What Constitutes or Defines Someone as a Professional Detailer?

[Lonnie]

Edited note by Original Poster (OP):
I had placed this thread topic in the Professional Detailer`s General Discussion sub-forum, but it got "buried" in its alphabetical listing rather than by date, nor did come up as a New Post, so I re-created this topic as a Post New Thread here in this General Detailing Discussion tab. Hope you will understand.


I get asked this question from time-to-time if I am a "professional detailer", which I am not. I am a hobbyist detailer, although my detailing results may mimic (and I do mean MIMIC) a professional`s.

So what constitutes or defines someone a being a professional detailer:
1) They have a business license or are registered as a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
2) They pay federal, state, and local income taxes quarterly and their full-share of Social Security
3) They have business insurance and can prove it to a client/customer
4) They have the experience (previous detailing job) or training (trade;tech school or detailing seminars) to be a professional
5) A building or van, if mobile (Yes, some one can run it out of their garage in rural areas. Many municipalities do NOT allow running businesses out of a residential home)
6) The necessary equipment to be a detailer, IE, power polishers, extractors, LED lights, steamers, Paint Thickness Gage
7) Professional-grade detailing products.
8) Business website
9) Detailing forms for pre-detailing vehicle inspections and estimates
10) Business paperwork for customer receipts
11) Ability to accept Paypal or other digital payment types
12) Professional personal appearance and business demeanor

I say this because there are so many `individuals" who would like to a be a money-making "business" and two of the easiest to get into are lawn-care and vehicle detailing because there is no state professional licensing that is required, so how do you determine who is really a "professional detailer". My barber who cuts my hair is licensed by the state of Wisconsin (its for health and personal safety reasons; I understand that).

What are your thoughts on what constitutes a professional detailer?

[Ron Ketcham]

Several decades ago I worked to build a course for detailers who wished to be a "professional". First I identified what are considered "professionals" and interviewed close to a 100 of such, What path did all take to such, IE Medical, legal, accounting, mechanics. plumbers, electricians, engineers, etc. All required special tools, etc but those differed, what all found necessary was taking the same path---"education, which provided knowledge, which created diagnostic skills, which then produced the required process/procedure for correct results and last, but so important "continuing education". All required tools and such for their chosen career, once they began.

[Bill D]

Detailing always seemed like a profession that if one doesn’t keep up with continuing education,he can easily be left in the dark. It appears to me that this is what separates the hacks from the real pros.

[Anthony Orosco]

Skin in the game.

[Dan]

Simple for me, someone that bases their primary income from detailing cars. Some YouTube stars claim to be detailing pros but are actually just marketing pros.

Being a pro also doesn`t make you a competent detailer. An amateur can turn out better work than a pro as they may not have time constraints.

Also IMO a true detailer is much more than a paint polisher and a coating applicator. Don`t even get me started on the whack "correction" jargon.

[Don]

I am NOT a "Professional Detailer," though I DO consider myself more than `just` competent, with more than a touch of work ethic. If I weren`t the DIY type, I would look at hiring a detailer with these characteristics, rather than someone with "degrees" in detailing. I use the same criteria when looking for someone to do work that I`m not able to do myself. Sure degrees, etc are nice to look at, but the bottom line is always "How well can they do what I`m paying them to do?"

Just MY OPINION, but *I* define a "Pro" as someone who has the talent, ability and ETHICS to do an outstanding job (whatever that job may be), regardless if they have Official Documentation saying they are a `Professional,` or not.

Sometimes, being really damned good at something rates higher than a Title.

[Bill D]

Titles and degrees are indeed nice Continual education is a form of maintaining one’s excellence in his trade. I see it as important when it comes to detailing. Advances in the field have been made in recent years. These advances are significant enough that a good detailer has needed to adapt to them.Continual education makes that possible.