M&T Mfg., headquartered in Wakefield, R.I., has been supplying DIY and DIFM convertible components since 1974. In recent years the company has grown its international presence and increased overall sales.
Three years ago owner Burt Strom, 70, hired Nuaym Lindsay, who holds a degree in business from the University of Rhode Island, to be M&T’s chief operating officer.
Lindsay recently answered a series of questions about the company’s progress:
How would you describe the convertible repair marketplace over the past few years?
We are seeing people are more inclined to restore their own cars in order to save money; our company has grown over 30 percent over the past two years.
How did you get involved in supplying this industry?
In 1974, the owner Burt Strom was a woodworker, and he started making convertible top wood bows for Volkswagen Beetles. He started supplying these to shops and other customers. This led to selling other Volkswagen parts, including the convertible tops. He wrote a manual for the VW convertible top installation and realized he could do it for other convertible tops, and “Convertible Top Guys” was born.
You’ve reported that business is up due in large part to an increased online presence. What changes did you make and how did you accomplish the process?
I have been working with M&T for three years; I have been in charge of the website management for two. The sites were 10 years old and needed some serious work. I have spent the past two years updating them. I also have found other related parts to get into, such as the hydraulic cylinders and weather stripping seals.
Are you involved with social media sites and other online outreach? If so, how effective has this been?
For our Volkswagen site I created a Facebook page. We currently have over 3,000 friends, and most of these are from all around the world.
Are there particular demographic trends that you have detected among your customer base?
Our customer base ranges from males in the 18-20 year old range to males and females in their later years. It’s quite interesting the types of people that want to get involved in restoring their own car.
Are there particular areas of the country that seek more convertible repairs?
California has the highest amount of Volkswagens and convertibles.
You also ship to overseas customers. What are some of the steps you took to penetrate the international marketplace?
We basically just let customers know this on our site. We only do price quotes for this process – they do an order and we email them shipping prices.
How difficult is it for a do-it-yourselfer to repair his or her own top?
We usually recommend a good weekend to do the project. Some of the one-piece tops can be done in less than four hours, such as the Miata. We do have some well-developed manuals to help the customer along. It just takes some time.
Or is this a task best left to a professional repairer?
Professionals are typically the way to go in a lot of different applications. They usually charge $600 or so for a top installation.
Do most professional repairers obtain additional training for installing/repairing tops, or can this task usually be accomplished by reading the instructions?
An experienced professional repairer usually has the steps down to do their own installation without instructions; sometimes there are steps that need to be read through, though.
Are there other marketing initiatives that you have implemented or are planning in the future?
We are always looking for ways to get more exposure for our company. We contact many car clubs for sponsorship to events and we are also thinking about having a booth at the SEMA Show this year.
For more information, visit www.convertibletopguys.com and www.mtmfg.com.
M&T Mfg., headquartered in Wakefield, R.I., has been supplying DIY and DIFM convertible components since 1974. In recent years the company has grown its international presence and increased overall sales.
Three years ago owner Burt Strom, 70, hired Nuaym Lindsay, who holds a degree in business from the University of Rhode Island, to be M&T’s chief operating officer.
Lindsay recently answered a series of questions about the company’s progress:
How would you describe the convertible repair marketplace over the past few years?
We are seeing people are more inclined to restore their own cars in order to save money; our company has grown over 30 percent over the past two years.
How did you get involved in supplying this industry?
In 1974, the owner Burt Strom was a woodworker, and he started making convertible top wood bows for Volkswagen Beetles. He started supplying these to shops and other customers. This led to selling other Volkswagen parts, including the convertible tops. He wrote a manual for the VW convertible top installation and realized he could do it for other convertible tops, and “Convertible Top Guys” was born.
You’ve reported that business is up due in large part to an increased online presence. What changes did you make and how did you accomplish the process?
I have been working with M&T for three years; I have been in charge of the website management for two. The sites were 10 years old and needed some serious work. I have spent the past two years updating them. I also have found other related parts to get into, such as the hydraulic cylinders and weather stripping seals.
Are you involved with social media sites and other online outreach? If so, how effective has this been?
For our Volkswagen site I created a Facebook page. We currently have over 3,000 friends, and most of these are from all around the world.
Are there particular demographic trends that you have detected among your customer base?
Our customer base ranges from males in the 18-20 year old range to males and females in their later years. It’s quite interesting the types of people that want to get involved in restoring their own car.
Are there particular areas of the country that seek more convertible repairs?
California has the highest amount of Volkswagens and convertibles.
You also ship to overseas customers. What are some of the steps you took to penetrate the international marketplace?
We basically just let customers know this on our site. We only do price quotes for this process – they do an order and we email them shipping prices.
How difficult is it for a do-it-yourselfer to repair his or her own top?
We usually recommend a good weekend to do the project. Some of the one-piece tops can be done in less than four hours, such as the Miata. We do have some well-developed manuals to help the customer along. It just takes some time.
Or is this a task best left to a professional repairer?
Professionals are typically the way to go in a lot of different applications. They usually charge $600 or so for a top installation.
Do most professional repairers obtain additional training for installing/repairing tops, or can this task usually be accomplished by reading the instructions?
An experienced professional repairer usually has the steps down to do their own installation without instructions; sometimes there are steps that need to be read through, though.
Are there other marketing initiatives that you have implemented or are planning in the future?
We are always looking for ways to get more exposure for our company. We contact many car clubs for sponsorship to events and we are also thinking about having a booth at the SEMA Show this year.
For more information, visit www.convertibletopguys.com and www.mtmfg.com.
