Bidding for a job!!

U

uniquedetailing

New member
I got a call today from a company that works out of the local airport, The business is a rental car place. They just recently won a bid to transport the VP's of Eastman Chemical, well the lady contacted me and said she wants the cars looking sharpe, they have 25 cars, 3 limos and 2 stretched limos, they want them all detailing inside and out once a month and there contracts for three years.



Firstly im going to meet with this lady next Tuesday, i need some ideas how to present my business and show her what i can do.



Im thinking maybe a brochure, power point, picture slide show?????



Then pricing its bristol va so you cant go crazy but i have no idea how you would price these, i dont know if i could see full corrections on at least the limos???



if any fellow autopians have been through the same thing can they shed some light on the subject.



Thanks in advance
 
sounds like dealer work/ account. treat them as dealer.

before u take the job inspect the car , see what they want , what budget are they looking at , and do your math ( time to complete the job, materials used , helper , your ?$$/h )

ideal would be at least a claybar/ light polish on whole cars and after that just a regular wash/wax job as maintenance.

even without full correction the cars will look 99% better than what u see everyday around town.

your sales skills will be tested that`s for sure...good luck

Cosmin
 
like cosmintx said "treat them as a dealer".....dont look to get rich off of 1 car, your gunna make your money in bulk with these accounts. i had a similar account and they dont car much for paint corrections, they just want the cars/limos to be clean. i suggest using a less expensive products on these accounts so that you have more room for profit. for example p&s, megs nxt, and some OTC stuff.



i also suggest a small slide show, showing all your work and even some 50/50 shots just incase they want a correction on a certain car. wear your company shirt and smell good, especially if your going to meet with a female. light humor also works, if you can make them feel comfortable with you, then the contract is yours!
 
Ill have to bring out the heavy English accent lol, I think that'll be a good idea small slide show, There's only cowboys and hacks around me so im sure if i look professional and show of some work, i was even thinking of doing a test piece or even doing one car so she can see the standard
 
i will be more focus on the base of the "account" than doing any test.

ask a lot of questions first so u know what to expect.

ask if are garage or not , how many miles are get / car as average in one month , ( highway/country- take bugs in consideration)

try get them into a claybar treatment once in 6 months at least. ( there u should do a test and explain the benefit and the protection may hold better)

take notes , u charge each car or flat price or by hour , if flat price make sure both sides know what will be included, if u charge by each car than they need to know what to expect when stain or bugs are involved, if u charge by hour than give them an raw estimate /car so they know ...

if u sign anything read it twice!

if u look into long term than better set everything up-front. that way they don`t get surprises neither u.

Cosmin
 
I worked in the rental car industry for 8 years (4 years as a fleet manager) so I kind of know the industry. When I was running a fleet the most important thing was maximizing a cars utilization and limiting downtime. If a car gets a shampoo and is wet for a day that is day that it can not be rented...steam cleaning might be a feature to sell because the interior would be dry within an hour. Find out when there busy time of the week/month is and work your schedule to accommodate their cars during the slow times. Maybe working some evenings would help in minimizing the vehicles downtime. I would be surprised if they care about correction work...they just want the cars to look good outside and SMELL good without any obnoxious fragrances. Get an AIO heavy on fillers for 99% of the vehicle and offer spot repairs of deeper scratches.



I recently picked up an account for about 45 vehicles. 8 for bi-weekly wash & vac, and the rest for a full interior and an AIO exterior detail 1 or 2 times a year. After getting the job I asked the guy why he picked me. He said my pricing was competitive, but more than anything he liked that everything from my emails to phone messages, and the actual bid itself were professional and clean. Highlight what makes you different from the next guy without bashing the competitors.
 
megs 80 and something like megs liquid wax would be ideal in your situation IF you land the gig.



I would ask this first, HOW did you get in contact with this person? As in, did she find you, or you find her? If she found you, how? If you came highly recommended, I would feel comfortable paying you a little more. if it was a google search, you might have to be average in the pricing.



its a good gig to have a full time employee maintaining the cars while you work on the higher $ stuff IMO.
 
Don't go to the first meeting with pricing in mind. Make it about them and what you will bring to the table (skills) to benefit them. Figure out what sets you apart from the cowboys besides your accent. When they realize that "this is our guy, we need him!" Then price is not an issue.
 
Nothing wins someone over like showing them the quality of work you have done. Also if you have done some work for some big clients that always helps. Ask her, if you don't already, for her e-mail...have one of your better clients e-mail a reference saying what great work you've done. Etc. Do you have tax id number and what not? I did a big job for a hotel and they wanted my w9. Make sure you're legally prepared etc. Best of luck and keep us updated. Also, are you insured? Gotta have your *** covered!
 
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