Example for potential customers

**beaurogel81** · 06-07-2009, 01:39 AM

I recently worked on a Lexus SUV that `wasnt that bad` by the owners standards.. A quick 50/50 on the passenger door with the Cyclo/orange pads/Ardex Alpha Grit and Cyclo/green pads/Ardex Stereo Glaze and she saw what it was SUPPOSED to look like.

Several potential customers call me and see my pictures on craigslist and say "well its easy to leave one side dirty and just clean the other". So I decided to take this picture and shoot this short 1 minute video to show that it is NOT dirt. 2100 PSI at 2 inches away..

009-2.flv video by beaurogel81 - Photobucket

**4fit?** · 06-07-2009, 08:21 PM

Nice example.

**MrCLRider** · 06-07-2009, 08:24 PM

what a drastic difference you have pictured there.

**imported_Jakerooni** · 06-07-2009, 09:14 PM

Hate to say it but if you`re dealing with customers that honestly think that`s just dirt you`re going to have a long hard battle with idiots that will wear you down. That should be an easy thing to tell the difference and know full well it`s not just "Dirty" Good job on the example. To bad you got put into a situation where you had to do something like that though.

**ohiostate** · 06-08-2009, 09:27 AM

maybe adding before and after, in the picture..

**Jean-Claude** · 06-08-2009, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jakerooni

Hate to say it but if you`re dealing with customers that honestly think that`s just dirt you`re going to have a long hard battle with idiots that will wear you down.

I agree. Craigslist is not the only place to find them either. At a property I work at I get a lot of different types asking about services. Two weeks ago, a lady walks up and says she needs a polish job. I see her red Mitsubishi and it really does need it. I tell her that I can`t get to it that moment but I would be happy to give her a demo right then. She says that that would be cool but she had to head inside to work. I told her she`d have a ticket with a quote and the demo on the trunk lid.

I did the demo and left a detailed quote in her door.

I didn`t hear back from her. Instead, last week I see her walk by with some other people and I hear her complain about my prices and how the car looked. I just laughed when I heard her.

No kidding, the next 2 people that walked by stopped just to tell me how great the cars that were sitting out and had been cleaned looked.

This was the single step demo.

**ohiostate** · 06-08-2009, 05:57 PM

Hahahah so she is riding around with a half polished trunk lid... Hahhahahahahah

**Jean-Claude** · 06-08-2009, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by ohiostate

Hahahah so she is riding around with a half polished trunk lid... Hahhahahahahah

It was more like a 4"x6" area. But ya, every time I see her car my eyes go right to that.

I hope hers does too!

**white gecko** · 06-08-2009, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Jean-Claude

I didn`t hear back from her. Instead, last week I see her walk by with some other people and I hear her complain about my prices and how the car looked. I just laughed when I heard her.

What a nice lady. :grrr

**Jean-Claude** · 06-08-2009, 07:54 PM

Btw, I when she was talking about how "the" car looked, she was talking about a car I was washing at that moment.

**superior_detail** · 06-09-2009, 07:16 AM

People really have no idea!!

**imported_odgaard** · 06-09-2009, 07:58 AM

thats the most noticeable before and after ive seen on a white car

**jimmybuffit** · 06-12-2009, 12:19 PM

I firmly believe that less than 5% of the general population EVER have their car detailed - and if they do, it is because of some sort of incident.

As an aside, if the above is valid, then any broad-based advertising to the masses is futile.

Jim

**944obscene** · 06-13-2009, 11:47 AM

Most of my clients are convinced that they only need to visit me for my services once a year. "Oh, yeah the 3 dollar automatic wash gets my car just as clean as you do. I just like to have you wax it every once in a while."

Says the dumb4$$ with a pastel blue car that could look radiant if it weren`t dull from the wash machine removing my wax all the time, and just so happens to be covered in swirls. I almost polished the car one time just to show him what I could really do if he were willing to pay, but I knew it would be a waste of my time and effort. Not to mention all the product I would have to use on a full-size SUV.

It`s useless to target these people and attempt to get thier business. I just go with this approach. "If you want a wash maching to scratch your car, and some minimum wage drop-out to lay cheap wax on your car and scratch it more, with bad towels... Go to another wash. If you want your car taken care of... Let me do it."

I`ve already challenged everyone I know to find any wash in my city that can hold a candle to my work. Hasn`t happened yet. I think customers like that aggressive attitude. "My work is good, and I know it. I`ll prove it."

**beaurogel81** · 06-23-2009, 01:03 AM

i agree.. aggressive attitude is what carries me the furthest with customers. I have weeded out the customers that consider my detail job to be a christmas present or something and expect it to CONTINUE looking like that every month! You cant get a full detail, then the next 3 weeks take it thru the free car wash you got with your fill-up, then bring it back to me the next week! oh, you can, but I cant get it looking the way it did (unless you pay full price AGAIN) for my standard touch up rate..

Now, most of my customers are the ones that dont even ask about prices and have thier secretaries mail out the checks. They just appreciate the job done..