How to get an account from dealerships, auto body, etc???

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pinoyheat551

New member
How do i get an account with a dealership or etc? So far, i am planning on going into dealerships and give them a brochure of my services. Now, should i "under-cut" the pricing since it is a dealership account or do i set the price the same as in "store?" I'm just worried that if i give out a discount to wholesale and i would not look as credible to the average consumer since i will be charging a higher price for them. What do you guys think?
 
umm, if its used dealerships then of course cut price if you don't, you wont get an accounts... they want cheap and good but its defiantly good money. hire a good people that will work hard and teach them by your standards then just supervise them while you do expensive paint corrections. But its a good thing if you have worked somewhere similar to what you want to open because you have to know what you have to do, yeah even for dealers.
 
dealer giving you 10 cars a week vs retail at 1 car, maybe 2 cars total in 6 months...not too hard to see why you would give the dealer a discount. Plus, the type of work should dictate a different rate as well...(most dealers want clean and shiny, while retail want clean and paint correction, at least for me)



I would like to take on some dealer accounts coming up...going to get one thing going at a time though!
 
pinoyheat551: I'm not trying to be rude, but do you even know how to detail ? I ask because I saw what you wrote in the chat box, and am just wondering if that meant you were looking just for advice on the "running the business" end, or if you didn't know how to detail.
 
Insite into being a great dealership contractor is to know how to do everything fast and efficient.



Odor, tar, stains, dog hair, tree sap, scratches, stone chips, engines, glass, etc. And still make money.



Everyday you might encounter a different problem that has to be addressed, solved usually through experience, but the internet is your friend.
 
pinoyheat551 said:
How do i get an account with a dealership or etc? So far, i am planning on going into dealerships and give them a brochure of my services. Now, should i "under-cut" the pricing since it is a dealership account or do i set the price the same as in "store?" I'm just worried that if i give out a discount to wholesale and i would not look as credible to the average consumer since i will be charging a higher price for them. What do you guys think?
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Before approaching a dealer I strongly suggest you understand and are able to perform all the facets of both detailing & reconditioning as this knowledge will be required daily. Once this is accomplished learn, study and watch not only your immediate competition, but your potential dealer accounts as well. Walk their lot after hours and inspect how the vehicles are currently being repaired. Use any inconsistencies and incompetency’s to your advantage when trying to explain how your service is advantageous to their current regiment. Avoid brochures all together and let your work do the talking. The standard thing is to offer to detail a car (or 2 or 3 etc) for free to see how great you are. Do them better, faster and cheaper than the current shop and you stand a much greater chance of gaining a try at a new account. Oh, before even thinking about walking into a dealer, make sure you are fully insured and have the staff in place to tackle this potential new found business.
 
Good advice from David. Personally I hated working for used car dealers, but they did bring in a steady flow of cars, which is key during the winter months.





They want the cars done cheap and fast! If the car is not on their lot then they can't sell it.
 
Rasky,



I am also dealing with the snow like yourself. How did you transport the vehicles after detailing? The reason i am asking this is that once you detail a car, the moment you get on the road, it gets dirty again when it is snowing. So, do you have your own trailer or towing truck?
 
pinoyheat551 said:
Rasky,



I am also dealing with the snow like yourself. How did you transport the vehicles after detailing? The reason i am asking this is that once you detail a car, the moment you get on the road, it gets dirty again when it is snowing. So, do you have your own trailer or towing truck?
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Nope. The dealers simply understood it's just part of living in MN and having cars detailed off site. We tried to be on a drop one off pick one up type of system, otherwise we just shuttled 3-4 guys over to pick them up and/or drive them back. Running cars to the auction or back to dealers was typically part of the daily job, though we tried to use dedicated runners as much as possible. (old guys)



We would often take a spray bottle with a quick detailer to touch up the car if it was just minor stuff.
 
pinoyheat551 said:
Rasky,



I am also dealing with the snow like yourself. How did you transport the vehicles after detailing? The reason i am asking this is that once you detail a car, the moment you get on the road, it gets dirty again when it is snowing. So, do you have your own trailer or towing truck?
Click to expand...



They'll either wait til the roads dry up (smaller dealers) or they could care less if it's snowing or raining to get their vehicles back. If it's not on the lot they can't sell it. Make sure to put a towel down on the driver's floor so you don't get the carpet dirty. Depending on the job, you could try bringing a waterless wash with you to do a wipedown when you get there.
 
Yeah.....we didn't have ONR back when I was doing high volume, so that would be a good product to have in a spray bottle.





Good tip on the towel too David. We used the coated paper matts that were pretty much water proof so when it was snowing/raining towels worked better.
 
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