Non-believers...

[MichaelM]

Originally Posted by toyotaguy

"I cant speak for what the other guy can or cannot do, only what I am capable of"

I like that!

Not everyone is your customer. You can buy clothes at Nordstrom and Wal-Mart...

[Accumulator]

the_invisible-Hey, I like that lawncare analogy

[vtec92civic]

seems to be a lot of those type of people around here. Everyone wants a deal of some sort be it free stuff or dirt cheap prices.

Sometimes i am faced with people like that and at times it can be a little tough. As mentioned though Nordstroms & Walmart. You can really only explain and show what you have to offer . . . . if they choose to shop around and go with joe who charges $100 less that is totally up to them.

[ThatGuySkye]

These people are the reason I don't detail anymore... I was faced with competing with quick detail shops charging $80-120 for a full detail... I was even pretty cheap with $150 full exterior details, but still didn't get enough business to make it worth while... I found most people really didn't care for the perfect finish... But it depends on who you cater to... There is another local guy... on this board actually that manages to pull $300+ and has a much better clientel than I could manage to find. I guess lesson is... find your right customer base... or cater to the customer base you have.

[VroomVroom]

Originally Posted by the_invisible

not everybody feels compelled to have a meticulous lawn and garden, not everybody cares about a couple of swirls as long as the car is clean and scratch free.

Imagine how you would feel if some gardener preaches to you about lawn care and tries to put you down by telling you how bad of a condition your lawn actually is?

Just as not everybody needs an award winning lawn, not everybody needs a show quality automotive finish.

This is excellent. I use it all the time. At first, it was to explain the concept of detailing for the friends & family who couldn't understand how I could possibly enjoy removing carpet stains and running this loud polisher over an entire car time and time again. Since many of these folks enjoyed gardening - some to the extent that they would put me down when talking about my lawn - it made for an easy analogy. I quickly realized it was also valuable in demonstrating value to the people who write $150-200 monthly checks to their landscapers. (I pay $70, for the record. I want a nice short green lawn, but beyond that I wouldn't know a geranium from a duodenum...well, except maybe by smell.)

In such situations - and please keep in mind I'm not a busy detailer (by choice, fortunately) - I make a good-natured attempt to relate the value of quality vehicle care and detailing to a point of interest/passion specific to the person across from me. Probably my best was the BMW owner who visited a local car wash every week....right after getting her manicure and pedicure. I asked her if she'd consider a discount in&out joint for her nails. After the resounding, "Of course not!" response, I tossed out the deal closer. "Well, that's what you're doing with your car." The light bulb lit up the entire room, and she got it.

Of course, the simple fact is (at least in my experience) that most folks don't get it. Many folks just accept swirl marks as a fact of life. For those people I try to diplomatically (although I'm not as successful as David, above) thank them for their time and make sure they know where to find me if they change their minds.