looking for some input on more volume/maintanence work

E

Envious Eric

New member
Currently, I mainly try to cater towards higher end details (at least a two step). With more and more people trying to save some money everywhere, I am looking to setup and start doing wash and wash/wax and wash/one step detailing in office parks, schools, etc for some steady income.



looking to hire one or two people

looking to purchase a used truck

looking for marketing techniques

looking for input on profit margins

looking for info on process efficiencies

looking for monthly pricing plans that work for most



any input can be PM'd if need be, but I would like to hear from some more "volume" detailers, but not in the sense of dealership volume...that will come later



basically, I am looking into hiring people to do the work for me so that I can operate the business instead of working the business, while still doing the hire end details...Thinking about long term wear and tear of my body after I noticed some pains in my elbow and knee from either sleeping on it wrong or detailing (noticed while crouching during a detail, and wiping a window today)
 
It's a tricky slope to slide on really. I always pick up some help in the summer. usually school kids (college) and they go back in the fall when i slow down. The real question is just how much do you want to discount services before it effects your current reputation? And then finding guys that can mimick you enough that you trust them with your name on their back. I would take the guys in a "graduated" format. Start them off with the prep work teach them well. Once they get that down give them a few more things to do. 1 steps really can be the bread and butter of a shop. They make the car look decent enough for 95% of the customers out there. They don't take a lot of product to produce and you can usually get them out the door in a matter of a few hours. The only problem with that is the sheer amount of other "Detail" shops doing the exact same work. Pricing tends to get rather cut throat for that type of service. I'm sure I can add a few more things. But it's food for thought.
 
i hear you, this is for a mobile operation where I would send out in teams of two!



guy 1: ONR wash, windows, one step with PC and white/orange/one step

guy2: wheels and tires, vacuum ,dusting, wipe off one step residue, dress trim.



I can see this going over an entire car in about 1.5 hours. Charging 140-175, paying two guys at $10 per hours, minus supplies and the etc, netting about 100/hr



AM I RIGHT HERE?



and then for the wash and waxes,



guy 1: ONR wash, windows

guy2: wheels and tires, vacuum ,dusting



at 3 cars per hour, that means about 4-50/hr...



am I close to what reality is here???
 
toyota,

how i do it is. i have a partimer who knows the business real well do my interior work for my wholesale stuff! (dealer work) now if its a real detail job ill do the work myself. the hard part for me is finding a happy medium. if your gonna take on volume the money is great but more presure, my supplies, more of everything! it can get uncontrolable at times but, if done right you can make some money! i would suggest starting with one guy and maybe divide the time up and do a few days a week volume and a few days aweek real stuff! take it slow and train the guy the right way! then as things prgress bring another aboard and have your first hire guy train him to do the volume. pay him a dollar more! make him feel important then go from there. but like jakearooni said! its your name there wearing!!!! remember that. trust is a big thing! good luck! barry
 
I'd say try it and see what would need to be tweaked. I'd say $10 is fine for a "Training" period. But if you want the guys to take this seriously and actaully want to up their skills it might cost you a little more in payroll. Which can only be expected I guess. Don't forget the cost of getting these guys looking good. Weather it be logo'd t-shirts or going all out in embordered polo's etc etc. I also think if you're only going to one step it use a rotary. This will also speed up time greatly with a properly trained person behind the "wheel" Also consider the amount of increase of business will equal alot more product and supplies. Might need to get more volume or look into cheaper priced products that come in greater volumes. Also you'll probably need to stock up more on towels brushes mitts. etc etc.
 
i start my first volume job tommorow. 30 day trial period for a large corporation. 60+ company vehicles. They need them done once a week @ $30 per. Thurs and Fri of every week. This includes: wash, dry, vacuum, and dress. Thats about it. No waxing, steam cleaning, etc.. I am going to hire two people to handle this for me after I secure the contract. 12 month contract at the end of the 30 day trial period! I am excited about it! Like I said, its my first volume job!
 
Totally understand the need to expand. Around here the high end details are getting slim. I should probably be doing the same thing. The only problem I have is hiring someone else to do the job. I am sure that a lot of people on here can do just as good a job as I, but my experience has been that an hourly employee does not have the passion nor the OCD to do a good enough job. Infact I use this to my advantage when selling a detail against my competition.



But when it comes to volume I guess it doesn't matter. But best of luck to you.
 
Jake, i see where you coming from...good help always comes with a price! Toyotaguy does live in Cali...and im sure he'll have alot of people eating at his heels to give them work! Alot of things come into play here...good input from everyone though...
 
Flawless Image said:
i start my first volume job tommorow. 30 day trial period for a large corporation. 60+ company vehicles. They need them done once a week @ $30 per. Thurs and Fri of every week. This includes: wash, dry, vacuum, and dress. Thats about it. No waxing, steam cleaning, etc.. I am going to hire two people to handle this for me after I secure the contract. 12 month contract at the end of the 30 day trial period! I am excited about it! Like I said, its my first volume job!
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Better not screw that up broham. $1800 net for 2 days of work for 2 guys is hella good money.



Have you thought about 3 or 4 guys? 2 guys doing 30 cars in a day is really tough and you'd hate for them to wear out and do the last 10 sloppy because they are tired. 3 or 4 guys can do it in 1.5 days too.



haha! I wouldn't mind hiring 6 gophers and knock that junk out in one day!!
 
what do you guys think of the following:



Monthly Maintenance Program

(Minimum 4 cars per location stop)



Packages offered:



Weekly washing:

Optimum No-Rinse wash, door jambs wiped clean, vacuuming, dusting, windows inside and out, wheels and tires cleaned, tires dressed.

Price - $100 cars, $120 trucks, $140 large trucks/suv



Monthly wash and wax:

Optimum No-Rinse wash, carnauba wax for protection and looks, door jambs wiped clean, vacuuming, dusting, windows inside and out, wheels and tires cleaned, tires dressed. Week 1 will be a wash and wax, weeks 2-4 will be a wash.

Price - $125 cars, $140 trucks, $175 large trucks/SUV



Monthly wash and wax with light interior:

Optimum No-Rinse wash, carnauba wax for protection and looks, door jambs wiped clean, vacuuming, dusting, windows inside and out, wheels and tires cleaned, tires dressed. Week 1 will be a wash and wax, weeks 2-4 will be a wash. Interior will receive proper UV protectant on all plastic/vinyl and the leather will be treated with a conditioner to preserve the natural look and feel of leather! Carpets will receive a light spot cleaning as necessary.

Price - $160 cars, $175 trucks, $200





By using ONR (Optimum No-Rinse), we can effectively wash an entire vehicle with as little as 1-2 gallons of water without increasing the risk of adding more scratches and swirl marks when compared to traditional washing methods! There is no need for a pressure washing system using 15-30 gallons of water per vehicle! ONR is just as effective, if not more effective because it leaves behind protection polymers that add both gloss and a protective agent on the car for a few days! (This is not a substitute for waxing) There is zero water left over to run into storm drains, so we are environmentally friendly!



Starting at the top of the vehicle, ONR is used via a soft wash media, and dried with soft microfiber towels. Working our way around the vehicle, ensuring all paint and trim is thoroughly washed, we then clean the wheels and tires leaving behind a nice shine over the entire vehicle. After the exterior is washed, the tires are dressed, interior is dusted and vacuumed very thoroughly, trashed is removed, interior is organized, windows are cleaned inside and out (even the tops where it gets rolled up), and the door jambs are wiped clean.



Choose the wash and wax plan and your car will receive a quality waxing to ensure total exterior vehicle protection against the environmental element. This wax will also beautify the paint and offer a deeper, wetter appearance. (keep in mind, polishing is what gives paint tons of depth and wetness, wax adds just a little in comparison)



Choose the wash, wax, and interior plan and your car will always feel like you just drove it off the lot! While a wash and wax is performed on the exterior, the interior will receive some much needed love as well! By adding the proper UV protectant and leather conditioners, we will prevent fading and cracking from occurring on the inside of your car! Leather will receive a natural smelling and feeling conditioner, and all plastics will receive a protectant the inhibits UV rays, does a little cleaning of its own, and darkens the plastics/trim it lays on. All products used on the interior are non-shiny, non-greasy and will not come off on clothes!



***rates apply to one car, cannot be split between two or more cars
 
I would note that a Water $mart Eco Detailing model can target locations and customers that are not off road mudboggers.



This self selecting location opportunity allows one to target the highline vehicles.



Trying to bring facts and reality of the opportunity to the discussion.



Don't let these guys that have all this experience fool you ... the game is changing!



jim
 
yeah I would pass on the mudbogger anyway, I always used to offroad in a baja desert truck and would always take it to the coin op before I even attempted to wash it down...got kicked out of two different places due to too dirty of a car! The 100+ bucks I would charge would not be worth it to the owner in most cases...
 
This is the model I am pursuing as well. 2 guys on 30 cars is brutal. Last probably will not look like the last.



Fleet work is steady. Rain or shine, so that has some appeal.



Lately, when i get some autopians on the phone, they are home with a rain day. Me too, but I have some strategies to fix that, and 6 months of no rain in front to figure that out.



I think your price points for the Maintenance & Protection "Details" is in line, but I think your time with a team of 2 should be closer to one hour. We are almost there, just need to get consistency, but I think it can be achieved. We hired a training expert to assist us. The Monthly VIP programs are in line with Market price.



Funny, I make this post, and all I get is a ration of *&^* at how un autopian like it is.



I think it is right on, from a business perspective, not an enthusiast
 
Jakerooni said:
I'd say try it and see what would need to be tweaked. I'd say $10 is fine for a "Training" period. But if you want the guys to take this seriously and actaully want to up their skills it might cost you a little more in payroll.
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It seems funny that some want that $30 to $50 for their work but will not pay but $10 to someone else. It shows why some people only want to pay $25 for quick wash/wax job. That is, why pay more when you can get labor at $10-$15 per hour.
 
Bunky said:
It seems funny that some want that $30 to $50 for their work but will not pay but $10 to someone else. It shows why some people only want to pay $25 for quick wash/wax job. That is, why pay more when you can get labor at $10-$15 per hour.
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+1



I would not trust anyone to wear my own name for $10 an hour near a car.
 
We all have to get our "Chops" so to speak. Which is why the "Training" wage is fine. Even if they are skilled detailers they still need to be trained on what "Envious" detailing is and what's expected. But don't expect to keep people around if the wage you're offering dosen't pay their bills ya know ;)
 
I understand what you're trying to do, but if you're in the same boat as me. I only do 2-3 details a day through my shop because we work on high-end cars. Even though we've been in business for several years, I think it might be a little difficult to get enough clients throughout the day every day. If you were a wham bam slam 'em out detail shop, and you detail 20 cars per day, it might be easier to get the clientele.







John
 
One reccomendation would be to switch the polishing to a Dynabrade head on a rotary, german green CCS and Meg's D151... that will just rip through light swirling, while leaving a better finish than a PC/orange in less time. A flex would be a good machine too.
 
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