Hey Betsy from 3M!

[fmg]

Oracal must be loving this thread!

 

[HulkSmash]

They told me we're going to be able to design.print.install.
we set the price. We collect the money (from dealerships)

i really don't see how this is going to work at all.

 

[ProWraps]

heh. riiiiight. non 3M certified shop, running non 3M mcs warranty. how is that going to factor in?

what hoops will 3M make your shop jump through to even get on this list?

see the problem? what if you are not a 3M prefered provider? you LOST all that business that you would previously had the chance to fairly compete on. now its lost to your supplier and their prefered shops.

its a mess.

 

[HulkSmash]

heh. riiiiight. non 3M certified shop, running non 3M mcs warranty. how is that going to factor in?

what hoops will 3M make your shop jump through to even get on this list?

see the problem? what if you are not a 3M prefered provider? you LOST all that business that you would previously had the chance to fairly compete on. now its lost to your supplier and their prefered shops.

its a mess.

i mentioned this, they said only for "bigger jobs" will they be requiring 3M mcs warranty crap..not an every day thing.

 

[Bigdawg]

i mentioned this, they said only for "bigger jobs" will they be requiring 3M mcs warranty crap..not an every day thing.

I somehow just don't see that happening. 3M is going to be okay with sending an installer that is not certified by them? Using materials that may or may not be theirs? Nope.

I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this. Wraps aren't our primary business, but we do a fair amount of them. I'm sure the customer that just wrote us that 16 grand check for wraps would have preferred to finance them. And he would have. And we would have been out a total of 30 or so vehicles we've done over the last year for him. So yes... this will impact lots of smaller shops like ours.

 

[vid]

Just so I understand...

I don't do wraps or pricing. So I don't know if the Ford Wrap is high/low/competitive? ... But, is this the type of program that you are anticipating now with 3M's proposed plan?

 

[signswi]

Chris, They didn't contact me because of this thread. Call your supplier - remind them how much you spend on 3M and it's about to stop. And tell them you wont support someone who supports that, and then uh 3M should be contacting you after.

Apparently they purchased original wraps for their online software only............................yeah right

Big companies overpay for web sites all the time! Original Wraps had the product, sales tool and relationship with the auto industry. 3M is looking to take that model and expand it using local shops as a vendor network. It's pretty straight forward. Whether or not it's actually doable/scalable is another matter and the contract terms, as we're all spinning and speculating on, make all the difference.

 

[GraphixUnlimited]

Like BigDawg said, we dont do a lot of wraps but I can easily see this as the start of something more.

On the flip side this could fizzle out and be a nothing.

Either way, I see 3M trying to dip their cookies in my milk.. GET OUT OF MY MILK. Stick with supplying me vinyl as I already have great relationships with dealerships and do not need your "network" to help me thank you very much.

 

[signmeup]

I don't do wraps or pricing. So I don't know if the Ford Wrap is high/low/competitive? ... But, is this the type of program that you are anticipating now with 3M's proposed plan?

I like the way that website works. Very simple and effective. It's pretty funny that the less you spend the more effective the message is though.

 

[CanuckSigns]

I like the way that website works. Very simple and effective. It's pretty funny that the less you spend the more effective the message is though.

No kidding, look at the full wrap for FTD and than the 1-800-flowers partial wrap for $1400 less, if those 2 trucks were parked beside each other, which company would you feel was more professional and which was a all girl punk band?

 

[btropical.com]

Just wondering what Sergio's take on this is , that would settle alot hearsay

 

[signmeup]

No kidding, look at the full wrap for FTD and than the 1-800-flowers partial wrap for $1400 less, if those 2 trucks were parked beside each other, which company would you feel was more professional and which was a all girl punk band?

The $900 cut vinyl one is the best bang for the buck by a big margin.

 

[cdiesel]

We had a potential client call today..

Said they had 15+ new vehicles to wrap soon, and that the dealer said they could take care of the wraps for them. The client said they thought it'd be a good idea to call around before committing.

I'd like to know how that's not competition.

 

[HulkSmash]

oh it is.

 

[slappy]

i started using some 3m after they sent me out samples.... but now i'm sticking with oracal.

I'll also be notifying N.Glantz on the 3m issue. I know they don't like signwarehouse cause of the "anyone can buy including cri-crap owners" and this feels about the same... so hopefully they do some damage if they slow their stock replenishment orders

 

[Jgentry]

This may explain a bit more about how it works. It would seem to favor the individual installer over the shop. It seems to take the shop out of the equation. In essence the dealership becomes the shop. My feeling is that when this program gets established the dealer will take over installation by training someone in house. That would simplify the responsibility chain quite a bit. Should be a very profitable program for 3M.
_____________________
The Program and How it Works
The 3M Scotchprint Personalized Vehicle Graphic Program is specially designed to:

• Give you the opportunity to work with multiple dealerships in your region.
• Allow dealers to coordinate with customers first, and then call upon 3M Endorsed Vehicle Graphic Installers to perform the actual installation.
• Provide you with a simple program that can enhance your business and open the door to new revenue.

_____________________
Program Overview
The 3M Scotchprint Personalized Vehicle Graphics Program is a perfect fit for both business and personal vehicle customers.
Installers will no longer have to be involved with creating or finding artwork for the graphics. Now, customers can choose from a large library of designs or they can design their own graphic. The process is quick, easy and comprehensive-from guided design through scheduled installation and warranted performance.
_____________________
Working With Dealerships
In this multiple OEM program, customers will purchase their customized vehicle wrap when they purchase their vehicle, and their vehicle wrap will be installed at the dealership. That is where you come in. The 3M Scotchprint Personalized Vehicle Graphics Program gives you the opportunity to install personalized vehicle graphics with multiple dealers in your region.
_____________________
Benefits to You and Your Business

• Expand your business.
• Increase your marketability in the automotive market.

_____________________
Benefits for the Dealer
The 3M Scotchprint Personalized Vehicle Graphics Program benefits dealers by:

• Working with customers to create and design artwork for their vehicles.
• Having a network of 3M Endorsed Vehicle Graphic Installers available.

_____________________
Your Business Customer
Personalized vehicle graphics allow commercial customers to:

• Promote their business using custom graphics for marketing their brand.
• Express themselves in a visible and memorable way.
• Work with dealers to design graphics for their vehicle.

_____________________
How Business Customers Benefit
Every business customer wants a high-impact, low-cost way of advertising. With vehicle advertising, they get traveling billboards with attractive, eye-catching messages-with their name, phone, web address, company logo, business theme, or pictures. A full coverage vehicle graphic gets significantly more attention than simple letters and numbers! Not only that, but the cost per thousand is less than traditional advertising.

• 95% of Americans see vehicle advertising.
• Each wrap can generate up to 50,000 views per day!
• Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times more than any other form of advertising.
• 30% of drivers say that they would base a buying decision on an ad they see on a vehicle.

_____________________
Why Individuals Value Vehicle Personalization
Studies show that more and more consumers value products that reflect their individual lifestyles. One great way to do this is by personalizing a car, truck, or van. Personalization sets a vehicle apart from factory models, making it unlike any other on the road! Why limit your customers to factory options when you can offer a unique feature that adds real flair to their vehicles?

...

Anyway you get the idea. I typed this in by hand because you can't copy and paste from their training course overview.

 

[signmeup]

The part where the dealer designs the graphics should be good. It's not only wraps either. If some business wants cut vinyl I'm sure 3M will accommodate them.

I think if I had a big shop that did lots of wraps/vehicle graphics I would hit all my local dealers with a similar offer. I don't have the manpower but it sounds like some of you guys do. Get on it and beat these bastards at their own game! A slick brochure outlining your program couldn't hurt. Don't forget the trucking companies either. 3M will no doubt contact the truck manufacturers and try to get the fleet jobs before they even finish making the trucks.

Unfortunately I won't be able to boycott 3M as I don't use their products.

 

[Jgentry]

But remember that the dealer is working from an online computer driven template program. They are not designing in the true sense, but choosing from probably thousands of themes and just entering the text in the given fields.

If you are a large wealthy shop and want to compete, start looking to add a template driven web-based layout system that you can pitch to the dealer.

If you want to see an example of how this works go to tire rack.com and select a vehicle and you can customize rims etc...

 

[HulkSmash]

i already have several things 3M will be wanting.

 

[Jgentry]

i already have several things 3M will be wanting.

One thing it appears they need are companies to start training installers. They are outsourcing this to 3M certified distributors now.

There are not many locations certifying installers at this point. An installer gets certified in a 4 step or "star" process which progressively qualifies you for larger and more complex installations.

Seems to me it would be in 3M's best interest to price this high so as not to undercut the sign shops that brought them success in the first place. I think this will educate the masses and result in more business for everyone including sign shops. The danger is 3M's ability to price this so low it squashes shops. Dealers have always been more expensive than local auto mechanic shops for example allowing those shops to compete. The dealer is viewed as the premium service location and it's more expensive. If that holds true here it will help shops as people look for a better deal, but are educated at the dealership about what is possible.

Wrap shops will need to get more efficient at design as that will be a step that the dealer will be very efficient at.