Autopians - Dress codes for detailers

DanoWatt said:
I wear a cape and a mask.
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Offtopic.. On day I was bored on the way back from a detail and I said to my partner "im going to make a comic with a super hero called Detailing man who has the power to buff" ... he called me a moron and that was the end of that discussion.
 
Here's what I think... Don't reinvent the wheel. I always liked to wear shirts with logos from my suppliers... Meguiars, Farecla, etc. It is nice to show off some of the product. I even put my company name on some of them along with the supplier/product name. As long as I and my staff were clean, neat, and professional, that was all that mattered. I think the person with his/her hands on the vehicles should dress one step below the level of client; and the people out front should dress at the same level as the client or one step above. After that, results will be the only thing they remember AFTER the job is done. Hope that helps.
 
thestingrayboys said:
Here's what I think... Don't reinvent the wheel. I always liked to wear shirts with logos from my suppliers... Meguiars, Farecla, etc. It is nice to show off some of the product. I even put my company name on some of them along with the supplier/product name. As long as I and my staff were clean, neat, and professional, that was all that mattered. I think the person with his/her hands on the vehicles should dress one step below the level of client; and the people out front should dress at the same level as the client or one step above. After that, results will be the only thing they remember AFTER the job is done. Hope that helps.
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I agree. It's been tough to find shirts from some product suppliers but worth it. I'm now looking into getting my logo put onto a polo shirt to wear when picking up and dropping off vehicles from the office buildings I detail for (I work out of my shop in my garage). Once I get there, I'm working indoors with the door closed, so it doesn't matter what I wear as far as "appearance" goes for the customer. Luckily my garage is now air conditioned so even in the middle of summer, I won't have a huge problem with heat. :xyxthumbs
 
I usually wear a supplier shirt over tight underarmor, pretty comfy in both hot and cold. Cargo shorts if its 75-80, tennis shorts above that, Carhartt pants if its gonna be cold (they're pretty water resistant).



As for footwear, either no shoes (hot) or Danner Ft. Lewis 10" boots (cold).



If I'm going out to quote or negotiate an account, its usually cargo shorts or carhartts plus a button-down shirt (no tie) I try to look professional, but not too formal, cause detailing is a blue-collar business at heart, IMHO.
 
I dress for comfort also.....I have a company that embroiders my polos, T shirts, sweatshirts,visors & caps.....The initial artwork and logo cost was expensive but now I get charged $11.00 per item...Here's an example..
 

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Terry said:
I dress for comfort also.....I have a company that embroiders my polos, T shirts, sweatshirts,visors & caps.....The initial artwork and logo cost was expensive but now I get charged $11.00 per item...Here's an example..
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Thats what mine looks like. I'll get some pictures when I pick up my new ones. :):D
 
pink one piece microfiber suit, the best way to go



i just wear a drifit white shirt khaki shorts, i have long shaggy hair so cant do much, annnnd also wear my dirty a$$ work boots. Wo0t!!
 
I got embroidered polos with my logo from www.queensboro.com some years back. At $10 each you can't go wrong. A little less for t-shirts, more for button-down. I never got the caps, but they look nice. Quality acceptable if not overwhelming, but they were practically disposable at that price.
 
JamesLA said:
I got embroidered polos with my logo from www.queensboro.com some years back. At $10 each you can't go wrong. A little less for t-shirts, more for button-down. I never got the caps, but they look nice. Quality acceptable if not overwhelming, but they were practically disposable at that price.
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:spot thanks for that link! Talk about good pricing deals! :2thumbs:
 
Another way to think about it: It's not as if spending $40 on four logo polo shirts is an added expense for your business. You were, hopefully, going to wear a shirt anyway while detailing. So if you can buy a shirt that promotes you and boosts your image just that much, for the same price you would pay at Target for a work shirt, why not? It's also 100% tax-deductible, which would be arguable for the Target shirt.
 
LOL! Them's some cheap a** shirts. :)



As a benchmark, the average embroidered shirt in my industry sells for about $27-$28-and that's @ 100 qty.



It's like anything else-you get what you pay for. That guy to me is the equivalent of the $30 'full detail' guys to you pros. But hey, if he's happy writing $40 orders, he can do it all day long and it won't bother me-we're not after the same business.
 
kompressornsc said:
LOL! Them's some cheap a** shirts. :)



As a benchmark, the average embroidered shirt in my industry sells for about $27-$28-and that's @ 100 qty.



It's like anything else-you get what you pay for. That guy to me is the equivalent of the $30 'full detail' guys to you pros. But hey, if he's happy writing $40 orders, he can do it all day long and it won't bother me-we're not after the same business.
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I don't disagree; but I figure since I don't wear the stuff all that often I might as well not spend quite that much on merchandising aparel.
 
Port Authority makes an awesome "Dri-fit" type of polo in their Sport Tek series. I have both black and white polos with my logo, and tee's with my logo and contact info. Graphic Stitch, Inc. did the embroidery and screen printing...and they turned out great! Polo's only came out to be about $28 and the tee's about $8-10 each. Well worth the investment as I've had many clients comment on the professional image I've created with not only the uniforms but my setup as a whole. I felt it was very important to project a consistent and professional image with all facets of the business, from letterhead and cards, to brochures and trailer, etc. It may cost a bit up front but the rewards in the long run far outweigh the initial investment. Good luck to all and happy detailing.



Matt Williams

Silver Lining Detail

www.silverliningdetail.com



P.S. the link to Graphic Stitch in case anyone's interested: http://www.graphicstitch.com
 
What I do, I wear a nice button up shirt and a tee shirt underneath, clean khaki shorts, and tennis shoes. After I greet the person and let em know what's goin on, I then pull off the button up shirt (and explain I'm not gonna let the buttons scratch the paint) and go from there.
 
we have a detail company that comes in and details cars on the lot while we're working. They have a very polished look about them and I think it puts some of the big wigs here at ease when it comes to someone touching their jags, high end benz' or carreras.



Keep in mind I'm in So. Cal. so they're always in shorts around here. They wear kahki shorts, or kahki cargo shorts with white tennis shoes and a navy blue polo shirt or navy blue t-shirt both have the detail company's logo silk screened on it. The logo is so small that you really don't notice it. They use aprons when machine polishing cars and Ive seen them slip on rubber boots for the wash. It's a pretty clean look, no pony tails, piercings, tats, ect.



I read earlier on in this post where someone mentions that it's the work you do not how you look. I beg to differ on this one. If you're filthy, covered in splattered polish, dirty tennis shoes or boots and i have a $90,000 benz that while it may be dirty looks like u may stain it even worse - you can be the best detailer in the western world I'm still going to have reservations. Image is important period. Hey if you're going to detail F150's and dodge rams then I say who cares? wear what you like. But if you aspire to detail high end cars (benz, bmw, porsche, lambos ect) then you better "look" like you know what you're doing.



That's my $0.02 worth based on my observations
 
I'm not a professional detailer, but I am a potential customer, (at least I was before I found this site) so I'll offer up my perspective:



1. If you're doing customer contact, a logo polo and no jeans is a minimum. If you're picking up a customer's car from a downtown location, let local business custom be your guide. When I worked in DC, you better not come into an attorney's office for his Jag without at least a blazer on. Here in Hawaii, an Aloha shirt and khakis are fine. Detailing is an image buisness, right? Much more so than lawn care, carpet cleaning, home repair, etc. Even with home repair, the guys who are really cleaning up are the franchised guys with a brand name people can trust, and they all wear uniforms. Think Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, mobile crews.



2. Logo T for anybody doing work in public, (mobile detailing, or parking lot detailing)where your employees are seen by the public and customer. If you have a shop that is mostly hidden from view, then nobody cares.



3. No jeans on anybody. Buttons and rivits scratch, a lot of your customers are going to know that.



4. Don't overdo it. Keep the logos tasteful, simple and uncluttered. Also, don't load up on the logo'd items. A shirt and visor are enough, I'm not looking for a NASCAR driver to come detail my car. And no ball caps. Ugh, ball caps.



5. Keep uniforms neat and in good repair. I will notice that torn greasy shirt. Mended would be okay, but stained, ripped and wrinkled is a no go.



6. Employees should be neat. Facial hair trimmed/shaved, long hair pulled back. Don't care about your appearance, won't care about my car's appearance.



7. Duh, make sure your own car or work-van is clean!
 
I'm not sure about you, but a person's appearance shouldn't be all you look at. When looking for a professional (in any profession), I say you should look for the quality of their work, not their overall appearance.



guy1138 said:
I'm not a professional detailer, but I am a potential customer, (at least I was before I found this site) so I'll offer up my perspective:



1. If you're doing customer contact, a logo polo and no jeans is a minimum. If you're picking up a customer's car from a downtown location, let local business custom be your guide. When I worked in DC, you better not come into an attorney's office for his Jag without at least a blazer on. Here in Hawaii, an Aloha shirt and khakis are fine. Detailing is an image buisness, right? Much more so than lawn care, carpet cleaning, home repair, etc. Even with home repair, the guys who are really cleaning up are the franchised guys with a brand name people can trust, and they all wear uniforms. Think Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, mobile crews.



2. Logo T for anybody doing work in public, (mobile detailing, or parking lot detailing)where your employees are seen by the public and customer. If you have a shop that is mostly hidden from view, then nobody cares.



3. No jeans on anybody. Buttons and rivits scratch, a lot of your customers are going to know that.



4. Don't overdo it. Keep the logos tasteful, simple and uncluttered. Also, don't load up on the logo'd items. A shirt and visor are enough, I'm not looking for a NASCAR driver to come detail my car. And no ball caps. Ugh, ball caps.



5. Keep uniforms neat and in good repair. I will notice that torn greasy shirt. Mended would be okay, but stained, ripped and wrinkled is a no go.



6. Employees should be neat. Facial hair trimmed/shaved, long hair pulled back. Don't care about your appearance, won't care about my car's appearance.



7. Duh, make sure your own car or work-van is clean!
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ScubaStevo said:
I'm not sure about you, but a person's appearance shouldn't be all you look at. When looking for a professional (in any profession), I say you should look for the quality of their work, not their overall appearance.
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I disagree. A good example are the roofers working on my neighbor's house. I would never hire them, and I've never even seen their work. Why? Becasue their clothes are filfthy (even before they start working) and their truck is a rusty, messy, unorganized POS. Becasue of these things, I assume that they do not care about the quality of thier work, would leave my yard / property a mess, and may or may not be around in 6 months if there is a problem.



Image is soooo important. The majority of my business is corporate clothing and in all seriousness, the appearance of employees can make or break a business based on a potential client's first impression. I wouldn't be driving a Mercedes if it didn't. :)
 
I guess it depends where you live. Here in Glasgow image is important to many people around the city.



If i was doing detailing properly I would wear a tastefully logo'd shirt, some semi smart trousers (Scotland isn't the warmest!!) and probably two pairs of sneeks. One for wash one for interior work. I normally move the car once I wash it so that I don't drag in the water from my shoes.



When i worked for a magazine, I just wore tracksuit bottoms and a soccer shirt. It was pretty warm so i just decided to wear what I wanted as I was not getting paid and it was my work that was being documented.
 
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