Six Ways to Sell PPF to Used Car Owners
By Casey Flores
When it comes to PPF, opportunities to sell to owners who’ve had their cars for more than a few months do exist—you just have to try a little harder.
Roughly 80 percent of PPF is installed when cars are first purchased, estimates Chris DiMinico, president of Holliston, Mass.-based AutoNuvo. Of the other 20 percent, “some of that is installed at body shops,” he says, but much of it is your market share for the taking.
We spoke with DiMinico, James Melfi, AutoNuvo’s head of detailing training, and Kevin Iden, president of Seattle-based Iden’s Dealer Services, to learn how the experts get customers with “used” cars into their shops.
1 Tell Them It’s a “When” Product
When it comes to chips and scratches, the question isn’t if they’ll happen—it’s when. If the customer is lucky enough to have a well-maintained car months or even years after purchasing it, he can still be sold on PPF. This can even go for people with damaged cars, Iden says.
“If a guy’s been driving his car and has a lot of rock chips, we have customers come in and ask for the product,” he explains. “It’s not going to erase damage, but it will deter future chips.”
2 Explain it’s not Permanent
If someone wants it removed later, that can be done, which Iden says helps sell some people. It’s also important for dealerships.
“When a car gets traded in with PPF, some dealerships will pay to remove it so they can sell another PPF kit onto,” Iden says.
3 It Will Still Protect the Resale Value
Even if customers have owned their vehicles for a few years, it may still be a while before they want to trade it in. PPF will help them get the maximum value for their car when that time comes.
“Even if the dealership wants to remove the film, there’s a lot less damage to the car because you protected it,” Iden says.
4 Offer Touch-Up Services Too
Many times, a car will need to be touched up before installing PPF on it.
“If you have a detailer, a guy who does paintless dent repair and one who does touch-up, that’s a good way to make it happen,” DiMinico says, though he recognizes that’s rare to have in one shop. “We tell them to go to the dealership, fix up their car, and then bring it in.”
5 Get ‘Em While They’re Young
If a customer comes into your shop with a mildly used car still in decent shape, he may think he has taken good enough care of his car and doesn’t need the film. Melfi convinces them otherwise.
“If it’s to a point where it’s not really bad, doing a mild touch-up then putting on the PPF over it is what we do,” he says. “If they have a few they’re already concerned about, I explain we can keep the chips at bay.”
6 Warn Them of the Weather
“In Seattle, they don’t use salt on the road, but they use sand,” Iden says. “The front of your car gets lots of tiny little chips all over it. PPF prevents the paint from getting ‘pitted,’ as they call it.”
Other parts of the country use salt and gravel. Simple signs saying “protect your car from salt and gravel” can be used as well, Iden explains.
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