Help With Flyer

[mburns813]

I'm not quite sure what has been going wrong with my business. I have passed out flyers around my neighborhood and my partner's neighborhood and everyone seems interested when I talk to them but they never call me. Keep in mind I am only 17 but the few people I have done seem very impressed with the results. The prices are as follows:

Rates:
Exterior Wash Only- Includes Wheel and Tire Cleaning:
Car-$10 Small SUV/ Mini Van-$15 Large SUV-$20

Exterior Wash and Interior Cleaning –Includes Above as Well as Dusting Vacuuming, and Window Cleaning:
Car-$15 Small SUV/ Mini Van-$20 Large SUV-$25

Wash, Interior Cleaning and Wax- Includes Above as Well as Basic Exterior Wax:
Car-$40 Small SUV/ Mini Van-$50 Large SUV-$60

Additional Options:

Medium Wax- provides a deeper shine and longer protection-$10

Nicest Wax- provides the deepest shine and longest protection-$20

Sealant- the highest level of paint protection-$15

Clay Treatment- removes contaminants from the paint surface, giving a smoother feel-$15

Polish Treatment- includes metal polish and also removes clear coat scratches, giving the car a resilient shine -$20/hr- Time will be determined by condition of paint

Wheel Wax- keeps wheels clean longer-$5

Leather Conditioning and Cleaning-$10

Carpet Cleaning-$10


Is there anything wrong with my prices? Anything I can do to make them call me? When they do use me I get their e-mail address and e-mail them every three weeks or so but I will start to try and set up 2 week, 3 week, or 4 week schedules.

All help is appreciated.

Thanks

[Jakerooni]

Mmm??? couple of obvious things I think. Not sure if any of it will help you out with gathering new clients. But how much are you paying for your clay? I know most clay is $15-$25 per bar. where are you planning on making any money at all with a $15 price? Same with the leather conditioning and cleaning and carpet cleaning? If you're actually trying to make some cash at this (I assume this is the point) where exactly are you making the money? Looks to me like your working for about $1.50-$2.00/hr once you count in cost of products, gas, your flyers themselves, etc etc etc. Not good at all.

Then the other thing that is sticking out to me is if you grab their emails and email them every few weeks and they aren't re-booking what exactly are you giving them as a quality of service? A lot of people won't complain on the spot with such cheap prices but they won't re-book either. I have no idea what your quality is but you might want to look into it and see if maybe there's a few things you can improve on. Because if you give them a great service they will more than likely always come back ( I know I do )

[mburns813]

Well, being 17 also has its perks. I do not pay for my own gas, flyers, and my dad also helps me by paying for half my supplies so cost isn't really too much of an issue. Buying through Chemical Guys allows me to purchase in bulk for relatively cheap prices. I use the CG 8oz clay bars so it works out around 5 dollars for each quarter of the bar so that is not too bad.

Well, when I do their cars I get their e-mails and they have rebooked. The problem is getting new customers and their information. I have to have pretty low prices because people don't expect too much from anyone my age. For instance, my dad e-mailed a business partner and he was shocked with the results and I e-mailed him tonight and he said he would make an appointment so getting return customers is not the problem.

I appreciate the quick response.

[Jakerooni]

Have you thought about getting a sandwhich board to place out by the road with your company logo and phone number saying something like "This could've been your car... Call now to set up the next appointment" I think someone on here did that and I thought it was a great idea. That way people driving by see it and know you're not just some kid washing his dad's car in the driveway.

And if you think being 17 limits to what you can charge you need to talk to Daniele (baseballover) This kid does phenominal work and I still think he's younger than you. It's not your age its your skill level, your confidence in your work, your ethics, and the ability to market yourself. So you show up in shorts and t-shirts? Or do you have professionally logo'd up shirts with logo and contact information on the shirt? Kind of like walking into your local shade tree mechanic and then walking into a Midas shop. Not that one is better than the other but the professional look of the Midas guys all in matching uniforms "Looks" more professional and is usually taken more seriously by people that don't know the difference between the two companies. The more professional you look the better you represent your company and yourself.

[Relaited]

Does your dad also pay for the insurance, business license etc.

I think that is a very important requirement if you are to operate as a business. Going out and charging customers, that is a trigger for the am I a business consideration.

good for you, at 17, I like your energy and spirit ... I also have concern that this can be what is wrong with this industry.

I am active on another forum, and, no offense, but a post like this would not be met with a lot of help, as many feel similar to my concerns, and typically leave funny posts, that aren’t much help, as they do not want to enable this type of potential industry issue.

Having said that, at 17, good luck, go get'm ... save some money and get legit ... soon. Amybe, if you raised prices they woudl take you more seriosly, and that can fund the insurance, business license ...taxes, good uniform, marketing, etc

-jim

[mburns813]

I'll look at doing something with the sandwich board. I just finished a 10+ man hour job on my car and it looks great. I don't believe that being 17 limits my abilities but I do believe that it limits people's perceptions on how well of a job I am able to do.

Jim, I am not licensed or insured. I have only been doing this since the beginning of Feb. and I am still trying to set it all up. In regards to prices, I feel that I must keep them low due to people's perceptions of my work before they have ever seen it.

[StumpyDetailing]

Simply put, people expect to get what they pay for.

I'd be willing to bet you'll have more luck charging simple things like?

Wash and Wax $60

Wash Wax and Polish $150 *Includes Clay bar Contamination Removal

Wash and Clean Interior $60

Wash Wax and Clean Interior $100

Wash Wax Polish and Clean Interior $180



I would bet money that you'll get 10x more customers with the above SIMPLE options.

DO NOT give customers more options than they need!!!! They do not want to pick and choose what you do to their car.

They want to know their car will be taken care of.

[mburns813]

I understand what you are saying. I already have all the products and need to sell them lol. I tried to provide explanations for what everything does but we shall see. I am planning on using my car as a marketing strategy now that it has been thoroughly polished, etc. I hope to get pictures tomorrow when it's sunny outside.

[webbmeister35d]

I think StumpyDetailing has great advice. In addition to not wanting to have to do too much picking and choosing from an avalanche of options, potential customers also may not understand what each of those options really means. If you keep it simple, you'll avoid confusion and make the client comfortable about choosing services.

That said, you will help yourself by going past client comfort and getting to client confidence. From your description, I see two things you can do right away to head in that direction. First, refer again to StumpyDetailing's post - especially the price list. Not only is it simple, it also reflects the fair value of the services you are offering. Few things cause potential clients to be wary like unreasonably low prices. The price you charge reflects what you think about your own abilities/product, and consciously or subconsciously clients pick up on this. Charge the going rate and let the quality of your work as opposed to discount prices attract and maintain your customer base.

Second, Relaited provides priceless advice. Unless your family is wealthy and can afford to defend against suits brought by disgruntled clients, for the love of God don't do this work without a license and insurance. The days of washing cars in your drive to earn spending money are long gone. Court dockets are clogged with actions brought for far less than a dinged paint job, and there are a lot of folks out there looking for a good payday based on a judgment against you and your folks. Trust me - many of them will be looking for more than the cost of repairing any damage you might have caused to their cars. If you do get licensed and insured, put on your game face, act the part, and don't make a big deal about your age. Just do a great job and reap the rewards of an honest day's work.

Sorry - this is long - it would be great to hear about your success. Listen to what these guys are telling you and let us know how it goes!

Jim

[StumpyDetailing]

Originally Posted by mburns813

I understand what you are saying. I already have all the products and need to sell them lol. I tried to provide explanations for what everything does but we shall see.

I am a little confused by this?

You only need to explain whether or not you are polishing or just waxing.... Use all the products you own! A customer is not paying for the product your using, they are paying for the end result.

Customers 99% NEVER care what products you use, or whether or not you do this and that... They just care that you promise you will take care of their car, and when they pick it up they want to see a damn good detail.

If you follow through with what was discussed, and do a few extras, then bam, your customer will be very happy.

Especially with your higher end waxes. Don't ask them if they want a better wax on their car. PUT the better wax on their car, and when they pick it up, show them the tin/bottle and explain why this wax is the best, and why you used it on his car.

This is not retail sales here, remember. This is a service industry. Better service means more customers.

[StumpyDetailing]

Originally Posted by webbmeister35d

Unless your family is wealthy and can afford to defend against suits brought by disgruntled clients, for the love of God don't do this work without a license and insurance. The days of washing cars in your drive to earn spending money are long gone. Court dockets are clogged with actions brought for far less than a dinged paint job, and there are a lot of folks out there looking for a good payday based on a judgment against you and your folks. Trust me - many of them will be looking for more than the cost of repairing any damage you might have caused to their cars.

Jim

I do agree that insurance and license is needed... But lets also remember that he is not opening a shop anytime soon, nor is he advertising anything other than word of mouth.

Don't rush the insurance and business license thing. Make sure you are ready to detail OFTEN and get CUSTOMERS first. THEN get the business license and insurance.

I personally never had insurance and will never get it. I did have a business license and that allowed me to write off expenses like gas, products, and everything else I could imagine for my income tax... Made some money there too

Registering yourself as a business is a VERY good thing financially. It can be a lot of work, but it is worth it.

[mburns813]

In response to the licensce and insurance, as Stumpy said I have no plans on opening a shop or plans for big time advertising, just looking to spread the word around and pick up some customers along the way.

I'm a little skeptical about what you said about the wax. My friend and I did do that on an M3. Instead of using cheap express wax, we applied Zymol Titanium. It took three times as long and when we told the customer he said "cool" and didn't pay for it because he did not ask for it. It was a lot of work for nothing. Sure we did have some personal satisfaction for the way the car looked but it wasn't a very economical decision.

In response to the sell, I meant it more like use. Sorry for any confusion that resulted from the poor word choice.