Solartint stores?

[RockyDaz]

I know what the draw cards are first hand.

I reckon a shop with 3-4 blokes could make a differance and make it work.

A sole operator won't IMO.

But.... that's where we as Independants can band together and make the ITN bigger and better than the other.

Banding together and not against each other.

I have 5 dealers within 1-2 km from my 350m2 shop.

I have the experience in running high output shops and what's needed.

I just need the man power.

Where are they?

Same goes for FG.

Amen to that GT.

Where indeed?...

I could easily take on another 3 good installers right now and have the work to keep them busy year round.

It seems that anyone who isn't currently employed, ain't worth employing.

I'm hearing you , I could take on 2 blokes and go and get the work I know is there plus handle what I already have.ive only been in business for 2 years and I am bussy bussy , so you boys that have long established businesses would be snowed under!

All depends Tikka. Dealers can be very fickle. You are their best friend one day, and that might mean actually for years and years, and then practically overnight you can be discarded ( unless you have been able to get them to sign a contract) and suddenly your business looks very different indeed.

Years of good building can be undone very quickly by having a lot of well paid guys sitting on their behinds every day because of the loss of 1 account.

This is the reality of what you face if building your business around dealers.

Build around yourself and your retail side of things always seems to me to be a surer recipe for success.

i agree with ya mate, but ATM I am just happy I have work and can put food on the table, I am hoping in the next year or so that I can get to a professional level and reputation to go with it and be able to base my business around what ever I want , but like most businesses you have to start at the bottom and deal with the %&$#.

Yeah mate, wasn't having a dig at you, you know that.

I was more saying that sometimes you can seem really busy and growing at a great rate. You then do things like putting on extra blokes, taking on more debt, getting bigger premises etc and it can all change very quickly if a dealer or two drops you. You then have to move fast and replace that lost income somehow or readjust your expenses, which isn't always that easy.

At least if you are busy with retail, it's because of your efforts and reputation and is a safer bet for continuity for the long term.

But hey, that's just my opinion and I'm just a dumb window tinter lol.

[RockyDaz]

here's 1 for ya mate, ever heard of BARTERCARD?

Long story short you get barter points and use them as money.

A few weeks back a 1 of my competitors went to my main dealer which he used to tint for and offered to tint for the next 2 months for BARTER POINTS , they took him up on the offer as you would lasted 4days now I'm back there full time.

Now I haven't been in business that long but tell me how the f you survive on BARTER POINTS????

You don't survive on Barterpoints.

I believed that was a flawed concept from the start and is now practically unheard of.

Some of my mates in business loved it, I regarded it right up there with pyramid selling and invoice financing schemes.

No thanks.

There's a great new Trapazoid scheme just came out and it will make you filthy rich...

Send me $5000 and I will tell you all about it

Ok, deal.

You then kick up $4000 to the bloke that signed you up, but in turn I'll tell a few blokes too and they can all kick money up to me too.

We are all gonna be rich. Yahoo.

[Devil with bad attitude]

I am told that new S stores are going to spring up like mushrooms nationally everywhere....that could be interesting.
I do wonder how the TAC shops are going to like this?

Just how much can this film pie be dissected into?  
Devil

[RockyDaz]

I am told that new S stores are going to spring up like mushrooms nationally everywhere....that could be interesting.

I do wonder how the TAC shops are going to like this?

Just how much can this film pie be dissected into?  

Devil

They said that once with SolAce when they bought that network too Dev. They were proposing to sell them right alongside their TAC stores. I know, they offered me one.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if they try, but it's one thing to talk about it , quite another to actually accomplish it.

And yes, I would be upset if I was a current franchisee, but this practice is not without precedent , Maccas do the same , the first local Maccas franchise owner was a customer of mine and he had to buy the next franchise in town also, but when it came to the fifth and sixth he had to give up.

Luckily, tinting is a little bit harder than flipping burgers.

Anyone for a McTint?

[the tint doctor]

What is the main draw card and why do the dealerships use them?

Kick backs $$$$$$$$$

[Glass Tinting Supplies]

I am hearing that the first few Melbourne SolarTint stores will be popping up in the coming weeks.

 

I also believe that MEP are under the impression that they will be the distributors of SunTek once the Eastman buyout is complete. 'Their words, not mine.'

 

Talk is that they will open up a new warehouse in Sydney which would likely see the nice crew from Castle Hill looking for new employment. That would mean MEP would be the distributors of Llumar, Madico, SunGard and SunTek, and would give them overwhelming market share. Some would call it a monopoly.

I hope that doesn't happen, but I guess it is out of our hands..

 

Everyone at MEP have been bagging SunTek's films for years, and now they may well be praising it from the mountain tops.

 

Either way, as of next week, it won't be "business as usual" down under.

[Thu9life]

I heard mep plan it to complete with indepentants and charge less already seen on solartint site $200 tints using suntek, could put alot of stress for independent shops and mobile tinters

[Thirtyfive]

I heard mep plan it to complete with indepentants and charge less already seen on solartint site $200 tints using suntek, could put alot of stress for independent shops and mobile tinters

Bring em on! I'll happily tell the customer if you want the cheap stuff there's no point coming to me, I don't sell it. If you want the best you can get, then come to me and I will make sure the amount you spent is although more than twice that, it'll be value for your money more than twice fold in time. I think the best thing TACs and Solartints can do for me is now start selling cheap films. I've never bagged the company's to a customer, but I'm always honest. Especially when they ring me asking for "octane"

[Thu9life]

But lowering there prices means another price war I must say the prices for large cars arnt even worth doing and for a shop to promote a price on a website is beyond me

[Thirtyfive]

They can do what they like.....

If some one calls you with a price $50 less than your quoted price, what do you do? Match it?

Winter comes, prices get lower. I would rather give away a tint for free or at cost in a promotion than actually do the job for fuck all.....

I've never tried to compete with the franchise stores, and I don't think I will.

I would love for them all to be owned by the same company and then compete with each other.....

I'm independent..... Sure it's somewhat tougher, but it makes my business unique. I can target what I want, offer what I want.....

If you have this power and are still fighting with price warriors you belong in th sand pit