Everyone’s skepticism is understandable and justified since the last detailing association disappeared into the ICA. The ICA is a great association, don’t get me wrong but not enough detailers joined and spoke up so favoritism leaned more towards the big business of carwashing and the detailer was forgotten.
NY detailer & Intel486
What do you get out of the association? Question should be “what do you want out of an association?” We have a survey on the website (
www.detailersassociation.com) to find out what a detailer is willing to pay for and what they need to make their business succeed faster and easier -- or to even help them stay in business. Right now we’re still in the start-up phase and recruiting as many detailers as we can to find out what they want.
OK, so what will you get? I’ll reinforce everything Jim Hammill said. Our main focus right now is to make available business insurance (mainly general liability) and health insurance for mobile and fixed detailers. Mobile detailers have it the hardest right now because most insurance companies will not cover them. Out of the all the mobile detailers we have signed up, only a few have received business insurance. Half of that number has health insurance. With enough people, insurance companies will recognize the demand and provide -- usually at a much more affordable rate then obtaining it on your own. If you have a mobile detailing business and have insurance, congratulations -- you’re very lucky. Insurance companies these days are slamming the door in the contractor’s face BUT if enough people demand, especially through an association they usually will provide.
The association will provide members with Technical Service Bulletins the dealers and schools receive from the manufacturers. Detailers usually never see these but we will now thanks to our associate, the Department of Automotive Technology at The Southern University of Illinois Carbondale and Auto International. Only the lucky few have access to these.
Another perk of membership is participating in a buyers group. We have several detailing chemical companies willing to give deep discounts with a buying group. You’d probably pay for the membership fee just from the savings alone with a buyers group.
detailbarn, a hack wouldn’t usually pay for good equipment let alone an association membership due. If he does, then usually that means he wants to better himself and his business -- which wouldn‘t qualify him as a hack.
But to make sure we don’t sign hacks up, we will require a “Doing Business As” certificate. This is the registration document you get when registering your business at the County Clerk’s office. After you fax us a copy of the certificate, the association will call the County Clerk’s office in the state you’re doing business in just to verify. No privacy will be violated, just a simple question -- “Is so and so, of this company registered to do business?”
ncal, It wouldn’t hurt to get ASE certified in Paint Refinishing. Just another achievement of excellence to post on your portfolio.
Bottom line is, we’re here to help and no push anything on you. If you’d like to join, beautiful. If not, goodluck with business and we’d enjoy keeping in touch and reading your posts on the forum.
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