ADAS sales are not typical sales. You are not moving a product off a shelf or pitching a subscription. You are building trust with busy collision operators and proving you can protect cycle time while making their repair process more compliant and more profitable. In an industry that is still developing its go to market muscle, the most effective approach looks a lot like customer success with a sales goal.
Below is a field-tested playbook based on what worked scaling a mobile ADAS calibration provider across multiple markets.
1) Start with the right mindset: relationship first, revenue second
Your goal in early conversations is not to close on the first visit. Your goal is to earn the right to run one or two vehicles, then let consistent performance turn that into volume. Will Kepler, VP of Customer Success at ADAS Safe found that face to face interactions and frequent check-ins work best, because this is a trust based service relationship, not an online purchase.
A useful mental model is this: act like customer success before you act like sales. Lead with help and education, not pressure.
2) Win with face to face and a listening first first meeting
The best first meeting is mostly questions. You are gathering data so you can have a sharper second and third meeting.
What to do in the first meeting
- Keep it casual and focus on listening.
- Ask about their current process and who handles what.
- Learn their volume: cars per month, and how many they believe need calibrations.
- Understand tooling: do they sublet to a dealer, use another sublet, clear codes only, or do some in house.
- Identify the gap between what they think needs calibration and what actually should be calibrated based on repair volume and vehicle mix. Will describes using this delta as a concrete follow up point for later visits.
Who to talk to
Try to aim for the top. The owner or general manager is your goal. You do not go around them. Then as you begin calibrating, you work down into the day to day operators that control flow and documentation.
- Estimators are critical because they control the estimate and supplement process.
- Techs, painters, and detailers matter because they influence when the car is truly ready for calibration and where it is in the repair process.
3) Build a cadence, not a single pitch
One of the most actionable takeaways is to run structured, repeated visits with different materials each time. ADAS Safe used a disciplined cadence: visit a set of target shops, wait a few days, then return with a different piece of marketing or education each time.
Example cadence you can copy
Visit 1: simple overview of who you are, what you do, and how you help
Visit 2: OEM position statement style materials and calibration requirements
Visit 3: follow up email with short educational videos or a one page explainer
Visit 4: offer to review a couple of estimates and highlight required calibrations
Visit 5: set up a lightweight workflow integration if they are interested
This approach works because it feels supportive rather than pushy, while keeping you top of mind.
4) Use proof and demos to create belief
Education is still a big part of ADAS selling. Many shops understand calibrations exist, but struggle with which ones are required, how to document them, how pricing works, and what language to use.
That is why demonstrations matter. Will describes using Trak to show in real time what calibrations are required by dropping in an estimate, then showing scheduling, history, and analytics.
If you do not have software, you can still demo:
- A short estimate review process
- A walk of the lot to identify likely missed calibrations
- A sample documentation packet
The goal is to replace abstract talk with tangible visibility.
5) Handle the most common objection: resistance to change
The first no is often not about you, it is about process. Some collision centers have run the same way for decades and ADAS feels like disruption.
Two practical ways to break through:
- Offer a low risk trial on one or two vehicles to prove missed opportunities and quality.
Will explicitly mentions calibrating one or two vehicles for free when appropriate to show value and build initial trust. - Bring OEM requirements in paper form. Position statements and OEM requirements documents create authority and make the conversation less opinion based. Will describes using these as ‘leave behind materials’ and tying them to the shop’s monthly volume to quantify missed revenue.
6) Know what you are replacing and tailor the pitch
Most prospects fall into one of three buckets:
- They already use a competing ADAS sublet
- They send everything to the dealership
- They are not really doing calibrations and may be only clearing codes
All three exist, and the easiest sale is the wide open column where little is being done today.
For the other two, focus on operational reliability and cycle time protection, not just price.
7) Solve the two true pain points: confusion and timing
Will describes two recurring pain points:
- General confusion: what is required, how to price it, how to communicate it, and lack of standardization
- Timing pressure: fear of rental days and shipping vehicles without calibrations, especially when there are no dash lights
Your sales message should connect directly to these:
- You reduce confusion with clear requirements and repeatable documentation
- You reduce timing pain with fast scheduling and dependable turnaround
8) Make documentation part of the sale
A shop wants the calibrations done, but they also want to get paid. Documentation is what protects them with insurers and creates consistency.
Will describes bundling a standardized packet per vehicle including pre scan, post scan, required calibration report, and photos across the process, then delivering it to the shop so they can attach it in CCC.
He also notes that some shops want the calibrator to interact with the insurer, while others do not, so flexibility matters.
If you want faster conversions, show a sample packet in the first or second meeting.
Check out our blog post on the secrets of getting paid by insurance companies.
9) Follow up without being annoying: be present, be useful
There is a balance. The advice from the field is simple:
- If they seem annoyed, back off
- Stay persistent with education, not with pushing
- Always leave the door open as backup for a problem vehicle
Will notes that some strong accounts took months of steady outreach before the first chance, and that calls can come long after you last visited. When that call comes, you must perform.
A good closer line:
If you ever have a problem with a vehicle or want a second opinion, call me. I will help you solve it.
10) Measure what matters: integration rate
Beyond raw revenue, track the share of a shop’s repaired vehicles that you calibrate. Will calls this an integration rate: if a shop repairs 100 cars, what percent are you calibrating.
This rises with trust and with the increasing prevalence of ADAS systems in the fleet.
This metric helps you keep perspective. Month one volume does not predict month twelve.
Read more about how you can calculate your ROI on investing in ADAS.
A simple one page script you can use:
Intro:
Hey, I am in the area helping shops handle ADAS calibrations. Quick question, what is your current process when a car needs calibration?
Discovery questions:
- How many cars do you repair per month?
- Who writes estimates and supplements here?
- Do you sublet to a dealer, a calibrator, or do some in house?
- What is your biggest headache with calibrations: figuring out what is needed, getting it scheduled, documentation, or insurer approval?
Close the first meeting:
If you want, I can look at one or two estimates and show what OEM procedures are calling for. No obligation, just want to be helpful.
This mirrors the listening first approach Will highlights as the most effective core behavior.
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