Have you ever bid a flat glass job or are you looking to start promoting flat glass Window Film Installations? Here are a couple of tips for our Tint World® franchise owners to get you started on your flat glass bids!
First and most important, you must know how to measure and calculate a flat glass job. The very first flat glass bid I went on, I was short 200 square feet in my calculation; it was embarrassing but I never did it again! Measure each window opening and round up to the nearest inch. Remember that a functional window, or window you can open or close, counts as two separate measurements, one for top and one for bottom. On a commercial flat glass bid, measure mullion to mullion and be sure to note the type of glass you are measuring as many manufacturers have guidelines for the installation of certain films. 
Time to calculate those measurements! The 200 square feet I missed was the result of me not fully understanding how to calculate correctly. The formula for calculating square footage is length x width and then divide by 144, then multiply the quantity. For example, you have a measurement for a business’ front door, the standard size for a door that size is 77” x 31”. However, things can get a little tricky from there because you can’t typically buy a roll of film that is 31” wide, and few (if any) manufacturers offer anything wider than a 72”. So what do you do? Round up your width to the nearest size roll you can purchase, but remember, at 31”, you can’t split a 60’’, so you round up to 36” so that your calculation is 77”x36”, even though your measurement is 77”x31”. The total calculated square footage is 19.25 square feet. Always round up to whole numbers so you can now can charge your customer based on your calculated measurement.
I know what you’re thinking; How can measuring and calculating be more important than selling? The simple answer is money. To make money on a job, you have to know exactly how much it’s going to cost you before you give the customer a price.
The last tip to adding flat glass is making sure that you find the right partners. When you are new to flat glass, it can be scary at first. Partner with your sales rep, distributor and your manufacturer. They want to sell you more film and see you successful, so they will bring any knowledge they have to the table. Often a customer will call the manufacturer or distributor to find a flat glass dealer in their area, and then the distributor or manufacturer will give you the referral.
Getting Flat Glass Bids
You’ve practiced measuring and calculating a flat glass bid and you’ve partnered with your manufacturer, distributor and sales rep. What are you going to do now? Let’s get you a flat glass job to bid!
There are many ways to get flat glass bids. Some of them are referrals from your manufacturer or distributor and sometimes, you have to hit the pavement to get started. You may even have to tint your friend’s house for free or for less than normal market value. You may call that buddy who has a buddy who was asking about tint for his house last summer when he got his car tinted at your shop and you may even have to advertise.
Getting flat glass bids when you’re first starting out is about promotion. You need people to see your work! You don’t always have to have a promotion, like 10% off the first 250 square feet, but you simply need to do the promoting.
When I first started in flat glass, we donated gift certificates to every group that we could. I had a friend who had a child in choir and they need things for their silent auction. I donated and still donate to my church festival by sponsoring a booth and getting my name on the booth, in the bulletin and on the church website.
If you are already running an automotive business, you have a great advantage! Customers are already in your shop and you can guarantee they are just as hot in their house as they are in their car. Here is where you get a captive audience! Start by adding a heat demonstration in your waiting area and add some banners saying you tint houses. Provide a pamphlet about how tinting your house or business is worth the investment. Last, have a door hangar promoting your flat glass business placed on the rear view mirror when you’re done tinting the car. The calls will start coming!
Get out there and start promoting your flat glass business and learn about how you can add this component to your Tint World® franchise business to help you grow!
