Things have changed here.....

**justin30513** · 05-30-2010, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by trhland

if it works justin do it!!! ..i get alot of my business from word of mouth.. which is good because advertising near me is exspensive..

In the last 5 years, I have spent 400.00 in advertising. Cards and a website. That`s it. How can you do this? I simply get out and bust my butt when it`s raining or winter. I ask friends...."How would you find me if you needed work?" Most say they would ask a friend that is a professional....like a bank manager....who would you use? One thing they are saying is the Yellow Pages. I`m not there and I guess I`ll breakdown and get listed. There are only 3 detailers (none are mobile) and 3 home cleaners which are painters too.

Guess I will do this but nothing still beats a face to face visit.

**Barry Theal** · 05-30-2010, 11:53 AM

I said it for years. Hi volume is where its at. 98% of people could care less about swirls. They just want a clean shiny car. I recently took on a Huge building for my new shop. I know it will not survive on highend detailing. I`m gonna blow the roof of my town with really nice wash packages at reasonable prices. Justin I commend you for this. Keep it up. My ultimate goal was to offer a nice personal touch car wash to compete with the tunnel guyss. Its soon happening. I`m still gonna do alot of my corrections, but my main focus of business will be on Car washing, headlight repairs, and some of basic quick in and out jobs. Plus most smaller stuff is paid in cash!!!! non traceable!

**Tuck91** · 05-30-2010, 12:07 PM

People care more about whether there windows or tires are clean than they do about micromarring.

**trhland** · 05-30-2010, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by Justin Murphy

In the last 5 years, I have spent 400.00 in advertising. Cards and a website. That`s it. How can you do this? I simply get out and bust my butt when it`s raining or winter. I ask friends...."How would you find me if you needed work?" Most say they would ask a friend that is a professional....like a bank manager....who would you use? One thing they are saying is the Yellow Pages. I`m not there and I guess I`ll breakdown and get listed. There are only 3 detailers (none are mobile) and 3 home cleaners which are painters too.

Guess I will do this but nothing still beats a face to face visit.

i have a buss phone line. and with that they give me a free listing in the yellow pages . small but belive or not people to look at it .. they stay away from the large ads thinking they are to exspensive...

**vtec92civic** · 05-30-2010, 08:19 PM

did the yellow page thing for a year . . . . the worst thing ever. $2,400 and i totally regret ever advertising in their.

**trhland** · 05-31-2010, 05:15 AM

Originally Posted by vtec92civic

did the yellow page thing for a year . . . . the worst thing ever. $2,400 and i totally regret ever advertising in their.

its free is you have a company phone in your house.. but itsnothing fancy. mine just says t.r.h. landscaping westwood area .. hey its something:2thumbs:

**vtec92civic** · 05-31-2010, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by trhland

its free is you have a company phone in your house.. but itsnothing fancy. mine just says t.r.h. landscaping westwood area .. hey its something:2thumbs:

Originally Posted by trhland

its free is you have a company phone in your house.. but itsnothing fancy. mine just says t.r.h. landscaping westwood area .. hey its something:2thumbs:

t.r.h landscaping and detailing? lol.

thats sweet that its free. for some areas and industries it works better then others.

**trhland** · 05-31-2010, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by vtec92civic

t.r.h landscaping and detailing? lol.

thats sweet that its free. for some areas and industries it works better then others.

i dont detail for a living. i just do my own truck.. :2thumbs:

**justin30513** · 05-31-2010, 05:44 PM

LOL! I`m actually getting some basic advice from a retired landscaper as I`m writing this!

Gonna be as diversified as possible. If I had spent as much time learning as much about business and getting broader as I have on detailing forums (earlier...no as of lately), I would be so much further ahead!

**trhland** · 06-01-2010, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by Justin Murphy

LOL! I`m actually getting some basic advice from a retired landscaper as I`m writing this!

Gonna be as diversified as possible. If I had spent as much time learning as much about business and getting broader as I have on detailing forums (earlier...no as of lately), I would be so much further ahead!

not retired.. still do it .. just an enthousist (sp) detailer..true passion for me ..

**justin30513** · 06-01-2010, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by trhland

not retired.. still do it .. just an enthousist (sp) detailer..true passion for me ..

Didn`t mean you were retired! I was talking with someone in my hometown that is. But any advice would be appreciated!

**trhland** · 06-01-2010, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Justin Murphy

Didn`t mean you were retired! I was talking with someone in my hometown that is. But any advice would be appreciated!

ahh ok gotcha.. no prob

**justin30513** · 06-12-2010, 06:02 PM

Update......

Doing a lot of vehicles and homes. The outside only special was the best thing ever for me. I`ve went from 25.00 to 35.00 with no problems at all. Customers are telling me it is one heckuva deal still......especially with SUV`s.

I`m doing 2 homes per week now at an average of 350.00 per home. ALL of this money is going into a dedicated account to pay for new equipment, advertising, and for the winter months. With the tools I have now, I can do a house in 4 hours by myself. Newer equipment and one employee would put it at 2.5 hours.....easily.

If you are already set up for mobile detailing....tank and pressure washer style....don`t worry if you`re looking at crossing over into "home detailing", don`t get bent out of shape about the equipment. Just make sure you have 100-150 feet of pressure hose and at least 100 feet of water hose. I use the customer`s water 90% of the time. They expect and that`s what the other guys do. Just put your money to advertising you new business. Tell ALL you detailing customers about your other services. You`ll be really happy you did when you can make 300+ dollars in 3-4 hours.

**GoingGreenDetailing** · 06-14-2010, 11:58 PM

Justin,

You are truly an inspiration. As a mobile detailer with a reputation, I have been poking my nose deeply on doing "home detailing", especially after seeing the true $$$ potential.

What type of pressure washer do you have? What kind of solution are you using to wash homes? If you feel more comfortable, PM me

Thanks for the extra inspiration!

Hugo

**g35_coupe** · 06-15-2010, 11:01 AM

Justin, inspirational thread and we`re all glad to see it worked out for you in your area. You`re sharing a wealth of knowledge and everyone is answering so many of my questions. A few more for you:

Are you using a canopy for your washes? If not, is ONR your main ingredient?

How is your business license/insurance set up?

How are your drying methods with truck beds?

How much would you say the basic wash compromises of your auto detailing business (excluding home cleaning)? 50, 80, 90 percent?