Trashing the Myth of Mobile Installations

By Thomas A. Hughes*

An independent auto glass shop owner in Canton, Ohio proudly told a group of insurance agents he hadn’t done even one mobile installation in 5 years. Their jaws dropped. He accomplished this by marketing his "consumer advocate" message consistently on radio (with some billboard exposure) since early 1994. He’s in a State Farm "A" market, but his business and profitability continue to increase (11% to 14%) each year while other shops see a decline of 30% to 40%.

Why is he doing so well when others are just trying to survive? He says he has a product (that simply happened and evolved over time) that’s in demand, and it’s the major reason why he doesn’t just survive . . . he thrives!

It’s time for other independent professional glass shop owners to make a choice. It’ll probably be the hardest choice you’ve had to make since you started business.

Many of you have marketed the message about quality and safety, and you’ve meant every word. But what you said was a lie if you’re still doing unsupervised mobile installations—parking lot jobs. In that environment, no one measures quality or safety.

Why?

Some of you say "we have to" to be competitive, or "people demand convenience," or "much of my business comes from 20 miles away," or "I’ll lose business to mobiles if I don’t offer mobile service." The truth is, these excuses reflect addiction to The Myth of Mobile Installation by businesses that don’t trust what they believe, so they bought into what conventional wisdom has told them/sold them.

 

Mobile’s Not for Consumers

 

Throw out the popular misconception that people demand mobile convenience. Consider: consumers might need a windshield replaced every 5-7 years. How often do they need an oil change or brake job? Tire rotation or muffler, lube job or tune up? How many companies provide mobile versions of these services? How successful have they been? What about everyday stuff like a haircut? Banking? Doctors? Some offer these services . . . for seniors, or those housebound or ill. For all others, service is in the shop.

Bottom line: mobile installation isn’t a customer convenience.

 

Mobile vs Dollars

 

Even more important: mobile operation hurts you and consumers. As articles in the May BP&E reported, State Farm increased expected discounts in its Offer & Acceptance this spring; it also moved hundreds of counties and, thus, shops into higher-discount areas. According to its own staff’s statements, Glass Central factored cash pricing, couponing, and mobile service into its O&A. For the first time, State Farm used mobile competition from well outside your area to cut your price.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with lower prices as long as quality and safety remain intact, but the plain fact is: mobile’s not not the safest way to install glass. No matter how well your installers are trained or how well you’ve equipped your vans, it’s not the same as your shop’s controlled, predictable environment. One man can’t do the job right in a driveway. No matter how well you inform your customer, a car in the driveway tempts customers to use it before it’s safe to drive.

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If an installer sees a flaw or scratch in a windshield he’s about to install, he’s not going to take it back 20-90 miles and get a replacement. He’s going to install it anyway. He may be in the parking lot, find some rust, and not have the proper equipment. Perhaps he doesn’t have enough primer. Will he return to the shop? Usually not; he can’t afford to. Too few clips? Just squirt a little more urethane in. The wrong pressures and incentives are there, no matter what you say or do. That endangers consumers.

What’s coming fast: insurers will drop ship glass and kits and pay you $25 to $40 to do an installation. If you want to accelerate this trend, keep supporting The Myth of Mobile Installations. As long as you’re mobile, no matter how good you are, insurers will compare you apples-to-apples to the guy who freelances from a van with a fax and a pager.

If you continue to go mobile, your pricing will continue to erode. Insurers and competitors can fairly and logically tell customers you’re just like any other shop. Sure, you’ve got a nice quality and safety message, but you’re really no different . . . because you do unsupervised parking lot and driveway jobs.

 

Sell Safety, Quality

 

Do what others say you can’t do and survive. If you’re tired of just surviving and ready to grow your business, unhook the Mobile IV and take all work inside. Build your business one day at a time.

·        Quality, not convenience, yields customer satisfaction.

·        Inside installation lets you deliver safety and satisfaction.

·        Awareness creates preference; preference drives customers to your shop. Hear again, or maybe for the first time, the message many of you have sent to the market.

·        You’ll probably be the only shop in town doing this.

·        You can provide pickup and delivery, but don’t lead with your chin. Customers aren’t using you because you’re the most convenient; they use you because you’re the best. According to the Canton shop owner, 65% of his customers come to him and need no transportation.

·        Try to get most work scheduled the day people call. If not the same day, then the next. They’ll understand.

·        Some people will need a ride to work. Let an apprentice (not an installer) do it.

·        Do it yourself, if necessary. You make a customer for life if you’re involved. 

Garagekeepers’ insurance covers your liability shuttling or driving customers’ cars.

·        Invest in customers. You know it makes a difference who replaces a windshield . . . show them; prove it.

·        Protect your pricing; in fact, increase it.

 

Remember, you’re selling more than glass. You’re selling safety for customers and their families at high speeds; you’re selling restoration of their vehicle to factory standards. You’re also selling quality on what is, for most consumers, their second most costly possession.

·        Market this message to local insurance agents and agencies.

 

There’s no trick or secret to inside installations. And you should do it only if you believe your product and service are worth it.

[This article and others in this issue have been reviewed by our corporate attorney. They may be reprinted only with permission and this full notice attached and printed with the article: Reprinted with permission of Beyond Parts & Equipment, June 2000, © 2000, Millennium Publications, Inc. Other use or publication of this version is strictly prohibited.]