I missed a huge event and I totally regretted it (my own social anxieties got the best of me). However , this past Sunday I decided to grow some balls and I attended my first car show as a vendor and it was totally worth it! First let me say this, I couldn't stop thinking that maybe I wasn't gonna look right or that I wouldn't know what to do or how to deal with everyone by myself but everything really fell into place . I wasn't sure if I should sell anything or tint a car during the event . I was completely clueless. What I did was I just ordered some really nice flyers and I custom designed a nice retractable banner with my information on it . Then I just called all of my sales reps and asked them what they had that I could use for outdoor events or what they recommended and I stocked up on information. I also offered to do a raffle for a free tint job to try to drive traffic over to me. After that I studied all of my prices and read up on all of the products I knew I might have trouble explaining if someone knowledgeable hit me with some good questions (I really did not want to look stupid or uninformed). After that I was ready

I got to the event two hours early , set up my 10 x 10 pop up tent , set up my 6 foot table with my Xpel table cloth and then put my banner in front to get everyone's attention. I put all of my info/brochures , company decals , flyers and business cards out on the table .

I sold Cans of glass cleaner for $5 a pop, and I ended up raffling off a free tint job AND a free head/tail Light tint job. I charged $1 for each Raffle ticket or $5 for 10. I ended up making around $250 so It paid for itself and I pulled the winners at the end of the event on Facebook Live . (It was really fun and the two winners were ecstatic) I just stood back and waited for people to approach my tent. Anyone who looked interested I just said "what's up! Let me know if you have any questions". I LOVED IT !

I know that was a lot but I just wanted to give you as much detail as I could because I know how it is to feel clueless or unsure about doing it. It was a BLAST! I had a great time , talked to hundreds of people and handed out over 100 flyers and a whole box of cards. It ended up Costing me some money for the banners and some other things but it was well worth it Because my phone has been blowing up and I've already scheduled a few jobs so DO IT MAN! Just be confident , be honest with people, don't be afraid to ask people who are looking at your stuff if they have questions and I always make sure to shake everyone's hand and give them my name after talking to them. I learned a lot and I can't wait to do it again. I am a one man show and I'm not the best salesman so it was hectic getting set up and stuff but after about 30 minutes you start to find a groove and if you have fun with it you will start booking jobs and meeting the right people.

If you Decide to do one let me know how it goes. I would love to hear about your experience. Also, let me know if you have anymore questions . I'm all about helping people !