New Tint Shop Need advice

[hvaltierra]

I have recently opened a new tint shop. I am a 3m Authorized dealer. My question to you guys is, As a new shop do you recommend advertising super low pricing to get people in the door or start at full pricing. My partner thinks we should start with blow out specials to get people in the door and get referrals going. My though on that is if we start out low and get referrals, its going to start a trend of having to give low prices. I think we should start at full pricing and let our work speak for itself. We might struggle at first but will eventually get the right clients and repeat and referral business.

[WearTheFoxHat]

Price what the market will bear as related to your quality of workmanship and the clientele you want to see through your doors.

Start low you will see a ton of hoopties . A client you WANT to see in your shop will keep going when they see '85 K Kars lined up at your roll up..

 

Its not unheard of to rent a high end car or 2 to get the idea across.

[Roach]

Agreed. If you charge Joe Blow $99 to tint his car and his friend Mike stops by he's gonna want that same $99 price. It's not something that you're gonna want to have happen.

If you are capable of putting out great work, charge accordingly.

[Midtown Houston]

We all start somewhere....we started with solargard, then suntek and now 3M....put in the work and it will come.

[Jake]

The customers you will get with the low pricing are coming for the low price. They will refer friends for the low price. If and when you want to bump up to what you want/should be charging you are starting from the beginning, because all those old customers will leave for a low price someplace else. Also like everyone else above said, you will be working on some pos cars.You are spending a premium to carry 3m. Use  the name to your advantage. 

[highplains]

[DynamicATL]

Same as everyone said above with my own twist...

 

If you start out low, you will be stuck with that clientele and as soon as you increase the price, they will go to the next cheap spot.  Cheap prices bring pickier people and older vehicles along with more removals of other cheap films.  We started like this and it was a struggle to get to where are now.  Part of the reason we were able to get from that level to now was we increased the quality and brand of the film as we went up.  So an increase in price was justified because the product changed for the better.  In your case, 3M is already seen as the best in many customers eyes simply because they recognize the name.  So it will be much harder to explain why you increased the price when you already carried the "best".  There will be a struggle for some time, but if you really market your shop online to stand out, the customers will eventually come.  It is all about what you can offer that the other shops don't.  Once they come, then it is up to your customer service and installation quality to keep them coming back.

Edited September 18, 2018 by DynamicATL

[Tint Artist]

Im quick to tell people that most of the cost that you pay for is the talent of the application that we do at our shop as compared to the guy down the street! sell yourself and dont be shy about it!!! Confidence goes along way and be super nice to people!! If there is one thing that besides great work that is mostly important it's being friendly and nice! people want to be treated good and will return to that!!  Good luck!!!

[vanhorn1]

I concur. We never advertised cheap prices and never have had sales. We back our workmanship and the film is lifetime warranted. If the quality and customer service is there then the word will soon get out and you will have repeat customers.

[drtint]

See and hear this all the time. Bottom line, what is the labor rate for auto repair in your town, add film cost and go from there. People understand labor rate. Window tint shops Have an idea what it will take them to do a particular job and go from there.