charging a dealership..

Reflectionz · 02-19-06, 09:10

how much do you think i can charge a dealership for my work? heres the story.. i got connected to a dealership that may need a detailer.. the guy they use now charges $50!!! thats right.. $50 to detail the outside BUT he leaves a bunch of swirl marks behind and wax everywhere. what do you think is a fair price to charge them just for the exterior? and what products to use? it doesnt have to be a perfect job.. just as long as swirls/scratches are removed and it shines with no marring. Im thinking of just wash, clay, compound, polish, and wax.. or even wash, polish, and wax if i could get away with it.

doged · 02-19-06, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reflectionz

how much do you think i can charge a dealership for my work? heres the story.. i got connected to a dealership that may need a detailer.. the guy they use now charges $50!!! thats right.. $50 to detail the outside BUT he leaves a bunch of swirl marks behind and wax everywhere. what do you think is a fair price to charge them just for the exterior? and what products to use? it doesnt have to be a perfect job.. just as long as swirls/scratches are removed and it shines with no marring. Im thinking of just wash, clay, compound, polish, and wax.. or even wash, polish, and wax if i could get away with it.

$50 isn’t bad if the car is already washed and you use a 2 step polish / wax. You should be asking the dealer the questions and not us. Price to a dealer depends on a multitude of questions, How many cars, are you washing them, what are there expectations, when and how are you paid, can you write a contract stating agreed terms, what are insurance expectations, etc, etc??? From what I can already see you should stay away!!!!

Scottwax · 02-19-06, 02:02

If the dealership is now paying $50, don't expect them to pay any more than that. They are the ultimate cheapskates. And be prepared that if someone comes along and says they will do it for $45, they will go with them.

Mr.Magic · 02-19-06, 02:17

I charge 120.00 min.

joburnet · 02-20-06, 05:59

I would advise to charge an hourly rate. If you wash, polish, and wax and you can get done in 1 hour per car then $50 is not bad at all. If you add clay and other things to make it longer then charge more, but make sure that it fits in to what you need to be making per hour.

As far as products, I've found that the best products to use are the ones that make your job easier and still provide quality. Lately I've been using optimum polish and wax; it saves quite a bit of time and still makes for an excellent final product.

mirrorfinishman · 02-21-06, 03:25

Are you sure you want to get involved with dealership work?

RETAIL CUSTOMERS
The retail market is made up of individuals who either own or lease their vehicles. Almost all retail work is usually considered 'Maintenance Detailing'. That’s because the cars are almost always detailed on a regular basis. Retail customers usually get their cars detailed at least two times a year.

A 'Maintenance Detailing' usually takes about four hours to complete. That’s about two hours less time per vehicle than wholesale. Compared to wholesale work, you will be able to generate more income revenue per vehicle with retail customers. Two hours less time and more income revenue per vehicle.

In the beginning you may not have the volume of retail vehicles, however, that will quickly change as you grow your business. Building a retail customer base takes time and effort. And you only gain one retail customer at a time.

With retail customers, you will be able to offer incentives to existing customers in order to gain new customer referrals. Each and every retail customer will ultimately have the final word on whether or not the quality of your work is acceptable.

The two major advantages of doing retail work are:

1– Two hours less time per vehicle.
2– More income revenue per vehicle.

WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS
The wholesale market is primarily made up of car dealers and leasing companies. Almost all wholesale work is considered 'Re-conditioning Detailing'. That’s because the cars needing to be detailed have either been taken-in as a trade, or have been purchased by the dealer, at an auction, for re-sale. A 'Re-conditioning Detailing' can take about six hours to complete. That’s about two hours more time per vehicle than retail.

If you’re considering doing wholesale work, remember, the price that dealers are willing to pay, will usually be less than half of what you can charge for retail work. What this means is that although you will have a greater quantity of work, you will generate less income revenue per vehicle. Two hours more time and less than half the income revenue per vehicle.

With a greater quantity of work, your daily scheduling could start to be determined by the dealer. This could affect your overall business scheduling.

When you do wholesale work, you’ll usually be dealing with one person at the dealership who is responsible for having the cars detailed. That person will also have the most input as to whether or not the quality of your work remains acceptable.

With wholesale work the car dealer is usually focused on quantity, however, if the quality of your work starts to decline, they could very easily find another detailer who is willing to work for less.

The primary advantage of wholesale work is: High volume.

The disadvantages of wholesale work are:
1– Two hours more time per vehicle.
2– Less than half the income revenue per vehicle.

ajbarnes · 02-21-06, 03:43

Frank pretty much hit the nail on the head.

joburnet · 02-21-06, 09:41

Does anyone here have expirence doing wholesale work? It's something that I'd like to add to my business.

doged · 02-21-06, 10:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by joburnet

Does anyone here have expirence doing wholesale work? It's something that I'd like to add to my business.

I thought Franks explanation was very well written. Maybe I could clarify on another level. Those of us with business experience are working less and making more with less headaches. If you want to work for the wholesale market then more power to you but why?

Scottwax · 02-21-06, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by joburnet

Does anyone here have expirence doing wholesale work? It's something that I'd like to add to my business.

I did some wholesale work when I started out. I no longer do and will never do it again. Frank explained it very well.

joburnet · 02-21-06, 06:53

I have my reasons for wanting to work for them, mainly getting $100k+ of business from one customer in a year.

Scottwax · 02-21-06, 09:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by joburnet

I have my reasons for wanting to work for them, mainly getting $100k+ of business from one customer in a year.

You obviously aren't in my area. They pay $55-60 tops per POS car they want done.