In 1983, Lindsey Bird started a small paint and scratch repair business in his hometown of Brighton, England. After expanding the business in franchises throughout the UK, Lindsey decided the company could further expand its horizons in the US. He moved to Ft. Lauderdale and joined Dent Wizard as their first sales manager in 1997. He has since relocated to New England, which he says reminds him more of home, and he is now the vice president of aftermarket sales.
DentWizard is a SMART source provider of reconditioning services. They coined the phrase: SMART – Small and Medium Area Repair Techniques. “We have always been an industry leader in paintless dent removal,” says Bird, “We help dealers get their cars front line ready and have a network of 1,400 technicians out there every day fixing anything from a ding or dent to paint chip repair, glass, bumper damage, wheel scuff’s or interiors.” Dent Wizard services 4,500 dealers daily across the US & Canada and is the largest provider of ding & dent protection in F&I. They also serve other businesses such as OEM’s for remarketing vehicles in the auctions. They also have a dedicated CAT team (Catastrophic team) that works with insurance companies to cover hail damage.
When he is not working on developing a new product, Bird loves attending motor sports events and describes himself as a massive Formula One fan. “It is a global sport, and though it is not so big in the US, ironically Formula One has the biggest audience in the world. There is a certain electricity in the air when you watch the races.” Bird is married with two sons in college and a 15-year-old daughter. As a family, they have traveled around the world to races, visiting cities throughout Europe and as far as China. Bird says they try to attend a race every year.
Bird, the proud father, mentioned that his son is currently involved in an internship for Tesla as a mechanical engineer and is a former race cart driver. Bird says he got to be a part of the other side of racing when working as a mechanic (of sorts) for his son. Bird also describes himself as a big soccer fan, “I have not adopted the same love for American football and baseball – you know, you tend to enjoy whatever you grow up around.”
Having relocated from England, Bird says that the love of adventure gets in your blood. “I find it so exhilarating to explore and travel and see new things – there is a certain thrill and excitement to it that is unmatched by anything. I have traveled to NYC probably 100 times, whereas I have neighbors who have never even been there.”
Bird says Dent Wizard has been a Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) company since 1983, but during the last five to six years, they have evolved significantly through their SMART services, now covering a variety of reconditioning services. He described their new Mint Conditioning Program as a brand-within-a-brand. Dealers can market it through the service drive. Bird says that the recent retail growth is exciting. “It is thrilling to be the biggest player in appearance products in F&I,” says Bird.
Recently, Dent Wizard has invested heavily in technology solutions that allow the claims process to work seamlessly for the customer. “We developed some things internally but we wanted to partner with people in the industry who we believe lead their world. F&I Administration Solutions excites us because they provide us with the ability to have a good administration source and we believe they are the best in the industry. We went through a three to six-month dive into their competitors before choosing F&I Admin as our sourcing company. We believe F&I Admin is the best - they are innovative and different. We have also partnered with Strategic Apps to offer customers an efficient way to request repairs. They can use an app for their tablet or smartphone that allows them to view a picture of their vehicle as well as photographs of various dents and dings. Most people do not know how to describe the dent on their car. With the touch screen on the phone, you enter your contract information and a picture of your vehicle pops up. The visualization for the customer is terrific. They then select the best picture to represent their dent and we can then have a technician out to do the repair within 24-48 hours.” Bird says this works superbly because people are impatient - they want to put in a claim and they want it repaired instantly. By sourcing the technology through F&I Admin, if a customer doesn’t have certain coverage, then the app won’t allow that area to be highlighted and selected by the customer. “Then on the back end, with Field One, we can dispatch a technician. After the repair, we send them a notification or text and follow up with a customer survey to see how we have done. And all of this can go through social media – Facebook and Twitter. It is all about being the best. Anyone can say that, but we want to offer something that really delivers true value to the customer.”
As for advice to anyone just starting out in the industry? Bird says, “You will get from it what you put in - you have to be passionate, you have to have integrity and you have to do whatever you decide to do well. I strive for excellence - I want to be the very best and I want our company to be seen as a leader and innovator. You also have to enjoy what you do. For me, I like cars, so there is a thrill and passion that comes with working in this industry.”
