National Auto Glass Conference-The Last Roundup

The last seminar on Friday before the exhibitor tabletop was a discussion of how to use windshield repair to grow a business.

Jay Sampson, Safety Auto Glass in San Antonio, Tex., emphasized that repair does not diminish replacement opportunities. "Full service works for shops," he stated.

Sampson used a third-party administrator print-out from 1997 to 2000, which tracked the number of replacements and repairs, to show that the repair ratio remained pretty steady at around 35 percent, while both the number of replacements and repairs grew.

"We heard on the panel discussion this morning how these big companies use repair in a smart way," pointed out Matt Larson of Delta Kits. He said that satellite locations such as pop-up tents may enable an impulse repair. "It doesn't have to be a negative image for windshield repair," he pointed out.

One way to create value is to offer a free repair life-time warranty, he suggested. This, he added, can create loyalty also. "Don't give them a reason to go anywhere else," he said. Larson urged attendees to embrace repair as a profit center not a loss leader. "Build your brand and educate the public," he advised.