how did you get started??

okay ive found myself out of work..the body shop i worked in as a painter closed down :(



ive always enjoyed detailing cars and get plenty of comments about my own vehicles. now i guess your going to say you started out doing cars for freinds and family?? well my friends/family fall into two groups they either couldnt care less what their car looks like or would pay more than the price of a bigmac for a detail job



i considered getting some cards made and placing them on suitable looking cars, but then if its a stranger id need insurance etc right?



any ideas...i dont really feel people in my area want to pay good money for quality work :sosad
 
steveo3002 said:
i dont really feel people in my area want to pay god money for quality work :sosad

Welcome to my world! I don't know how mnay times I have heard something to this effect, "I can go down to Joe Smoes and get my car detailed for $99.95." I get this stuff all the time. I had my cousins grandpa want a job a few months back. He had a big black F350 and said I was too high. It was actually under $200 for the entire thing polished and waxed because I was doing him a favor. Anyway, he goes to the kid across the street and after two car washes all the glaze he used was off and the truck was swirled again. Oh well, next time he calls there won't be any favors and he can pay my full prices, which are too low anyway but in this area nobody will pay it. The best thing to do, if you live in an area like me, is start off low and gradually increase your prices as time goes on. Once they get a taste of your work they will be back and won't mind paying more. That is my opinion anyway. Also you might want to look into setting up as a mobile detailer so they don't have to come to you.
 
steveo3002 said:
but how low can you charge?? id figure someone was trying to rip me off if the prices kept going up everytime!

its just getting the ball rolling huh?

I guess the best thing to do is call around and see what other places are charging and what they do and use and then go from there. i know a lot of autopians will cringe when they read this next part but maybe you offer cheaper services like just use a cleaner wax or just a wax and not a whole polish. That is another thing in my area...People don't seem to care if their cars get polished and swirl free as long as they shine a little more and come out cleaner then when they brought them. Not that I am saying do a half a$$ed job or anything, just maybe you don't need to offer some top of the line services. Heck, most of my customers are happy to pay me $40 to wash their car and throw on a coat of wax!
 
kgb said:
The best thing to do, if you live in an area like me, is start off low and gradually increase your prices as time goes on. Once they get a taste of your work they will be back and won't mind paying more. That is my opinion anyway.



I would recommend starting off with a high price and then adjusting the price downward depending on the condition of the vehicle and how often the customer continues to get the vehicle detailed.



I don't think it makes very good business sense to start off low and then gradually increase your price. There aren't too many customers out there who will be willing to continue to do business with you if you constantly keep raising your prices.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
I would recommend starting off with a high price and then adjusting the price downward depending on the condition of the vehicle and how often the customer continues to get the vehicle detailed.

I don't think it makes very good business sense to start off low and then gradually increase your price. There aren't too many customers out there who will be willing to continue to do business with you if you constantly keep raising your prices.

I don't know too many businesses that lower there prices over the years to be honest.
 
kgb said:
I don't know too many businesses that lower there prices over the years to be honest.



Did you ever hear of WAL-MART? They are constantly lowering their prices and they are the number one retailer in the USA.



Actually, I'm talking about going out there and quoting a high price, such as a List Price and then depending on the customer, the condition of the vehicle and how frequently that customer is getting their vehicle detailed, adjusting the price slightly downward so that their price now becomes a Discount Price.



For example, if you have a customer who gets their car detailed four times a year, that vehicle is going to be a heck of a lot easier to detail compared to someone you only see every few years. Timewise, it's going to take a lot less time to detail a car that is taken care of four times a year. Basically, all you're doing is adjusting your price downward a bit in an attempt to reward your customer for having their car detailed so frequently. And since the car takes less time to detail, you're still making the same set hourly rate.



On the other side, if you start out with your prices low and then try to increase your prices just because you think the customer is willing to pay more money because you do good work, better think again. The customer is usually smart enough to figure out that if you were willing to work for the lower rate, then you're really only trying to take advantage of them by raising your prices.



Let's face it, most customers usually understand a price incease every once in a while when they can equate that price increase to the fact that it is costing you more to operate your business.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Did you ever hear of WAL-MART? They are constantly lowering their prices and they are the number one retailer in the USA.



Actually, I'm talking about going out there and quoting a high price, such as a List Price and then depending on the customer, the condition of the vehicle and how frequently that customer is getting their vehicle detailed, adjusting the price slightly downward so that their price now becomes a Discount Price.



For example, if you have a customer who gets their car detailed four times a year, that vehicle is going to be a heck of a lot easier to detail compared to someone you only see every few years. Timewise, it's going to take a lot less time to detail a car that is taken care of four times a year. Basically, all you're doing is adjusting your price downward a bit in an attempt to reward your customer for having their car detailed so frequently. And since the car takes less time to detail, you're still making the same set hourly rate.



On the other side, if you start out with your prices low and then try to increase your prices just because you think the customer is willing to pay more money because you do good work, better think again. The customer is usually smart enough to figure out that if you were willing to work for the lower rate, then you're really only trying to take advantage of them by raising your prices.



Let's face it, most customers usually understand a price incease every once in a while when they can equate that price increase to the fact that it is costing you more to operate your business.



YES !!! It’s better to negotiate from a high price then it is a low price.
 
steveo3002 said:
how did you get started??



I started my own detailing business in 1986 while I was working as Quality Assurance Manager for a car wash manufacturing firm. During that time two things happened that got me to thinking about starting a detailing business. 1- I began to realize there was a growing need for specialized automobile detailing services that could be done at the customer’s location. 2- I also began to realize that I could earn extra income doing something that I really enjoy. I always liked to keep my own cars cleaned, polished and waxed. That was something I had learned from my Dad. He always liked to keep his cars clean and that’s why it was only natural for me to start-up my own car detailing business.



Over the years, my experience, quality methods and marketing knowledge have led to the growth and success of my business. My mission statement has always remained the same and it is rather unique compared to most detailing businesses. That’s because all of the cleaning, polishing and waxing is done only by hand and all of the work is done only at the customer’s location.
 
Frank is absolutely right. I quote the high end price and then once I look over the vehicle, I can adjust it downward a little of the condition is better than expected.
 
That's how I do pricing as well. My prices are always listed at the highest they ever will be, but I'll run promotions so that if you have an interior and exterior detail combined, I'll knock £50 off the price, or I'll do seasonal promotions where I knock 15% off everything etc.



People like to think they're getting a deal whether they are or not. If you want to charge $200 for your service it's much better to quote $240 and knock it down, than it is to originally charge $160 and gradually push it up to $200.



I kind of fell into detailing really. Like Frank, I had a reputation in the area for always having well maintained cars. One day I got a call from a friend asking if he knew any good detailers in the area. The only one I knew of was a Zymol detailer that charged a minimum of £275 for an exterior only detail with no paint correction. I knew my friend wouldn't pay those prices so I said I'd go and do it for him. I charged him £50 for an exterior detail and thought noting more of it. The next evening I got a call from his boss who'd seen his car in the car park and now wanted his doing, and the rest, as they say, is history - the business just snowballed from there. As of yet all of my business has come via word-of-mouth, but when I've moved (hopefully in the next month or so), I'll be starting a major marketing campaign.



Ben
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Did you ever hear of WAL-MART? They are constantly lowering their prices and they are the number one retailer in the USA.



Agreed. To further demonstrate Frank’s point, Target’s business model (genius) is to up sell the customer on quality, high ticket items. When related to auto detailing, the proof is in the pudding.



I started with two, strict (but wonderful) German parents, and a garage filled with fine autos :xyxthumbs



My childhood weekly chore quickly became a lucrative side-job in middle/high school. I owned the neighborhood's detailing jobs. In college, money was good. I never had a $5/hour fast food job, set my own hours, and plenty of time to study. As I rounded out college and took hold of my professional career, it seemed natural to continue detailing on the side. As luck would have it, I haven’t stopped since :dance
 
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