Welcome to Jeremiah Bienko’s first blog! We hope you enjoy his insightful content! – Chris Collier, editor of PPFMag.
Understanding that vinyl wraps are the fastest growing section of our industry and that it’s also one of the most-attempted jobs by the DIY’er is crucial. Creating a standard in your town or your immediate area so that you’re not one of those people will happen by holding your ground on your pricing.
Compete With Yourself
Make sure that you’re selling something that’s equivalent to the price as well. I think a standard price for vinyl wrap in 2023 and 2024 should be $3,500 for a base four-door car. Understand that you should not compete with the guy who’s selling the $1,500 wrap with the no-name vinyl or the $2,000 guy with no experience.
You need to set yourself apart from them and offer an actual service. Educating yourself and discussing this with your clients is crucial. You need to present yourself in a way that is extremely professional. You need to look over the car. You need to ask specific questions, and you need to understand that you’re also selling something of entertainment. Not just a product. Wraps can be compared to buying a $5,000 suit or dress. If I buy a $5,000 tuxedo today, I know the service will match the amount of money and the product or the customization that I will get. If you’re not presenting yourself to your clients in that manner, then you may have a hard time presenting high-dollar wraps.
A Personal Experience
My shop is full of artwork that I’ve acquired over the years. My own personal artwork is in the shop as well—lots of colors. There are things in my shop that I don’t like. But I put them there because they’re colorful, and I want to encourage a fun style of customization. I want to make the customer feel comfortable having fun.
I don’t need to discuss the specifics or techniques of the wrap or whether there’s going to be a bubble in the wrap or not. We immediately move the conversation to having fun. Creating an experience, finding out what their favorite color is and asking if they’ve ever had a vinyl wrap. Get them very excited—they will freak out when they see the car because they’ve picked one of the coolest colors in the book. Share that the car will look absolutely insane.
These are crucial things to do with the customer that you would see happen at any place where you’re spending that type of money. If someone’s going to spend $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 with you for a wrap … you better make sure that you’re creating an experience for them that equals that amount.
They want to feel like it’s a TV show. They want “the big reveal.” They want to get pumped up about it. I think that’s when price becomes no question with your customer. If you can achieve that level of conversation with your customer where they’re respecting your trade, your passion and your hard work, then it can be fun.
If it’s fun for you and the client, that’s a wrap.
You’ve won.