One of the afternoon talks at the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (WFCT) featured Steve Pesce speaking on “Growing Your Manufacturer Relationships.” Pesce founded his company, New York Window Film, in 1990.
Pesce opened by explaining to the audience how he got started in the industry almost 30 years ago. When he first started out, Pesce he said he had nothing more than a phone, an old computer, a laser printer and a reliable supplier. What he didn’t know at the time was that his supplier would become his staunchest ally in the industry.
One day, on a whim, Pesce asked his supplier representative if there was anything he could do to help grow his business. The representative answered that he wasn’t sure, but he could help him do cold calls. This was the beginning of a partnership that helped them both. If Pesce had customers, then his supplier had customers as well.
Pesce soon realized he could ask more than just his supplier for help. Between word of mouth and mailing out advertisements, Pesce’s company grew within one year.
He didn’t only ask his supplier for help, he also extended the invitation to anyone he could. He received help from many businesses looking to do the same thing he was: getting the word out about the industry.
Pesce explained that co-op money was another critical factor that had helped him. This has allowed him to advertise relatively cheaply, and also made him some allies along the way.
Another Thursday WFCT presentation was “Profit from the Power of PPF” given by PremiumShield’s Jamie Werner. “You need to find someone who can sell your product. You have to sell it,” Werner said.
That was just one of his many helpful tips on selling paint protection film (PPF). “You have to be willing to talk about it and educate the consumer about it,” he said.
And not just talk about it: “You have to promote the crap out of it,” he said. “You have to promote through all platforms. If you don’t know how to do it, pay someone or find someone who can.”
Being successful with PPF requires a lot of effort. “If you don’t put time and effort and money into it you won’t be successful,” said Werner. “Invest in training. Do a few free jobs. That will be a win-win.”
“Newer cars mean bigger profits,” he said. “The majority of time they are spending a lot of money on a car so they will want to protect it. And most of the time people looking at PPF are looking for other products. So now you have an opportunity to sell those other products like film and increase your overall ticket price.”
WFCT runs through Saturday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Stay tuned for the latest from the event.
