Window Tint + PPF?

[lorenzotint]

Even back in the early 80's, Window Tinting was the hottest aftermarket item,that was on the sales ticket at a full blown Car Phone/12volt install center here in NY. Talk about an additional service. No one drove out of that shop without some LLumar AT. Those days Auto Tint was gaining popularity as an add on service. I see PPF as todays must have additional service but without the Big Bang. The install learning curve is too deep,this is what keeps shop owners nervous. Jeff makes a valid point in the last post, but without the quality install the margins will not happen. Go to any upscale car show and the bad installs out number the great ones, ask what the owner paid.

[Aesop_Rock]

We are building steam with our tint shop so I think winter wise we should be ok. But it would be great to start another revenue stream and build that up during the winter so when spring summer comes we can hopefully increase our profits while offering more to our customers.

 

We get a lot of asks about PPF so it sucks to say NO we don't offer that to a customer. Plus the cost of training was a bit more than we thought it would be.

[pro-tect mobile]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 7:06 AM, XPEL Jeff said:

The days of $2.5k full fronts are hardly over.  They are only beginning.  The busiest ppf shops in most markets are the highest price ones. 

 

With a quality product, install, and customer experience in tint or ppf, you can make solid margins.  It just takes a long term commitment to solid work to build that demand and value (not unlike what the snippet from Lorenzotint said).  

 

We'd be happy to help you get set up on a ppf program, but if your tint business is not where you want it there's a way to fix it!

 

All depends on what market you are in Jeff. $2.5k for a full front end is steep for most people in the Dallas area. Sure there are some exotic car owners that will spend anything on their cars but most people are not like that. 75% of the people I work for wouldn't even consider 2.5k for a full front end. Plus the more people you guys train the more competition there is... the lower the price drops. That's what happens when markets become saturated.

[lorenzotint]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 2:31 PM, Aesop_Rock said:

We are building steam with our tint shop so I think winter wise we should be ok. But it would be great to start another revenue stream and build that up during the winter so when spring summer comes we can hopefully increase our profits while offering more to our customers.

 

We get a lot of asks about PPF so it sucks to say NO we don't offer that to a customer. Plus the cost of training was a bit more than we thought it would be.

The high cost of training may be the "line in the sand". I agree if your just getting into PPF today that training is priceless. plus you will be getting lots of on the job that may have a price tag. The learning curve will be smooth since Auto Tint installers have more wet film application methods that favor PPF. Never to late to offer your existing customers add on services,

[XPEL Jeff]

All depends on what market you are in Jeff. $2.5k for a full front end is steep for most people in the Dallas area. Sure there are some exotic car owners that will spend anything on their cars but most people are not like that. 75% of the people I work for wouldn't even consider 2.5k for a full front end. Plus the more people you guys train the more competition there is... the lower the price drops. That's what happens when markets become saturated.

You are correct that most people aren't interested in paying $2500.

When charging $2500 for a full front, you aren't trying to get all of the customers. You can afford to let more customers walk because you are committing to a niche audience that involves lower volume and higher margin. It must be backed up with an impeccable customer experience.

Installers have the ability to dictate the pricing in a marketplace if they are willing to do what it takes to justify that value and aren't afraid to let people walk out. I'm not saying that all of you should change your pricing to $2500 (not my number, just what was mentioned earlier) tomorrow, but merely making a point that any market of 1 million plus people can support a shop catering to the high end.

Saturation is a bad thing for everyone. If a market is saturated, by definition, it means that it will not bare any more film sales. If a film company sets up additional installers in that market, no additional film will be sold.

Dallas / Fort Worth has more Toyota dealerships than installers, so it is far from saturated. Installers are needed to service the almost 7 million people that live in the area.

Competition can cause price wars if you let it. It also inspires shops to step up their game to be the best in the area, work harder to treat customers right, become more efficient, etc. It's a measure of supply and demand. A top-notch install shop shouldn't count the number of other install shops in the area, it should consider the number of EXCEPTIONAL install shops in the area, relative to the size of the market. You have to ask yourself, there may be other installers in the market, but how many actually offer the level of quality that you do?

[DynamicATL]

  I have learned over the years that your goal should not be to cater to every customer base.  You have to be okay when people choose to go somewhere else because they feel you are priced too high.  As Jeff said, each and everyone of us dictate the price of our markets.  The key is to make sure the customer experience in your shop, the installation quality of your work, the product quality that you offer, and the reputation you build backs up that higher price.  You have to give the customer a reason to choose you first before the pricing.

[Tint Yoda]

10 hours ago, XPEL Jeff said:

 

You are correct that most people aren't interested in paying $2500.

When charging $2500 for a full front, you aren't trying to get all of the customers. You can afford to let more customers walk because you are committing to a niche audience that involves lower volume and higher margin. It must be backed up with an impeccable customer experience.

Installers have the ability to dictate the pricing in a marketplace if they are willing to do what it takes to justify that value and aren't afraid to let people walk out. I'm not saying that all of you should change your pricing to $2500 (not my number, just what was mentioned earlier) tomorrow, but merely making a point that any market of 1 million plus people can support a shop catering to the high end.

Saturation is a bad thing for everyone. If a market is saturated, by definition, it means that it will not bare any more film sales. If a film company sets up additional installers in that market, no additional film will be sold.

Dallas / Fort Worth has more Toyota dealerships than installers, so it is far from saturated. Installers are needed to service the almost 7 million people that live in the area.

Competition can cause price wars if you let it. It also inspires shops to step up their game to be the best in the area, work harder to treat customers right, become more efficient, etc. It's a measure of supply and demand. A top-notch install shop shouldn't count the number of other install shops in the area, it should consider the number of EXCEPTIONAL install shops in the area, relative to the size of the market. You have to ask yourself, there may be other installers in the market, but how many actually offer the level of quality that you do?


 

 

^^^^Exactly this^^^^

 

Well said Jeff. I know we let customers walk, some of them come back to us with lets say less than par installs from other shops. Lesson learned the hard way I suppose. 

[pro-tect mobile]

I really want to get into this topic more in depth. I agree with what Jeff said to a point... but without getting into the numbers I cant really go more into this. Lets just say we all know what the profit margin is in here. You can still do VERY WELL charging say $1500 on a full front and still produce the same level of work and customer service. I think people get a little carried away with pricing. Not many jobs out there that this kind of money can be made... and its not that physically demanding or anything. I am just as happy working on a Honda as I am a Lambo.

[Midtown Houston]

Very well said @XPEL Jeff

[XPEL Jeff]

6 hours ago, pro-tect mobile said:

I really want to get into this topic more in depth. I agree with what Jeff said to a point... but without getting into the numbers I cant really go more into this. Lets just say we all know what the profit margin is in here. You can still do VERY WELL charging say $1500 on a full front and still produce the same level of work and customer service. I think people get a little carried away with pricing. Not many jobs out there that this kind of money can be made... and its not that physically demanding or anything. I am just as happy working on a Honda as I am a Lambo.

 

And there is room for all of these shops.  It's about finding a niche.  Do you focus on the the Porsche club or the Corvette club?  Retail or wholesale? Neither is right or wrong, but it serves all of us to pick a business model and own it.

 

When you determine your pricing, you have to consider all of the costs:

 

- Tools

- Film

- Gas (if mobile)

- Mileage (if mobile)

- Extra film (we all screw up now and again, right?)

- Software

- Labor time

- Rent

- Utilities

- Accountant

- Time spent selling jobs that were landed

- Time spent selling jobs that weren't landed

- A slush fund for the customers that you have to please even if they are at fault (you have to ALWAYS be able to please your customers)