Rrrng Rnng How Much To Detail My Car?

I

imported_Automania1

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The proverbial question... caller: how much to detail my car?



Response: Thanks for inquiring about our services... Could you give some information about the vehicle year/make/model/color?



What does the year and color have to do with what I am asking? Listen I don't have time to waste here... click..cant get a word in edgewise...
 
And-yet, when the same person calls a shop for price on brakes or a new exhaust system, they will usually answer the questions.



The shop will usually, quickly, provide a low ball price in order to get them to the shop.



Then the "diagnois" starts, the explainations of why they need more than just brake pads, all around the shop are pictures showing damaged or worn parts, etc.



That $69.95 quote on the phone ends up costing $129.99 and the customer signs the "work order".



Not in every case, but a very, very large percentage of the time.



So, next phone call by a price shopper, know what others are charging in your market and "quote" a compeitive price to get them to your shop.



That's when the real pro's start the sell job!



Grumpy
 
Ben@Autopia said:
You dont want this customer. He is going for the lowest price he can find.
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:amen:





"The price depends on the vehicle and what results you are looking for. Starting (or general) prices are $_______. Feel free to bring it by and I would be happy to take a look."



Since I am mostly mobile I have tossed around the idea of a $25 charge to go look at a car. I've had too many bow out. It would be non-refundable but would be applied to the price of the actual detail. This would eliminate the "tire kickers". Of course they are always welcome to come to me for free.
 
"When was the last time it was professionally detailed"?



Car cleaning and Detailing are different.
 
salty said:
"When was the last time it was professionally detailed"?



Car cleaning and Detailing are different.
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To Joe Public they are the same...thanks to carwash places that offer express 'detailing'



As I've said before'if we (the detailing profession) cannot define what a 'detail' is, how can we expect them to
 
TOGWT said:
To Joe Public they are the same...thanks to carwash places that offer express 'detailing'



As I've said before'if we (the detailing profession) cannot define what a 'detail' is, how can we expect them to
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I totally agree that is why I explain: DETAILING AS A THOROUGH CLEANING and the USE of MACHINERY (Polisher/Buffer) as PAINT CORRECTION, PAINT CORRECTION is CORRECTING damage to paint by way of Machinery (Polisher/Buffer)

to often you see buffing included in DETAILING and the are doing a 1 step NOT multiple steps and all for $100.00 (SPECIAL) and Paint Correction (use of Buffer) starts at $30.00 and up PER HOUR

ps not shouting (capital letters just Highlighting)
 
Ben@Autopia said:
You dont want this customer. He is going for the lowest price he can find.
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Agree. Your better off just letting it go. I get a ton of "price shoppers" that call me on a regular basis. It's part of the business, so I'd say get use to getting those type of calls. It sucks that some people are just rude about it though.
 
Automania said:
The proverbial question... caller: how much to detail my car?



Response: Thanks for inquiring about our services... Could you give some information about the vehicle year/make/model/color?



What does the year and color have to do with what I am asking? Listen I don't have time to waste here... click..cant get a word in edgewise...
Click to expand...



I deal with this every day and it can be incredibly frustrating. "Detailers" are a huge part of the problem though by advertising unrealistically low prices in hopes of attracting new customers. The main thing you need to do is educate your customers as to what you do and why it costs what it costs. For example - make sure people understand that they need to compare apples to apples. Many people will simply ask for a shampoo then call around everywhere and the lowest price gets the job. I know at my shop a shampoo consists of a exterior wash, windows inside & out, full vacuum of the interior + trunk, all vinyl & plastic cleaned, dash/steering wheel/console etc all cleaned and detailed and all seats/carpets/cloth upholstery hand cleaned/shampooed and extracted with a hot water extractor. At other shops a "shampoo" might mean a quick vacuum and try and spot clean any visible stains. People need to know who you are, what you do and why you charge what you charge. Once you educate people the ones that want a good job done will be more likely to buy than keep calling around. The people that don't care you don't want as customers anyway
 
TOGWT said:
To Joe Public they are the same...thanks to carwash places that offer express 'detailing'



As I've said before'if we (the detailing profession) cannot define what a 'detail' is, how can we expect them to
Click to expand...



This is exactly why I do not market what I do as "detailing" the low end has tainted the word too much.



The term "detail" is easily recognizable making it easy to market but harder to define for a higher end level of quality.



I use terms such a reconditioning or cosmetic restoration to explain higher level services. It's a shame but "detail" simply means wash, wax, vacuum to the majority of the population. Yes people can tell the difference in good work but they just assume you are better and it takes the same time as the in and out places.
 
I think the biggest problem is trying to define what actually a "full detail" is veries soo much with some of the competition out there which just confuses the customer, they see prices a few hundred dollars apart between different businesses and they want to believe they are the same thing. Personally I have all my prices and inclusions listed on my website to make it clear exactly what is included above and beyond others.



car detailing adelaide
 
I got a call on Tuesday about a "complete detail" and I asked the basic questions, the potential client proceeded to get mouthy and I ignored it. I asked how far he was willing to go via a "complete detail" so i could give a more accurate quote and explained a few services, he said *** does it matter if I have swirl marks and paint chips?! I scratched my head and hung up.
 
Buffautodetail said:
I got a call on Tuesday about a "complete detail" and I asked the basic questions, the potential client proceeded to get mouthy and I ignored it. I asked how far he was willing to go via a "complete detail" so i could give a more accurate quote and explained a few services, he said *** does it matter if I have swirl marks and paint chips?! I scratched my head and hung up.
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The best one I ever had was an older "gentleman" called wanting a price to shampoo his Windstar so I told him the average price and he seemed quite upset I wouldn't guarantee the price without seeing the vehicle. He ended up yelling about how mechanics work on "book rate" and so should I. I'm pretty sure I ended up hanging up on him
 
ShineShop said:
The best one I ever had was an older "gentleman" called wanting a price to shampoo his Windstar so I told him the average price and he seemed quite upset I wouldn't guarantee the price without seeing the vehicle. He ended up yelling about how mechanics work on "book rate" and so should I. I'm pretty sure I ended up hanging up on him
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Yeah, because there's such thing as a "book rate" for detailing. Right.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Yeah, because there's such thing as a "book rate" for detailing. Right.
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Tried explaining that every detail job was different and changing the same part on the same car for book rate was a completely different story but he just didn't get it. Finally got tired of arguing with him and hung up
 
Believe it or not, the higher you advertise your prices, the less of those calls you get.

What is nuts is having pretty high prices, then telling someone that your site has not been updated and that prices are substantially higher than listed and they go, "so what time can I expect you" haha



For real though. If someone calls you with a bad attitude, move on. It's not worth it. You'd better listen to that little voice in the back of your head.
 
It's funny but some people prefer the "detailing is like art--you set it at a price that demands no nonsense and the flies tend to buzz away" approach (provided you have that level of expertise)
 
Jean-Claude said:
Believe it or not, the higher you advertise your prices, the less of those calls you get.

What is nuts is having pretty high prices, then telling someone that your site has not been updated and that prices are substantially higher than listed and they go, "so what time can I expect you" haha



For real though. If someone calls you with a bad attitude, move on. It's not worth it. You'd better listen to that little voice in the back of your head.
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I've noticed this as well, and I'm still booked out through Thanksgiving. :)
 
You should be able to quote a customer a ballpark price. If I get a call I will ask a few questions then give a price I always say " it should be right around $xxx as long as there is nothing strange or unusual about the car". That strange and unusual line gives me wiggle room once I see the car.
 
Many consumers do not know or appreciate many aspects of detailing and probably not interested in learning. They usually have a simple goal -- clean shiny car. These are the sames one that are likely to take the car to the swirl em up car wash the next time it needs a wash. As long as a detailer does not leave the vehicle in worse condition that it was received (messed the paint even more) there should be no shame in catering to these as part of a high volume detailing business.
 
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