This thread is indicative of the two kinds of business models I've seen on Autopia. Both being of a higher caliber than the typical detail shop/dealership department but using different approaches from eachother. If you're a weekend detailer or part time 'business' you can hold out for paint correction jobs; but if you have a full time detailing business there has to be an offering of services tailored to your customers. I'm mobile, I can't drive an hour to work just an hour- so I impose minimum car requirements for this type of job. This brings me to multi-car families, corporate offices, business parking and fleet maintenance. Customers that want a clean car but don't need a 'full' detail every month.
A few simple truths that some people fail to realize:
Not everyone notices the defects or cares about a swirl free finish.
There are improvements to be made that aren't in the range of flawless.
Customers will pay for a properly done hand wash and vacuum.
Try pricing these lower tier services in accordance with your hourly rate for a correction appointment. If it takes you an hour to do a wash/vac/window job and you typically make $50/hr doing correction- simply try charging $50. The supply cost for doing this kind of work is absolutely lower than the cost of correction as well as the liability being greatly reduced. I think alot of visitors to this and other forums think of every Autopian as someone spending 70 hours a week solely correcting the finishes on $100K cars, while the members who own full time detailing businesses realize that this isn't the case. There are more Nissan drivers in a single small town than there are Ferrari owners in an entire county. You're leaving money/growth/advertising on the table by not offering an 'express' detail. Additionally, it doesn't have to be cheap- use the same quality products and attention to a job done correctly that brought you to this website.
A few simple truths that some people fail to realize:
Not everyone notices the defects or cares about a swirl free finish.
There are improvements to be made that aren't in the range of flawless.
Customers will pay for a properly done hand wash and vacuum.
Try pricing these lower tier services in accordance with your hourly rate for a correction appointment. If it takes you an hour to do a wash/vac/window job and you typically make $50/hr doing correction- simply try charging $50. The supply cost for doing this kind of work is absolutely lower than the cost of correction as well as the liability being greatly reduced. I think alot of visitors to this and other forums think of every Autopian as someone spending 70 hours a week solely correcting the finishes on $100K cars, while the members who own full time detailing businesses realize that this isn't the case. There are more Nissan drivers in a single small town than there are Ferrari owners in an entire county. You're leaving money/growth/advertising on the table by not offering an 'express' detail. Additionally, it doesn't have to be cheap- use the same quality products and attention to a job done correctly that brought you to this website.
