Why you should be selling windscreen repair

We’re aware of the dangers of driving at this time of year, when the evenings and mornings are still relatively dark. Poor weather conditions and rain induced potholes can cause all manner of issues for drivers. The windscreen is one area to consider, according to Esprit Windscreen Repair Equipment.

Perhaps now is the time to start talking to your customers about the products available to enable them to carry out windscreen repair.

Victoria Evans of Esprit Windscreen Repair Equipment believes you should be upselling windscreen repair to your customers: “One of the main things to talk to garages about is ensuring that their customers’ windscreens don’t have any chips or cracks. These are increasingly common at this time of year, with poorer driving conditions and more potholes. A small chip or crack, if left, can turn into a larger crack, meaning that a more expensive windscreen replacement will be needed.

“Motor factors can encourage their garages to offer windscreen repair to their customers to save their customers’ money, whilst providing a great source of additional income. By carrying out a quick repair early, this avoids problems in the future.”

Victoria claimed that repairing any chip “fresh” means that a repair will be of good quality, before adding: “There’s less dirt and debris to remove from the damage and a quick repair will leave the screen looking and acting as good as new.”

But what about new cars? Is it possible to repair screens with various head-up displays and the innovative technology in modern-day vehicles? Victoria replied: “With the Esprit kit, you can repair heated screens and all screens with new ADAS technology, which really helps to save the end user the cost and time of a screen replacement.”

Going through third parties

Victoria was particularly keen to outline the benefits of selling windscreen repair, on behalf of its distributors: “A lot of our sales go through distributors, many of whom then sell on to third parties. This is great for us, as we know that the motor factors really know their customers and we can build strong relationships with them over time.

“It’s also great for the garages because the motor factors understand their needs and can provide exactly what works best for them. Depending on volume sold, we offer good discounts for distributors, and they can then pass savings on to their customers, as well as ensuring that their profit line is protected.”

What about training?

Esprit offers training to both its retailers and distributors, with the purchase of a kit. For the latter, it offers “train the trainer” sessions, enabling them to train their customers.

Victoria said: “The kit is straightforward to use and our training manuals and videos are available for free on our website, but we believe there’s no substitute for in-person training. We can carry this out at our training centre in Staffordshire, or we can come to the branch – we offer individual or group training, basically we can work around what’s required. This training is great because then motor factors feel confident in selling the Esprit kit and in training or demonstrating the product to the end-user.”

Bestsellers

To conclude, Victoria revealed what kit options are available: “The Elite kit is our premier kit, and this is suitable for the regular repairer. This kit is full of our in-house, British manufactured hardware and has enough resin for around 40 repairs.

“We also offer the Compact kit, which is great for the occasional repairer. It still has all the key components of the Elite kit but has enough resin for 20 repairs and is pared back to make it a more affordable option.

“We also offer our budget Classic Kit options, which do a great job and are modelled around our original kit. These Classic kits are good if cost is the key issue for customers, and, of course, it’s possible to upgrade hardware items, like the bridge and LED lamp. If anyone is unsure about which kit is right, the best thing to do is give us a call.”