maybe I have the wrong thoughts...

E

Envious Eric

New member
my opinion - a full detail is full swirl removal, and light scratches taken out, carpets cleaned, interior cleaned up, windows spotless...etc



(in general) do people expect brand new paint, or just for it to look better???

seems that I am taking too long on my details trying to get every little swirl and scratch out and removing every single imperfection as much as I can....am I trying for too much without the pay?



what I am doing, is that considered a full show car quality job, or a routine complete detail...I was thinking it was a routine quality detail, but the other day the lady seemed rather upset that it took me 7 hours to clean carpets, wash, clay(very bad), polish, sealant, leather, windows, tires, wheels, trim,....the works minus engine....seemed like she wanted me in and out in 3 hours....but I was trying to get everything I saw wrong out...like how I try to keep my truck looking...am I wrong and using too much energy/spending too much time??? afterall, the lady just paid me without looking at the car when I was done.....!!!!
 
Figure out what what you want to make per hour and charge that.



If people want their car cleaned for 3 hours, then do the best job you can in that time.



I try my hardest to make the paint perfect again but sometimes its not worth it.
 
I run the detail dept. at my dealership, and when people there (or off the street) want me to a "detail" their vehicle, I immediately know whether or not they have any real idea what they want, or if they realize what a good detail takes.



I ask them what they are expecting and what price they are willing to pay. I hand them a print-out sheet for cars and trucks with each individual job corresponding with a certain price. They check off the box, and if they miss something, or if they pick unnecessary/redundant jobs, I make corrections with their knowledge and consent. For example, If a customer picks "wax" but not "wash" , or vice versa, I explain to them both are needed. Then I tell them how long every specific job takes in total.



In other words, they know how long the detail will take, and that idea will be reinforced because they have checked off up to 10, 20, 30 boxes. The sheer number of choices will likely "overwhelm" the customer--in a harmless, positive way, and may mean you get that extra time you are looking for.



And as far as a full detail goes, that varies from detailer to detailer, and customer to customer. I consider (and if you have your own business, you should too) a full detail consisting of a completely checked off sheet on my (your) list. Be very specific. My client base would consider that more than sufficient, although there are some autopians who may point out I left a few things out if I was to post my list :)
 
it seems like the average joe or jill, would just like a good clean-up with a nice shine these days. but finding out what your client wants/needs is also important, as you may do more than what they want. geez, i would hate to do a complete swirl/scratch removal, only to have them re-installed again by the next car wash they do... :doh
 
Everyone has different expectations. 'Most' females are more concerned with the interior, IMHO. They seldom care about the engine, for example.



Having said that, always do your best work. Always.



Jim
 
Find a need and fill it.



Some people need full swirl removal and light scratches taken out, carpets cleaned, interior cleaned up, windows spotless. They expect brand new paint and what would be considered a full show car quality 7 hour job. And they usually expect to pay much more than those people who only want it to look better by doing a routine 3 hour detail.



It is basically up to you to know the difference between what you are offering your clients and what your clients expect from your service.
 
so whats the going rate then for details of the different kinds?....



full swirl removal/light scratch removal, inside and outside cleaned = 200+

good one step outside wax, inside cleaned = 130+



??????
 
I charge ~$160 for a sedan like a Nissan Maxima. This includes everything except scratch removal, swirl removal, and cloth seat cleaning (you can pay extra to have the seats cleaned 100%, otherwise only stains will be removed). I tell everyone up front what they're getting when I quote them a price, and that this price is a base estimate only. Once I see the vehicle I will know if I will have to charge more for more work. I also ask them about present scratches and swirls, and tell them to remove/take down scratches and/or remove swirls I will have to charge extra. Typically, when I have a car with scratches that don't come out during polishing, I use a base rate of $30-$35 an hour and figure out what to charge based on that and the time I spent working on them. Swirls are usually $40-$75 extra.



All that being said, 95% of the cars I detail are buffed via rotary, which is why I opt to charge a little less normally and add to that price if extra buffing is necessary. I either buff with machine glaze and follow with S100 or Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow wax, or I buff at 1000 RPMs with AIO and either stop there, or top with SG, S100 or both.
 
Go over the car beforehand and find out what the customer expects. Point out the defects, swirls, stains, etc and let them know what is required to correct them. Some will opt for just a 80% solution to their paint and interior problems rather than pay maybe double for as close to perfection as possible. Honestly, most soccer moms aren't interested in anything other than a light polish and seal on the exterior, plus, like Jim pointed out, they are most concerned with the interior anyway-which is kind of funny when you think about how absolutely filthy they let the interior get in the first place! You also have to consider what level of detailing the customer is willing to maintain. No sense in you busting your butt and them being without their car plus paying a for a premium detail if they won't keep the car in that condition when you finish. If you talk to your customers and make sure you give the best possible detail for what they expect, you will have a lot of happy customers.
 
shoot, i had it all wrong...I was thinking that it was fully cleaned, polished, sealed paint, and a spotless interior that was necessary - pretty much like brand new....Maybe that is why I dont book many of the people who call....I told a guy for a full black G35 paint polishing, sealed, carnuba on top, interior cleaned with leather that it would run 175 and he all but laughed at me....I thought it was a good deal, but maybe I was going about it all wrong....I will try this other approach and see what it gets me....thanks
 
toyotaguy said:
shoot, i had it all wrong...I was thinking that it was fully cleaned, polished, sealed paint, and a spotless interior that was necessary - pretty much like brand new....Maybe that is why I dont book many of the people who call....I told a guy for a full black G35 paint polishing, sealed, carnuba on top, interior cleaned with leather that it would run 175 and he all but laughed at me....I thought it was a good deal, but maybe I was going about it all wrong....I will try this other approach and see what it gets me....thanks
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I don't really think $175 is all that unreasonable for a black G35...
 
magictouch24 said:
I don't really think $175 is all that unreasonable for a black G35...
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Yeah, I think its a hell of a deal.... Ha



Remember, if somebody has a 600 dollar leather couch and they get a stain on it, it is usually 125-175 to have a professinal come out and remove the stain. People have no problem paying this for a leather couch, but for a 35,000-40,000 dollar car, inwhich you do way more work, they laugh...
 
magictouch24 said:
I don't really think $175 is all that unreasonable for a black G35...
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No it isn't. Black G35 paint is really tricky to correct. Hard enough that swirls don't come out immediately but oddly soft enough it is very haze prone. Porsche black is the same.



The problem is the hackers who do shoddy work cheap and people who don't recognize how bad a job they do. Their car is shiny and they don't notice the holograms or that the swirls weren't removed, or that the shiny grease on the vinyl is merely hiding the dirt they didn't clean.
 
yeah I thought I was giving him a good deal too, but it seems I was a little too high for his tastes



but on the business side...



if you dont have anything booked for tomorrow, and someone called to fill that spot, would you price break and do it for what they want??? I can see two outcomes:



1 - they tell their friends you are able to be haggled in price a little bit and do an extremely good job for the money spent, but you get the money for the day



2- they will tell friends of the great job you did and for a cheap price, and you will be stuck charging a low amount because "you did it for joe shmo for xx dollars, my car is the same, how can you charge me more....and you get the money for the day



I dont want to start taking on 100 dollar jobs to keep things going, but I seem to get more price shoppers rather than people who want to spend 200 bucks for a really good job leaving me with empty days (even though I just started advertising, so I am waiting for that to kick in), but when I have to pay bills, makes that 100 bucks for a full detail all that more enticing....but here is my next thought:



accept the job, use cheaper products, work for a max of 4 hours on a car, and still be honest with them that I used cheaper products to meet their criteria of a cheaper detail, but still did the exact same process as I would have with more expensive/better products which would have removed the swirls more, shined better, and felt slicker.



I got a call for that G35 and he asked if I could do it for 160? I told him I use expensive botique products and that is why the price is what it is....I mentioned that I would be able to do it for cheaper with less expensive products, but the look and appearance would not be the same. I tried to explain that the higher cost products would provide a better look, deeper, more reflective, wetter etc. for the car and for 15 dollars, its worth it in the end and he would be happy he chose the better products. (things like OTC wax vs pinnacle carnuba wax, poorboys sealant ex - I would have just skipped both and done nxt right after polishing) But I left it up to him to decide....never got a call back! now I am sitting here thinking that I should have just booked it for 160 because that is 160 that I am not able to make because I tried to stick with my original pricing....



What do you mobile guys do in that situation???

:help: :help: :help:
 
Before I was pretty much booked all the time, I'd work with them a little on price but I made sure they'd understand instead of maybe a 3 step process on the exterior, it'd be a 2 step process and I couldn't promise it would look quite as good.



What you could have done is said you'd do it for $160 but you'd skip the glaze step and while the car would still look really good, it might not look quite as deep as if you had glazed.
 
toyotaguy said:
so whats the going rate then for details of the different kinds?....
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It is simply a matter of taking your hourly rate times the number of hours you expect to spend working on the vehicle.



For example: At an hourly rate of $50 per hour a 7 hour detailing would be charged out at $350, while a 3 hour detailing would be priced at $150.
 
toyotaguy said:
if you dont have anything booked for tomorrow, and someone called to fill that spot, would you price break and do it for what they want???
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Lowering your price just because you do not have anything booked is not a good way to grow your business. You would be better off using your down time to go out there and find ways to attract new customers. Customers who are willing and able to pay the full price you charge for your professional detailing services.



Good detailing customers are almost always more interested in getting a good quality job. Price is usually secondary.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Lowering your price just because you do not have anything booked is not a good way to grow your business. You would be better off using your down time to go out there and find ways to attract new customers. Customers who are willing and able to pay the full price you charge for your professional detailing services.



Good detailing customers are almost always more interested in getting a good quality job. Price is usually secondary.
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Good answer.



If you look at the economics of it, you maximize your income by raising prices until you have some empty days. IOW, if you're fully booked, you're not charging enough. You can see this principle at work anywhere there is a fungible commodity offered for sale, for example apartments in a large complex. The profits of the owner are maximized at some percentage of vacant units. Just as in your business, if they're fully occupied, they're not charging enough. The exact number of vacant units is determined by the demand curve (think of applications per week vs. price per unit type) for apartments in that area and operating costs of (un)occupied units. In your business there's the opportunity cost for not delivering the service, but as someone else pointed out, there's some return to be had by using the down time to build demand by advertising, calling former customers, or whatever works in your area.
 
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