Actual Product Cost??

[Beemerboy]

On another site a detailer was talking about using Megs as his regular detail line...and if someone wanted a higher end finish..then he used products like Swissvax, Zymol, etc...that was at a additional cost.

I understand what product costs are in detailing but really they are very small IMO...What I find that someone is buying in detailing is labor and lets hope experience!

If you do some simple math on paste wax, as an example...here is how I see it.

Paste wax costing

$75.00 and you do 30 cars...that's $2.5 a car

$30.00 and you do 30 cars...that's $1.00 a car

So I guess if you use the $75 paste wax you should add what?

My point to this guy was charge what you need to get on a detail and use the best products that you can afford...don't offer a menu of items, its confusing to the average person that can't tell polish from wax

 

[jaybs02]

On that thought, what makes the difference between an $8 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle of wine. Both require soil, water, attention and so on, the cost to the grower will be the same.
Some people out there wouldn't know the difference between a fine wine and a glass of Boone's farm but yet they will plunk down the money because they believe that it is better.

Also there is markup, when you get your car repaired at a shop look at the price for a part it is most likely 10+% higher than you would pay at an auto parts store and I will bet that they are getting a discount on it as well, so they are making it on both ends.

Face it that Bud that costs you $5 at a bar you can pick up at the supermarket for $6 for an entire 6-pack. But yet we don't try to to bargain with the barkeep.

 

[JaredPointer]

It's called up-selling. And if he can do it, more power to him. I bet the guy that spends $150K on the BMW could have got one (a different BMW) for much less. I mean, after all, it is just a car that will get him from point a to point b, right? Same thing with a wax. All it does is offer a sacrificial layer of protection for the paint. It makes some folks feel better to pay a higher price to get that brand identity.

 

[clone]

:dcrulestha clone has a competitor here in town. who has a menu that looks like a chinese resturant. this guy is obviously pulling a scam. as tha clone can do simple mathamatics, this guy should be charging $1.50 more per car.(hardly worth adding confusion:wall:wall:wall):dcrules

 

[clone]

It's called up-selling. And if he can do it, more power to him. I bet the guy that spends $150K on the BMW could have got one (a different BMW) for much less. I mean, after all, it is just a car that will get him from point a to point b, right? Same thing with a wax. All it does is offer a sacrificial layer of protection for the paint. It makes some folks feel better to pay a higher price to get that brand identity.

:dcrulesjared,jared,jared i would expect an answer like this from you(tha man who wrote "101 ways to jam home depot on returns):rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:wall:wall:rofl:rofl:rofl:dcrules i guess if you can talk tha smack, and can sleep easy at nite, and have dumba** clients go for it . just makes me look better when client reaches my doorstep.:dcrules

 

[JaredPointer]

:dcrulesjared,jared,jared i would expect an answer like this from you(tha man who wrote "101 ways to jam home depot on returns):rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:wall:wall:rofl:rofl:rofl:dcrules i guess if you can talk tha smack, and can sleep easy at nite, and have dumba** clients go for it . just makes me look better when client reaches my doorstep.:dcrules

Hey man, it's not my fault you don't understand basic business. Or spelling. Or grammar.

 

[jaybs02]

:dcrulesjared,jared,jared i would expect an answer like this from you(tha man who wrote "101 ways to jam home depot on returns):rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:wall:wall:rofl:rofl:rofl:dcrules i guess if you can talk tha smack, and can sleep easy at nite, and have dumba** clients go for it . just makes me look better when client reaches my doorstep.:dcrules

It's called a business practice, nothing wrong with trying to sell someone a better product for an increased price. It's done on a regular basis and is the sign of a good salesman.
I am more concerned with the person who is only looking for cheap, because he will hold no loyalty to you and run to the guy who will undercut you by a dollar.

 

[clone]

It's called a business practice, nothing wrong with trying to sell someone a better product for an increased price. It's done on a regular basis and is the sign of a good salesman.
I am more concerned with the person who is only looking for cheap, because he will hold no loyalty to you and run to the guy who will undercut you by a dollar.

tha words clone & cheap should never be used in the same sentence. just as tha clone & mrs.clone went for dinner last nite the total bill was like $60.tha clones tip $30 (thats 50%) tha clone may not know how 2 spell. but tha clone knows how to bring home tha bank also tha clone always tips right after i order dinner. try it sometime tha clone finds waiters & waitresses knocking each other down when they see tha clone mobile roll in.:dcrules

 

[Pander5]

I did a very specific cost breakdown about 6 months ago and it was very eye opening. When I say very specific I mean I considered every possible item I would use in a full interior/exterior detail including use of water, electricity, etc. In addition to the obvious product costs (like .75 ounces of M105 = x) I estimated the life of my pads, machines, etc. and factored in the per job depreciated amount for those items. All of this went into a spreadsheet and I can then select the products used for that job and see from there.

This was just to give me an idea of the TOTAL cost of a detail. I then factored in my hourly rate to derive an idea for the customer cost. This was just an exercise to try to fine tune cost recovery + labor rate.

 

[JaredPointer]

I did a very specific cost breakdown about 6 months ago and it was very eye opening. When I say very specific I mean I considered every possible item I would use in a full interior/exterior detail including use of water, electricity, etc. In addition to the obvious product costs (like .75 ounces of M105 = x) I estimated the life of my pads, machines, etc. and factored in the per job depreciated amount for those items. All of this went into a spreadsheet and I can then select the products used for that job and see from there.

This was just to give me an idea of the TOTAL cost of a detail. I then factored in my hourly rate to derive an idea for the customer cost. This was just an exercise to try to fine tune cost recovery + labor rate.

Lots of successful companies do exactly what you did. Cost breakdowns to the nut and washer. Did you find out you should be charging more?

 

[clone]

I did a very specific cost breakdown about 6 months ago and it was very eye opening. When I say very specific I mean I considered every possible item I would use in a full interior/exterior detail including use of water, electricity, etc. In addition to the obvious product costs (like .75 ounces of M105 = x) I estimated the life of my pads, machines, etc. and factored in the per job depreciated amount for those items. All of this went into a spreadsheet and I can then select the products used for that job and see from there.

This was just to give me an idea of the TOTAL cost of a detail. I then factored in my hourly rate to derive an idea for the customer cost. This was just an exercise to try to fine tune cost recovery + labor rate.

:dcrules soooo. whadya come up with(price per car $$$ wise):dcrules

 

[Bunky]

How a detailer prices their services is their own choice. It is free enterprise.

It is a standard practice to mark up extra services more than the value of what extra service. You attract them with a low price to get in the door (on the lot, in the store, etc) and then try to sell them higher profit services. I think it is especially true in a service industry like detailer where experience/skill is less appreciated. A clean car for $25 vs a clean car for $50.

Some may think this is "bad" but it is often driven by the pyschology of buying...often filled more emotion rather than fact. That is, the more straight forward pricer may not always be rewarded by business success. They may have some moral satisfaction but that does not always generate profits to stay in business.

 

[Bunky]

This was just to give me an idea of the TOTAL cost of a detail. I then factored in my hourly rate to derive an idea for the customer cost. This was just an exercise to try to fine tune cost recovery + labor rate.

I think people would be very surprised if they truly accounted for their time and expenses and tried to run it as a true business. The lower cost guys (especially those doing as a side effort) are not covering their expenses in the long term.

 

[clone]

How a detailer prices their services is their own choice. It is free enterprise.

It is a standard practice to mark up extra services more than the value of what extra service. You attract them with a low price to get in the door (on the lot, in the store, etc) and then try to sell them higher profit services. I think it is especially true in a service industry like detailer where experience/skill is less appreciated. A clean car for $25 vs a clean car for $50.

Some may think this is "bad" but it is often driven by the pyschology of buying...often filled more emotion rather than fact. That is, the more straight forward pricer may not always be rewarded by business success. They may have some moral satisfaction but that does not always generate profits to stay in business.

:dcrules workz 4 tha clone.(keeping it simple):dcrules

 

[tmacsad]

:dcrules workz 4 tha clone.(keeping it simple):cool::dcrules

Practice what you preach ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Troy@Protekt]

On that thought, what makes the difference between an $8 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle of wine. Both require soil, water, attention and so on, the cost to the grower will be the same.
Some people out there wouldn't know the difference between a fine wine and a glass of Boone's farm but yet they will plunk down the money because they believe that it is better.

Also there is markup, when you get your car repaired at a shop look at the price for a part it is most likely 10+% higher than you would pay at an auto parts store and I will bet that they are getting a discount on it as well, so they are making it on both ends.

Face it that Bud that costs you $5 at a bar you can pick up at the supermarket for $6 for an entire 6-pack. But yet we don't try to to bargain with the barkeep.

Do some companies place more monetary value on there products than others of equal quality? Yes and I think that's the main issue here. That's why product reviews can be valuable but they are only valuable if you trust the source of the review.

I believe there is more cost involved with an aged bottle of wine over a new bottle just as I think you should pay more for that Bud at a bar than you do at a grocery store. How much more? There in lies the dilemna for the consumer.

I buy store brand products at the grocery store a lot of times and save myself the expense of paying for celebrity endorsements and high priced marketing campaigns. This is not always the case though, many times the store brand isn't near as good as the name brand.

Most of us don't like over paying for things, but the true value of anything is all in what people are willing to pay for it.

 

[tmacsad]

tha words clone & cheap should never be used in the same sentence.

Did you get a DIGITAL camera @ wallyland, while you were displaying your razor like reflexes to retrieve that nickle You said you don't have one.... last time THA T-Mac checked you could pick one up for $20.00. :wow:

 

[elk42]

It's called up-selling. And if he can do it, more power to him. I bet the guy that spends $150K on the BMW could have got one (a different BMW) for much less. I mean, after all, it is just a car that will get him from point a to point b, right? Same thing with a wax. All it does is offer a sacrificial layer of protection for the paint. It makes some folks feel better to pay a higher price to get that brand identity.

Easy Jared. Dont be messing with us BMW owners!:gotcha:

 

[Troy@Protekt]

It's called up-selling. And if he can do it, more power to him. I bet the guy that spends $150K on the BMW could have got one (a different BMW) for much less. I mean, after all, it is just a car that will get him from point a to point b, right? Same thing with a wax. All it does is offer a sacrificial layer of protection for the paint. It makes some folks feel better to pay a higher price to get that brand identity.

Your comments on wax comes across to me like you think they are all the same (or do the same thing) just with different price tags. If that's what you are saying than I disagree. There are lots of criteria to measure a wax from being bad, good, better, best and most of the time the price will reflect that. It's not just brand identity people are willing to pay more for.

 

[Poorboy]

Your comments on wax comes across to me like you think they are all the same (or do the same thing) just with different price tags. If that's what you are saying than I disagree. There are lots of criteria to measure a wax from being bad, good, better, best and most of the time the price will reflect that. It's not just brand identity people are willing to pay more for.

and wines are the same