Attaching Value To Your Products

Shop owners ask me all the time, “Ralph, should I stock good-better-best, good-best, or ten different shades of everything?” The number on your price board means nothing if you cannot explain value in a way your customer feels right away.

The Gas-Pump Lesson

A buddy gave me an old gas-pump display that sits on my desk. Three buttons: Regular, Plus, Premium. No one really knows what octane does, so most drivers hit the cheapest button and move on. The same thing happens in your tint bay when a customer sees a list of films but has no clue why one costs more than another.

If the difference between your entry film and your top film feels as vague as Regular versus Premium gas, the buyer will slide straight to the lowest price. Leave value unexplained and you will live in a price war forever.

Build Value First, Then Offer Choice

• Start with the problem. Heat, glare, fading—pick the pain they mentioned on the phone.
• Show a quick demo. Heat lamp, IR meter, factory-glass test—anything that lets them feel the upgrade instead of reading a spec sheet.
• Speak everyday language. “This ceramic keeps your dash from baking” lands better than “99 % IR rejection.”

Once value is clear, two or three logical steps—good, better, best—are plenty. More than that and you slip back into gas-pump land.

Train the Pitch, Not the Menu

Your team should be able to explain in thirty seconds:

1. What each film solves.
2. Why it costs more.
3. How long it lasts.

Role-play until the words fall out naturally. When the customer feels the difference and hears a tight story, they pick the film that solves their problem—not the one that saves five bucks today.

Bottom Line

Stock as many films as you like, but never hand a price sheet to a cold customer and hope they guess right. Make value obvious, keep the lineup simple, and watch the upgrades sell themselves while your competitors keep fighting over “Regular.”