[mitchellreid]

To all Owners and Techs,

I had an interesting call last week. It was about an upholstery quote from a year ago.

Maybe some back story is in order. In September 2023 I was asked to quote some upholstery damage at an Arby’s location. I submitted my quote, and their response was they were surprised at the cost. I told them I understood and thanked them for allowing me to submit a quote. I did get the impression that they would have been more excited about doing the work if the price was lower. This has happened many times to me in the restaurant upholstery game. In the following weeks they did not call back, and I did not submit a lower bid. To be honest with you, after a while, I completely forgot about the job. Then last week, September 2024 I received a call from the same Arby’s regional manager. She referenced the quote and said they were ready to proceed. I was caught off guard to say the least. I pulled the file and started reading the details of the job. I told her I would honor the quote. She apologized for the delay and said she had a total of 22 locations in the area. She said that if I could, she would like me to do all their upholstery work from this point forward. I told her we could do. We start installing the first 2 locations next week!

The moral of the story, I think, is patience. Do not assume that because the job didn’t come quickly that it won’t come at all. Also, don’t lower your prices for a quick sale. If you do, you will probably always have to do so.

On another occasion, I have even been told that the customer has had a lower bid submitted, and I will lose the job if I don’t drop my price significantly. The customer felt the quote was negotiable. I did not. It was not that big a surprise when he called back 2 weeks later to say the lower bid was a fly by night outfit that could not do the job. Please understand, there was never another bid submitted. It was just a poor attempt to get me to lower my price.

The reason I agreed to honor the Arby’s quote from a year earlier was I bid it correctly the first time. I know the common question I always get asked about upholstery prices is
“What do you charge for a 4′ booth cover?”

Well, in this case, for this particular job the 4′ booth price was $275. It was an easy call to honor that old quote. It was a very profitable job.

Bid the jobs so you can be profitable not so you can just stay busy. You can be the busiest upholsterer around and not be making any money. Doing so will just put you out of business and provide less competition to your competitors. Let your competitors take the butt kicking on non-profitable work while you focus on making money so you can not only stay in business but thrive and watch them go under. Survive to become not only busiest but the most profitable one as well.

I am no one of consequence. I am not a Franchise Owner or an employee of Dr. Vinyl Corporate. I am simply an upholstery tech just like you or just like you could be. I do not perform some sort of magic tricks to grow our upholstery sales. I simply make sure we are making money at anything we do OR we do NOT do that work. Please keep this in mind on the jobs that come your way in the future. You owe it to yourself to succeed. Isn’t that the reason you joined Dr. Vinyl in the first place?

You will only know if YOU TRY. Best of luck. I can’t wait to hear about your success.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
“All Who Wander Are Not Lost”

[mitchellreid]

To all Techs,

One week after I dropped off the seats mentioned in the previous post, I had another car waiting at a sister dealership with the exact same circumstances as the previous car. The Manager at this store acted like he knew nothing about the work I had done last week at the other car lot. The price I told him about last week’s work did not faze him, neither did the time it would take. I don’t believe in coincidence. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. At least I knew what was involved this time. Having just done one last week the removal of the seats went about twice as quick. I guess it helped that I already knew what size sockets I would need and what electrical connections had to be disconnected before I even got started.

I’m not sure if this is going to be a continual thing, but I am glad to get another hefty invoice into this year’s sales totals. It is also very nice to be needed and valued by your customers.

To anyone looking for a little more work this year I would definitely recommend this high dollar repair. I hope you will give it a shot. I will be glad to give anyone who is interested detailed instructions on what I did.

Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can. Hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid (931)-252-0879
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

To all Techs,

I seem to remember some discussion at the 2023 Convention by techs and owners about the inability to make more than $100 per car at dealerships. It didn’t come to me then but due to some recent events the following has come to mind:

I remember my trainer, Raymond Scott, saying if the dealerships are using you, it is because they are making money on what you repair. If they didn’t make money from what you did, they would have very little reason to use you. Your services are of value to your customers. Still, occasionally, even I have doubts. Then every once in a while, your customers will let you know how valuable you are. It normally happens something like this, or at least it did to me.

Last week a Sales Manager came and asked me to do something new. He asked if the badly stained seats in a vehicle could be extracted. I could tell that had already been tried and due to continued wicking from the foam to the seats that it was a complete failure. I told him it would have to be taken apart, cleaned, and put back together after it had dried completely. I said it would take a great deal of time and I didn’t know how long. He said to keep it as long as I needed to because he would have to wholesale it if I could not get it done. I asked him why he didn’t have his regular detailer do the unit. He told me this was the best they could do. I knew then that I had some room to work on this unit and an opportunity to show what I could do even though I had never done this sort of thing before.

So, I took the seats out of the car; removed the covers, foam, and electrical connections from the frame; took the covers off the foam; sprayed out the all the excess soap and most of the stains from the foam and covers; soaked the covers; washed the covers; dried the foam and the covers completely; then put everything back together being mindful to disconnect the battery when reconnecting electrical connections involving the airbags. It took about an hour to hour and a half a day for the next six days. I didn’t count the soaking, washing, or drying times since I was doing something else while these things were happening.

After the seats were back in the car, the Sales Manager made a special effort to thank me for doing something no one else could do. While he has always been appreciative of what I do on his car lot, this thank you meant a lot.

I guess Raymond Scott was right. If the dealership can make money on what you are repairing, they will always have reason to use you.

I almost forgot, the invoice for that one car was $950. I guess it is possible to make more than $100 per car.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

To all Techs,

I seem to remember some discussion at the 2023 Convention by techs and owners about the inability to make than $100 per car at dealerships. It didn’t come to me then but due to some recent events the following has come to mind:

I remember my trainer, Raymond Scott, saying if the dealerships are using you, it is because they are making money on what you repair. If they didn’t make money from what you did, they would have very little reason to use you. Your services are of value to your customers. Still, occasionally, even I have doubts. Then every once in a while, your customers will let you know how valuable you are. It normally happens something like this, or at least it did to me.

Last week a Sales Manager came and asked me to do something new. He asked if the badly stained seats in a vehicle could be extracted. I could tell that had already been tried and due to continued wicking from the foam to the seats that it was a complete failure. I told him it would have to be taken apart, cleaned, and put back together after it had dried completely. I said it would take a great deal of time and I didn’t know how long. He said to keep it as long as I needed to because he would have to wholesale it if I could not get it done. I asked him why he didn’t have his regular detailer do the unit. He told me this was the best they could do. I knew then that I had some room to work on this unit and an opportunity to show what I could do even though I had never done this sort of thing before.

So, I took the seats out of the car; removed the covers, foam, and electrical connections from the frame; took the covers off the foam; sprayed out the all the excess soap and most of the stains from the foam and covers; soaked the covers; washed the covers; dried the foam and the covers completely; then put everything back together being mindful to disconnect the battery when reconnecting electrical connections involving the airbags. It took about an hour to hour and a half a day for the next six days. I didn’t count the soaking, washing, or drying times since I was doing something else while these things were happening.

After the seats were back in the car, the Sales Manager made a special effort to thank me for doing something no one else could do. While he has always been appreciative of what I do on his car lot, this thank you meant a lot.

I guess Raymond Scott was right. If the dealership can make money on what you are repairing, they will always have reason to use you.

I almost forgot, the invoice for that one car was $950. I guess it is possible to make more than $100 per car.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Teresa,

Sorry, I haven’t had any great success with these dashes yet. I will keep you posted if anything changes. Sometimes, trial and error takes some time.

Thanks for the post,

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

Recently, I was installing upholstery at 3 different Arby’s in a town. While I was at my first stop, I received a call from another Dr. Vinyl who was in negotiations with the restaurant chain, Fazoli’s. He was dealing with a corporate VP responsible for several states who wanted 7 locations in his area serviced as well as a location far away from his territory in our franchise area. The Dr. Vinyl called me and asked if I would have time to look at this other location so that he could tell the VP that we could cover all the locations he was concerned about. I was surprised to hear that the location was in the same town I was currently working in. I was even more surprised to see that very location across the street from my second stop of the day. I went over to the Fazoli’s and took measurements and made patterns. It was so nice to be able to make this stop while I was in a town 2 hours away from my home. It saved me half a day of driving and at the same time brought me another account. Furthermore, this quick response made not only both our franchises look very professional but also made the entire Dr. Vinyl system look impressive. The customer realized within minutes that Dr. Vinyls were well connected to each other even if they were hundreds of miles apart. That spoke volumes to the customer who had already had a great experience with Dr. Vinyl in the past in another state.

What I am trying to say is that we not only represent each other nationally but also can impress customers by working together. In this case both franchises greatly benefited from this collaboration. One franchise looked very professional and well connected to a network while the other picked up an easy sale and a new customer while working at a location 100 miles away. Some might say it was just luck. However, it is my experience that there is no such thing. Two Dr. Vinyls met years ago and because of that relationship knew that they could call on each other when a need arose. If this sort of thing had only happened once, then maybe I could believe in the luck scenario. However, this has happened to me multiple times in the past. I have benefited by my relationships in the Dr. Vinyl family for no other reason than I have made connections with other Dr. Vinyls. Most of these contacts have been made at conventions but not all. Some of them were made through the Forums, while others were introduced through corporate contacts, owners, or even other techs.

I know we get used to working by ourselves or maybe at most, working with others in our own franchise. I promise you there is more out there…There is more out there for those who dare to reach out and make the connections to other techs and owners. I know this to be true because I have benefited from it greatly over the years. I know it seems easier to remain isolated in our own little world. I too used to be a lone wolf sort of operator. While isolation does keep our failures and mistakes a secret, it mainly keeps us from growing and prospering as a franchise. Try reaching out to someone, anyone, in the Dr. Vinyl system. See if they can help you or if you can help them. I promise either way you will gain from this experience. I know I have. There are so many Dr. Vinyls out there that are successful and want you to be also. Try and see. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. If you are a new franchise or just don’t know who to reach out, to ask corporate for a contact. If all else fails, you can call me (931-252-0879). I may not have the answers you are looking for, but I probably know someone who does. I know over the years I have certainly received more help than I have ever given, but I truly believe that is the Dr. Vinyl way.

Why else would a tech in Tennessee make so many phone calls to Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, and so many others?

Try and see.

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

A quick follow up to this article. I was installing covers at a gym today, and the same thing happened there that has been happening at the restaurants. While I was busy installing covers on the equipment at their gym, multiple people asked me if I could work on their boat upholstery. Another person asked about working on their motorcycle seat.

Don’t miss out. The opportunities are endless.

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
“All Who Wander Are Not Lost”

[mitchellreid]

Owners and Associates,

Recently I have received many calls needing upholstery work for customers we have never worked for before. I am not sure why, but perhaps their previous vendors have fallen by the wayside due to attrition caused by Covid or normal marketplace pressures. Either way I want to encourage you to be ready to take advantage of this unique time in upholstery as well as the other Dr. Vinyl trades, Interiors, Paint, Dents, and Wheels. There is an enormous amount of work to be had out there. I see it in Upholstery and Interiors, and I hear about it from our techs in the other trades. Please don’t miss out. It may mean traveling at little farther or working a little later than you have in the past, but I promise it will be worth. I just wanted to share with you a couple things that have happened to me recently.

I received a call…

…from our local YMCA about recovering parts of their children’s indoor gymnasium playground equipment. They had tried to purchase new pieces from the manufacturer to update their aging equipment when they found out it was just too expensive to replace everything they needed. So, they inquired about recovering with Dr. Vinyl and found it to be half the cost of new.

…from a Dave and Buster’s (not our Buster Coppage) who heard about us from one of their locations we service about 100 miles away. They needed some upholstery work done quickly before their CEO made his normal visit to their location in 2 weeks. It turned out to be a long install, all in the A.M., and one of the largest invoices I have written for a single night’s work. I thought there might be a question about the cost of the work, but I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction to the work and bill. The manager was so pleased with everything that he found some more work that he needed done. When I asked why he hadn’t mentioned this additional work earlier his response surprised me. He said, ” I needed what you did last night done first, and I didn’t want to overload you with the less important areas.” Furthermore, he gave me 2 rolls of vinyl to work with for future recovering of his store. To me that is a big step in a vendor/customer relationship. When they give you material for future work that means that you are now THEIR upholsterer.

…from an existing customer of ours, Panera Bread. They wanted to recover their aging booth backs while we there to service their normal booth bottom wear. This extra work multiplied their normal bill tenfold. They didn’t hesitate at the cost. They just asked how quickly I could get it done.

These are just calls I received last week. Please be ready the work is everywhere. Do whatever you can to be ready to receive this work.

This might even involve:
1.Seeing customers you have forgotten to check on in a while.
2.Updating your services offered or areas covered on the Dr. Vinyl website Find a Doc listing.
3.Considering reaching out a little further in the areas that you serve, not into another Dr. Vinyl’s territory but maybe beyond your own.

The possibilities are endless.
Only you will benefit from reaching out a little further.
Only you will gain from doing a little more.
Only you will know if there is more out there.

You will only know if YOU TRY.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
“All Who Wander Are Not Lost”

[mitchellreid]

About 3 1/2 years ago I wrote an article about attending the 2020 Convention. Then the world stopped for a while. We were unable to have a convention for several years. I wasn’t sure when, or if, we would ever have another chance to gather together. We have a chance this year. So I thought I might take another try at encouraging your attendance at this year’s convention. I used some of my original article and tried to add some new. I hope it will move you to come. I look forward to seeing you there. I could use your help, your advice, your experience. Maybe you could use mine. All I know for sure is that it has been far too long….

Techs and Owners,

I just wanted remind everyone how important Conventions are to the motivation and success of Franchises, Associates, and Owners alike. Our Franchise has gained so much from the information shared at each and every convention we have attended. We see it as an opportunity to bring things home to add to our arsenal of skills and knowledge. The more we know and can do in the Dr. Vinyl world the more we can help our customers and, of course, the more we can earn. Our hope is that there will always be a convention available for us to go to and to learn from. Participation is the key to each convention’s success. Hopefully, all Franchises will be able to attend the next Convention. If we can bring our knowledge together in one place and share with those that want to learn, we will always be successful.

The sharing of knowledge is a true “Golden Nugget”. This happens when someone takes the time to share some aspect of a job they did with another. Then later that person retells the story and shares how much of an impact it had on them. The originator of the story often times has no idea the weight or influence they had on another. They simply talked about how they did things. Sometimes the simplest thing you tell someone else is the greatest help you can ever give them. That is underlying theme of Dr. Vinyl Conventions: To tell people simple things they can do to be successful. It doesn’t have to be a new piece of equipment or a brand new idea……

It can simply be the one thing you didn’t think of, that someone else did.

Next time your at Convention think about taking a pocketful of “Golden Nuggets” home with you.

Hope to see you at the 2023 Convention aka Golden Nugget Time.

Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

Recently I have spoken with several techs who have told me some tricks they use that have been of great help to me. I believe these techs intended for me to pass this information onto to others for their benefit. All of these techs have the same unique and desirable qualities. Those qualities are their intent to help others and pass along knowledge which they have come across in their travels in this life we call Dr. Vinyl. The funny thing is all three of them called me with their “tricks” during the same week. I didn’t think much of it then, but I have always been a slow study. This epiphany eventually came to me. These techs were intentionally giving me pearls of wisdom with the hope that I would pass it on. The only problem is how to pass this information on to ALL the other techs. If I had been quicker and wiser, I would have told them of a great way to get their tricks out to all Dr. Vinyl’s. The information highway I am speaking of is the Dr. Vinyl Forums on our very own private website. Since I failed to tell them this when we were on the phone, I will take it upon myself to share their information with you now.

One of our techs, Coleman Hawkins, made me aware of a much-needed service his customers have been allowing him to do. It is a very simple but profitable one. It is refinishing rusty trailer hitch receivers. At the first dealership he did 10 hitches at $48 each in 45 minutes! At the next one he did 14 hitches. That is about $1,150 in under 3 hours time. I started to notice the rust on hitches at my dealerships and thought “I sure wish Coleman was here”. Then I realized I could do the same thing. It was as easy as refinishing rusty wiper arms. I already had everything I needed to do this repair. Then I started seeing them on every lot I worked. While you might think that hitches are only on trucks, I am here to tell you they are on SUV’s as well as cars. A little cleanup and refinishing and they look brand new. Coleman calls this “Gettin’ Rich on the Hitch!!!” Coleman is never one to shirk away from work or making money. We can all learn something from this Young Gun!

Another one of our Techs, Bruce Dockery, told me of some difficulty he had starting a perforated leather repair because the tear went to a seam in the seat. He used some carpet tape on the underside of the perforated leather to hold it long enough that he could get leather filler to cure and hold in the damaged area and then proceed to finish the repair by our normal procedures. Sometimes all you need is a little ingenuity to get past a difficulty. I call Bruce “The Innovator” because when faced with a situation where some would say “It can’t be done”, Bruce finds a way. That is Innovation!

The third tech is from another Franchise, and I have to admit that he is really more than just a tech. He is Bill Hubbard. For those of you who know Bill you know what I mean. He is more of a legend. We were talking one day when he hit me with this idea that has made things so much easier when dealing with scratches in plastic. Many of you are probably familiar with heating up plastic to minimize the scratches that are so prevalent in cargo areas, center consoles, door panels, near ignition switches, etc. In black or really dark gray plastics with deeper scratches or heavily discolored areas I would have to take some extra time to mix up a color to redye. While this would redye the area it would not camouflage the extra damage as well as I would like. Bill let me know something that he has been doing that not only redyes these areas but also helps to disguise the more damaged plastic. It is Satin Black Chip Guard (item #39813) in an aerosol can. You can shoot it straight on the affected area if you need heavy texture or heat up the can to make the texture finer. I am here to tell you it works so well! I have been able to hide more damage and make things look much better than prior to this info. I would highly recommend this to any interior tech. Thank you, Bill! I am forever in your debt..

If you have any tips or tricks you use during your Dr. Vinyl work week, please share these on the Forums so all of us may learn from you. It has been so long since we’ve been able to get together at a Convention. There is no need to wait to share your knowledge. The Forums give us a way to share things NOW! If you’ve never been on the Dr. Vinyl Website or looked at the Forums, please call Buster Coppage at the Corporate Office (816) 525-6060 Ext. 130. Buster has been able to get even the least tech savvy guy, myself, on them. If I can navigate the site, then rest assured you can as well.

We in the field eagerly await your Posts of Wisdom on the Forums.

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

I am not sure why, but this year has brought work my way which in many cases I have never done, and for that matter, have never even been asked to do. For the most part I like to stick with what I know, but to be honest I got into the Upholstery side of our business because I was looking to challenge myself. I would like to claim that I continue to learn knew things and involve myself in more complicated work to keep up the challenge. That, however, really wouldn’t be the whole truth. The reason why I involve myself in more complex upholstery work is due to the great support I get from other Dr. Vinyl’s that have done similar work and encourage me to try it. Even if the others haven’t had experience with the exact scope of work I am currently looking at, they give me the confidence to move forward into the unknown.

It is amazing what you can do if you just try. Putting your mind to a task is not just challenging, it is also rewarding. In an old Anthony Hopkins/ Alex Baldwin movie
(The Edge) I remember one of the memorable lines was “What one man can do, another can do!” For that matter, for the ladies out there… a woman can probably do it even better.

Get out their and try. I think you will be surprised or amazed or even shocked at what you can do, but most of all I think you be proud and rewarded for your efforts.

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Owners and Associates,

I just wanted to update you on our progress with one of our newest customers, The Chop House, as documented in previous posts on this forum topic listed above.

Not only were we given the opportunity to recover the entire store’s backs, top caps, and end caps which only happens about every 6-7 years, but we were also given the more lucrative work of recovering the booth bottoms which occur throughout the year, every year. This customer made us aware of a few very important facts about their previous upholsterer. He was not interested in recovering anything but booth bottoms. He was older and getting close to retirement. However, the most important thing we learned was that he removed the booth bottoms from the store and recovered them off site. There were DAYS when the restaurant was without these booth bottoms and just had to wait for them to be returned to seat customers. The last fact we learned when they declared their amazement that we were recovering not only the bottoms but the backs, etc. right there ON SITE! They had full use of every booth the entire time we worked at their store. This was something totally new to them.

This information is pushing us to look for more accounts in this upholsterer’s area. An upholsterer retiring, being particular about what work they do, and removing booths from their location for days at a time ARE all things we can improve upon when approaching a new customer. These tidbits of information from customers are GOLD DUST. Use this information to not only grow your upholstery business but to leapfrog into more accounts in your area. I know we will use it every chance we get. This job was such a windfall. By the way, they have already asked us to come and take a look at another location they own. Our tech’s one cold call keeps on paying dividends. Please take a chance and inquire into work in your area. Why can’t your Franchise be the beneficiary of the next big job?

I hope this story encourages you to keep going after the work. This customer needed this work done long before we arrived on the scene. They had people come and look at the job but they never returned. There are customers out there just waiting for you to come and show them what you can do. Show them. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
“All Who Wander Are Not Lost”

[mitchellreid]

Will,

Thanks again for the heads up. I will keep a look out for the Isopropyl the next time I am getting supplies. That is a great price. I put some up on the shelf when store inventory was low. Looks like now would be a good time to stock up again. I appreciate the info.

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Will,

Thanks for the info. Many of our guys like the Durafill as well.

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Owners and Associates,

This is a quick followup to a post on August 21, 2021, just a few scrolls up on this very forum topic. This post was about one of our techs, Ryan McGann, who cold called a Chop House restaurant in his area. Not only did he get a huge upholstery job out of the deal ($14,220), but in addition, the Regional Manager asked if he could do the same type work at ANOTHER one of their locations! Now that truly shows the reward that is out there. This reward is for those who take the initiative to go after the work that is waiting for us all. It just goes to show what is possible for those who are willing to go look.

This pandemic has shut down many upholstery operations as well as other trades. Please understand many businesses, restaurants and otherwise, are desperately looking for someone to do the work for which you are more than qualified to do. Please go out and see for yourselves if what I am saying is true. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Sincerely,
Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
“All Who Wander Are Not Lost”

[Author]

Posts