The Clear View: Leaving Money on the Table

Expanding Your Shop’s Services for Maximum Profit

By Narayan Andrews

Are you leaving money on the table in your shop? Are customers taking their vehicles to another shop to realize the restyle they envisioned from day one? If you’re unsure, the answer is probably yes. As a business owner, it’s crucial to identify areas where potential revenue is being overlooked. Not offering paint protection film (PPF) and window tint is a significant opportunity where I have personally seen shops miss out on profits. If your shop only provides wraps, you really need to work on making the crossover to be a one-stop shop. Aim to offer all three services in-house and stop redirecting your clients to other shops. When I started Spectrum Auto and decided to offer PPF, window tint, and wraps, I had several friends and competitors laugh at the idea and tell me I was crazy. Now, it has come full circle, and shops are offering more in-house services. Transforming your shop into a one-stop destination for restyling is the best way to ensure you’re making the maximum profit and giving your customers the best experience possible.

Paint protection film can be a great way to attract customers who do not want to completely change the look of their vehicle but wish to protect the paint from unsightly rock chips and chemicals applied to the road during winter storms. Numerous PPF training programs

are currently offered, making them easily accessible nationwide. As an Avery Dennison trainer, I’m partial to their training program and personally use their materials in my own shop. Many wrappers might find applying PPF very similar to applying vinyl, making it a manageable transition for a vinyl installer. Paint protection film is thicker than vinyl, providing a different feel, but it is very much doable for someone accustomed to cutting vinyl and wrapping vehicles. At this point, paint protection film can be applied wet or dry, depending on the brand a shop chooses to offer, fitting the installer’s preferences. Given the rising cost of vehicles, PPF is an investment in protecting your vehicle and is typically an easy upsell. You can help your customers protect their vehicle’s paint while also increasing profits for your shop. Window tint is another way that a wrap shop can position itself as a one-stop shop for a total vehicle makeover. A newly wrapped and restyled car can look incomplete without fresh window tint to accompany that new wrap and make everything look nice and clean. Even if a customer doesn’t opt for a full restyle, window tint is the least expensive way for them to change the look of a vehicle. It’s also an easy way for you, the shop owner, to make a solid profit with minimal overhead. Window tint film isn’t very expensive, especially compared to PPF and vinyl. For example, if you tint a four-door

sedan and the back window, you can charge your customer about $400-$600, depending on your market, and only use about $40 worth of window film. A skilled installer can complete this job in about 90 minutes, making it an incredible way to maximize profit in minimum time. Window tint isn’t at all difficult to learn if you have an installer who is already proficient at PPF due to the similarity of the wet application method, but it isn’t a particularly difficult skill for any installer to learn. Window tint is an obvious choice for vehicles in high-altitude states to protect the interior from the harsh sun. It’s also a great addition for hot summers, not only protecting the interior of the vehicle but also keeping the vehicle’s interior cooler. It’s a great upsell that shouldn’t be overlooked by wrap shops.

If you’re limiting your services to only vinyl and wrapping, you are undoubtedly leaving money behind that could easily become profit for your shop. Customers are increasingly looking for a shop that can complete their restyle entirely in one place. Empower your employees to learn new skills that can also benefit you as a shop owner and enhance your customers’ experience. Provide your customers with the restyled vehicle they envision. The bottom line is that, no matter how big or small your business is, there are always ways to grow and maximize profits by recognizing areas where money is being left on the table.

Narayan Andrews

Narayan@spectrumautollc.com

Owner/Operator, Spectrum Auto

• Avery Dennison Certified PPF Trainer

• Avery Dennison/3M/ORAFOL

Certified Installer