Written by Chris DeLuca, Owner of All Pro Window Tinting in Atlanta, Ga., and Tennessee Film Solutions in Chattanooga, Tenn.; Edited by Chris Collier, Director of Communications at Autobahn, Huper Optik, and Edge
My oh my … how this industry has changed.
Many of you have been tinting windows for more than 10 years now. Some of you have heard and used some of the terminology circulating around the business. For those of you who have been doing this for more than 30 years, you know what I am talking about.
Product Evolutions
Dyed, metalized, hybrid, dual-reflective, carbon, ceramic, nano, spectrally selective, and now even ionic. New marketing buzzwords help promote, sell, and move products. And most of us have used and continue to use some of these terms during the sales process.
Most products in other industries follow similar paths. Starbucks is probably the best known for this. A venti? A grande? Who knew coffee was no longer called coffee?
We all know how frustrating this is. Educating our clients is getting harder and harder each week thanks to the internet and new marketing terms.
Know Your Competition; Know Yourself
Look at the players in this game. The guys who have been around for 25 years are doing it just as well as they did back then. Why? Most of the tenured vets have used multiple manufacturers over the years for different reasons. I am one of them myself. I have personally been New Dealer of the Year for four different brands.
There’s one thing the old school guys and I have in common. We do not sell brands, or terms tied to product evolutions. Instead, we sell ourselves and our knowledge. We know the competitors’ products; how they sell; what they charge per square; and how they install (good or bad).
Most people get a genuine feel for a person or company within the first five minutes of the conversation. It is ok to use fancy and fun words. But at the end of the day, most customers just want the job done within a timely manner and without issues.
In Closing
Instead of conforming and becoming part of the herd, use words like integrity, honesty, and reputable. These words will never lose value. Just like the original companies and people in the industry.