I have a dilemma... please help

I

imported_topnotch

New member
This weekend I have a few cars to detail, I am a part time business (I work weekends and 1 late night a week) and have very little help for this matter. The help that I do have my brother and cousin are both leaving for college this week thus leaving me with 4 details on Saterday to do on my own. Here is the question. My finacee offerred to help, she has detailed cars with me before but not a customers car. She is great for interior work(very detail oriented, and she actually browses this site from time to time). Would it look bad image wise to have a girl come with me on a mobile detail? Would this take away from people taking me serious? At first I laughed at her when she said that she would come but as the week goes by and I am getting very run down I am starting to consider her. Please help me and let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance for any help. I know I have not been around for a while but its because my primary job has becoming much more demanding lately and detailing has consumed whatever free time I had left.
 
I don't see how having a woman working with you could give you a bad image. By the looks of it you have 2 choices. One is to take her (you already said she was good) and get the work done or do 4 cars by yourself. I know what I would do.



James
 
I would not think it myself that its a bad thing to bring her, but here in NY I deal with a great deal of snobs and I want to be taken seriously. I think thats my concern (and prior post does not detail this). I have clients in very affluent areas and all they look at is how I am dressed, my car/suv, and other materialistic things. Some may think that detailing is not a girls job and I don't think that personally. I guess I am looking for the communities support.
 
topnotch said:
...Would it look bad image wise to have a girl come with me on a mobile detail?...
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Hmm, a plethora of terribly sexist and socially unacceptable images just ran through my head... :o



Errr.. anyway, back to business.



As long as both of you present yourselves to the customer as a professional and cohesive team (both behaviorally and visually) you've got nothing to worry about.





PC.
 
I not only think you should take your gf with you, but I also think you should charge more especially if your male clients want to watch.
 
4 details if they are full isnt happening with her or without her, but as long as she is good at the job not need to worry about her being a girl.
 
well all 4 details are not in 1 day. I have 1 on friday and 3 on Saterday. I feel a lot more comfortable now taking her. Honestly she does a really good job or else I would not even consider her, she is always handling my scheduling and accounting so I guess it was a matter of time until I took her out in the field with me. She has been asking for so long. And PC I am not sexist in anyway, but I do admit my choice of wording was poor in my first post (due to rushing it because I am at work) and I apologize if I mistakenly insulted anyone. Thanks again for your all your opinions.
 
I had a similar dilemma to this a while back. Earlier in the summer before I moved to my new shop, a friend of mine (a chick) was so bored that she wanted to work for me. After I showed her the ropes she became *very* good at it. When I moved to my new shop (I rent out 2.5 bays from a big used car dealership, and inside my garage there is also a mechanic with 2 bays and a tranny shop with 4 bays) I was worried that the guys would think I was bringing a woman into a "man's domain" (note that I personally didn't care) so I didn't use her for the longest time. Long story short, I missed out on much better help because of that. Like the other pc said, if you both present yourselves professionally and work well, everything will go fine.
 
Don't feel awkward at all. My wife comes out with me alot on jobs. I see nothing wrong with a woman working in this industry and neither does she. Similar to your situation, she is a pro with the interior work, which is why I love it when she comes out (I hate interiors :D ). She'll only be going out with me until maybe around the fall, and I'll then be doing it myself. On the other hand, business is really picking up tremendously and I may have to start hiring some help.
 
When you hire a plumber or electrician and he comes with his helpers, do you think less of him?? Of course not. I say bring her along. It sounds like you need her help, and if she's willing to give it, you are a very lucky man. The only time I can get my fiance to help detail is if it's on her own car, and then she just magically disappears. :think:
 
My kids have been helping me out for the past few years. Now at 16 and 18, they are competent enough I could trust them to do a detail without me. I have a lot of high end clients and none of them have minded my kids helping me work. In fact, a few have complimented me on what hard workers my kids are. :)
 
JDookie said:
When you hire a plumber or electrician and he comes with his helpers, do you think less of him?? Of course not. I say bring her along. It sounds like you need her help, and if she's willing to give it, you are a very lucky man. The only time I can get my fiance to help detail is if it's on her own car, and then she just magically disappears. :think:
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lol so true! Does she have a wee MF and then just wipes a few areas and then dissapears?
 
topnotch said:
Would it look bad image wise to have a girl come with me on a mobile detail? Would this take away from people taking me serious?
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:confused:



Not unless you have a time machine and are going back to the 30's for the detail job.
 
I'm actually in search of a female assistant for my shop... so I really don't consider it an issue in any fashion.



Jim
 
Very cool guys, I am glad everyone chimed in on this. I think it will be a good experience tomorrow. I am going to send her some flowers to work today to apologize for my first reaction. Hopefully I will have time to take some pics and post them this week so I can show off her work
 
topnotch said:
...And PC I am not sexist in anyway, but I do admit my choice of wording was poor in my first post (due to rushing it because I am at work) and I apologize if I mistakenly insulted anyone...
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Oh no, I didn't think that. The sexist and socially unacceptable images I was referring to were strictly in my head, the ones I always get about girls washing cars. Uh oh, just had another one... :drool:



Nice touch, sending flowers with an apology to her. Sounds like you two make a great team. :bigups







PC.
 
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