Cheap People Suck

mirrorfinishman said:
[quote name='RAG']



It is the people who truely have money such as the doctors, dentists, lawyers and owners of small businesses that you have to aim your marketing at.



Just because someone drives a Porsche, BMW, Mercedes or Lexus still does not mean they have money. The most successful marketing strategy will be aimed at people, not cars.
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Agreed. But at this particular location I cannot do any marketing, as part of my exclusivity agreement at this property is to not "solicit" business and pass out flyers...now if people come up to me, that's okay. So I can't do any "marketing" till they come up to me...and I just thought more people would do so. Not sure why, as I maintain a clean operation, have a professional looking truck, and look professional myself (crimeny, I probably have a higher education than most of these poeple, with two degrees from UCSB and 3/4 way through a Masters)...so I'm about as "approachable" as they get.



Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% booked - I just thought that when I landed this gig I'd get swarmed and have to hire someone to do the washing for me, but not quite there yet.



Thanks for all the feedback yall.
 
I think that it all comes down to the house rich/cash poor syndrome. They have a nice big house and expensive cars but little extra money.
 
RAG said:
Just a little peeve of mine...wondering if I'm in the majority here:



For living in a very expensive area, where the average house is nearly a million dollars, I can't believe how many cheap people there are. Personally, I think there is a time to bargin hunt and a time to pay for quality...getting your car detailed isn't a time to bargin hunt. Would you hire a group of misfits to build your house because they said they could save you $20,000? No, cause who can guess how many corners they'll be cutting. It just baffles me on how many people don't want to pay more than $150 for a complete detail - go to the car wash and get your detail...we all know what kind of work you'll get there for your "discount special" detail. Fortunately I'm in a place where I can carefully steer these people elsewhere, but this wasn't always the case.



In detailing, as with most other service-related areas, cheap people cost themselves money by not having it done right the first time.





My other peeve is how 95% of people don't give a crap about their vehicles, letting them go to hell. In fact, I think less than 1% of vehicles on the road today are swirl-free. This one another day...
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I agree. I'm appalled at the look on some people's faces when I tell them the price and to add, how long it will take to do make their "grey and crusty black" F355 soft top black again.. :D
 
truzoom said:
I'd sure like to meet someone that can maintain a swirl free daily driver.. and then I'd like to see their machine that can slow down time. :)
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I have a white 05 Tundra DC that is my daily driver and swirl free :up, which I plan on keeping that way. It looks flawless in any type of light (direct sunlight, 1000 watt hallogen, etc..)
 
xtremeclean said:
I have a white 05 Tundra DC that is my daily driver and swirl free :up, which I plan on keeping that way. It looks flawless in direct any type of light (direct sunlight, 1000 watt hallogen, etc..)
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yeah, but your an autopian. so you don't fall in that category.
 
RAG said:
This is exactly what I do. I was against the wash-only deal at first, but it has been generating a ton of details. Basically I just can't believe more people would want to use my washing services (it's a giant business complex I've been given exclusive rights to) - it isn't like I'm gouging them...I'm only charging $25 (for a proper wash of course).
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RAG, can you share with us how do you get exclusive rights at office complex?



Also, about the $25 wash.......How much do you charge for mini-vans, SUVs?



Thanks.
 
RAG said:
Like me. But seriously, this place is loaded with porches, BMWs, Mercedes', Lexus', etc. Loaded.
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Could be they are overextended too. I had a friend in college that just had to have a Porsche even though it meant he had to live in a crappy, poorly furnished apartment.



I think Frank is right that our core market are professional people. Small business owners, salespeople, doctors, lawyers and such. People who know that to project a professional image doesn't come cheap or mean cutting corners.
 
Five Star said:
yeah, but your an autopian. so you don't fall in that category.
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yeah I guess I would have to agree with you on that one.



While I was at the Toyota dealeship yesterday their detail manager brought a car up to be delivered. I stood their and watched him "go over the car" with a dirty shop rag to make sure that it was clean and I almost asked him why he was using that rag to wipe down everything with, but bit my tongue and kept to myself. Once he finished, he was saying how good the car looked and I was thinking to myself it would look a lot better if it was done right. He induced the dealer installed swirl option. I actualy felt sorry for the new owners.
 
opass said:
RAG, can you share with us how do you get exclusive rights at office complex?



Also, about the $25 wash.......How much do you charge for mini-vans, SUVs?



Thanks.
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Just luck. The owner of a property management company (runs/owns) the complex found me detailing at a neighbors (who is a regular). Apparently the neighbor told them that I am the best he's seen and am 100% reliable. She (property manager) called me and asked how much insurance I have (2 mil). Okay, would you be willing to come wash a group of vehicles twice a month. Yes, I said. And now I'm there washing and detailing at least a couple days per week. And if any other detailers show up, they kick them off (so I'm told).



When/if I hire somebody, I'm going to have them turn me on to some other complexes they run. Good gig.
 
You could differentiate between Express $10 wash + add-ons = avg. $18

or

Executive $25 wash and light wax up to one panel as needed

or

Corner Office $45 wash and 3 panel wax
 
You could differentiate between Express $10 wash + add-ons = avg. $18

or

Executive $25 wash and light wax up to one panel as needed

or

Corner Office $45 wash and 3 panel wax
 
DuMouixe said:
offer the lower priced wash once the demand is there and you can take on an extra hand to fill the demand.
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Yeah, but the price doesn't seem to ge the issue at all - about 80-90% of the people who have asked me my price are now regular wash customers...and the majority give me a $5 tip, making it a little more worth my while. I just can't believe more people haven't asked...like they have a better option for getting their car washed, but I know they don't...and very very few people around here wash their own cars; it's a rare sight. I actually now think people are just stuck in a rut of taking their car to the local scratch tub.
 
Sure does not help when the average home price in my area is $400,000. On top of that, the market is 38.3 percent overvalued when income and such is taken into consideration. No wonder people are tight with their money. RAG, your area is probably worse though, considering you are in CA.
 
truzoom said:
I'd sure like to meet someone that can maintain a swirl free daily driver.. and then I'd like to see their machine that can slow down time. :)
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You rang? My car is swirl free. It has a few small scratches that I am not willing to go further to correct but it is swirl free and driven daily.
 
I figure for many it's bang for the buck. They can spend $200 for a full detail or they can pay someone $75 for a simple wash, wax, interior cleaning and $25 for 5 bi weekly washes. Same $200 but one stays clean for a week or two, the other 3 months. To maintain a daily driver in top shape is going to take quite a lot of time. The cost at a consumer level would be insane for most. They may not be cheap or not have the money, they may just choose not to spend it that way. Then again they could be cheap. Some don't place enough value on perfection to justify opening the wallet. I do this for a living and my 4 vehicles are far from perfect. They are clean but won't be winning any awards. I lack the time to keep them any cleaner and if I had the time, it's not how I'd be spending it.
 
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