Another useful piece of marketing copy is a photographic portfolio of your cosmetic restoration work. Try to show a cross-section of vehicles. Ferrari and Lamborghinis are great but include some everyday vehicles (unless of course this is only the market segment you sell too). Show a cross section of before and after details and don’t forget to show a few vehicle interiors, after all that’s were drivers spend most of their time
As a professional detailer you need to showcase your work as best you can. Put together a portfolio that includes high quality photographs of vehicles you have detailed and some detail related articles, explaining to potential customers what you do. A portfolio of your cosmetic restoration work is a great selling tool.
Photograph ‘real life’ correction not just polished paint; clients have seen too many shiny car photos. They have specific problems (upholstery and carpet stains, dog hair, stained wheels, water spots) and they need assurance that you can remove them; a picture is better than a thousand words; so show them specific problems and solutions. To prove your competence with a before and after photograph
Internet cosmetic restoration forums all have a section (Click & Brag) were you can showcase your work as a form of advertising to potential clients. A decent camera with a great lens makes the world of difference. Without good photographs, people find it difficult to imagine what a difference a proper detail can make, after all you cannot describe a ‘look’ with just words, as they say a picture is worth a thousand of them
If you`ve ever removed red-eye from a photograph, or used a spell checker to correct an essay, then you know how computer software can enhance a raw photographic image.
• Take photographs when the sun is setting
• Use digital a photograph in an editing software picture editing program (i.e. Paint Shop Professional X1) you can also adjust contrast, and white balance from the camera
• Open the digital photos in a picture editing software program and use the tools to "sharpen" the image. The end result is a better, more finely tuned picture.
Photoshop CS5 Content Aware is a simple and easy program that allows users to ‘de-saturate’ the background enough so there is still colour; Selective Colour this will make the ‘subject’ more vibrant than the background without being too obvious, or fill in parts of the photo that are not desirable and allows easy manipulation of images, but just be careful what claims you make for a product with ‘enhanced’ photographs (i.e.’ Truth in Advertising’ ) as a professional detailer you will be expected to replicate this in your work
