The Accidental Sale

Few things are more irritating for car owners than returning to their parked car with a cart full of groceries only to find the side-view mirror either shattered or completely detached from the car door, hanging by its wires.

Crowded parking lots, city driving and tight garages wreak havoc on the small but crucial vehicle component. The typical driver may need several mirror replacements in a lifetime. For auto glass shops, however, that bit of driver aggravation offers an opportunity to build customer goodwill and a profitable sideline. Side-view mirror replacement, though a small part of a shop’s overall business, represents an often overlooked add-on sales opportunity, according to Bill Castleberry, president of Burco Inc.

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Burco is the only U.S.-based manufacturer of replacement side-view mirrors. It stocks over 30,000 car, truck and heavy-duty vehicle models, including ones for thousands of older, classic, and rare vehicles. Castleberry says North American car owners replace over 15 million side-view mirrors annually.

Most car owners return to the dealership service department when seeking a replacement for their smashed mirror, only to find the dealership charging anywhere from $300 to $1,000, sometimes more. According to Castleberry, seven out of 10 people will take the hit to the wallet and let the dealership replace the mirror. For older vehicles, they might visit a salvage yard or automotive recycler.

However, auto glass shops like Danny’s Auto Glass in Hampton, Virginia, perform the work at a much more consumer-friendly price, says warehouse manager Sarah Stone.

“We start ours at $55 and go up from there,” Stone says. “I have seen some [replacement mirrors] that are really super expensive, but compared to the dealership, we are still a whole lot cheaper.”

Stone says Danny’s charges between $70 and $150 for an installation. “Typically, we use cost plus 50%, depending on the cost and features attached to the sideview mirror,” she says. “Our base price is $55, but some go up to $300.”

She says they replace about 30 mirrors a month. “We make a decent amount on replacements,” she says. “It’s not a great amount, but it’s decent.”

Barry Lintner at Lloyd’s Glass & Correct Calibration Services in Pensacola, Florida, says mirror replacement makes a small part of his overall business, with about 12 mirror installs a month.

“We do install replacement side-view mirrors from time to time. It’s not a high-demand item,” he says. Lloyd’s sources side-view mirrors from dealerships, aftermarket distributors such as PGW and Pilkington, or online from eBay or Amazon.

Many customers accidentally stumble into an auto glass shop to see if the shop offers a mirror replacement service. “It’s almost like an accidental sale,” says Castleberry.

That accidental sale highlights the benefits of marketing mirror replacement. “We have marketing tools for auto glass shops—point of purchase displays, static cling stickers for their vans—all with great graphics,” Castleberry says.

Warehouse manager Stone says Danny’s Auto Glass promotes its mirror replacement in-store with signage and supplies.

The company is also listed on Burco’s website as providing mirror replacements. Castleberry urges auto glass shops to tell potential customers, “We fix sideview mirrors, too!”

Put the message on countertop displays, posters, front door signage or the marquee in front of the shop. He also recommends having the shop’s website developer add side-view mirror replacements to the company’s list of services. And remember to ensure outside sales reps promote the service to commercial and insurance accounts.