Telling a Customer No

since you bumped an old thread, I'll chime in by saying that most of the posts are loaded with bad ideas. as always, it depends on where you live, but around here you are going to get a lot of calls from these types of clients and if you turn most of them down, you wont be doing much work. you will quickly realize you are developing a really bad name for yourself online. only takes a couple of bad reviews on the countless websites out there and all the sudden...people notice. and bad reviews don't just come from clients you HAVE done work for, they can just as easliy, and often more likely, come from clients you REFUSED to do work for (or even insulted in the process)
 
I've turned away hundreds of cars since this thread was made. I've mastered the art of turning people away without offending them. Next Detailfest maybe I will teach a class on this

I can tell within the first 10 seconds of a conversationl if we will be doing business
 
mrclean81 said:
You might also refer them to a reputable detailer in the area that can handle the job. The customer will appreciate it and the detailer might even return the favor later down the road.
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That's what I do if it's possible. Stuff like motorhomes, I have zero interest in doing. No longer have any ladders big enough anyway. Used car dealers, I have zero problems telling them no but I do it by giving them a price per car and a lack of my availability that I know they can't live with. Besides, I'd be turning down full priced business to do their crappy cars anyway. Issues like vomit, spilled milk, etc, I tell them I am booked solid for 3-4 weeks. People with problems like that can't wait. ;)
 
Scottwax said:
That's what I do if it's possible. Stuff like motorhomes, I have zero interest in doing. No longer have any ladders big enough anyway. Used car dealers, I have zero problems telling them no but I do it by giving them a price per car and a lack of my availability that I know they can't live with. Besides, I'd be turning down full priced business to do their crappy cars anyway. Issues like vomit, spilled milk, etc, I tell them I am booked solid for 3-4 weeks. People with problems like that can't wait. ;)
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:redcard:


I had a "My Kid Vomited" AND "My Dog Had An Accident" call(s) within hours of each other yesterday


:swirly:
 
we've done 3 cars in the past 2 weeks where kids threw up. no problem here, the extractor doesn't know the difference. they all clean up the same way, takes the same amount of time, and the checks cash just the same, too.
 
MooreImpressive said:
we've done 3 cars in the past 2 weeks where kids threw up. no problem here, the extractor doesn't know the difference. they all clean up the same way, takes the same amount of time, and the checks cash just the same, too.
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What city are you in? Would be happy to send you this sort of business if in mine

I've turned down 2 callers today


:dance2
 
4u2nvinmtl said:
All the detailers I called about Orange Peel removal said NO, plain and simple, altho if they had done it in a different way I might have become a future customer.
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You do realize that sanding or polishing oem cleqr is probably the biggest liability a detailer can take on. Ive taken on big projects and I would pass on that instantly. Unless you have a respray theres no way. All the uv protection sits at the top of the clear, by removing the orange peel your taking a huge risk, it might look ok but you might have a paint job that looks great for year an then goodbye. Watch some videos on mike phillips about show car sanding.
 
haha, no thanks. I have read several of your posts... I'm the kind of person that doesn't just care about the almighty dollar but cares about PEOPLE. the world is full of hate. part of my overall goal in life is to help spread some joy, to give back, to go out of my way to see my client smile, to raise the bar, after all, the name of my business is Moore Impressive, and that doesn't just apply to the visual condition of the vehicle, it applies to our conversations and how much I truly CARE about doing the right thing for human beings. the world needs so much more of that. its called KARMA, and its REAL. I actually handed a $20 bill back to a client today because I felt like she was paying too much. she was fine with paying it, I wasn't fine with accepting. it felt REALLY GOOD. I wont miss that $20 at all. trust me, doing business like that has proven to pay off in a much greater way in the long run. everyone in town knows me as that kind of guy, and it has opened doors and given me opportunities that are a lot bigger than cleaning cars. that feels WAY BETTER than telling my clients that I'm too busy or too good to clean their dirty vehicle, and that feeling is worth WAY MORE than $20. you wont meet too many people like me in your entire life.
 
MooreImpressive said:
haha, no thanks. I have read several of your posts... I'm the kind of person that doesn't just care about the almighty dollar but cares about PEOPLE. the world is full of hate. part of my overall goal in life is to help spread some joy, to give back, to go out of my way to see my client smile, to raise the bar, after all, the name of my business is Moore Impressive, and that doesn't just apply to the visual condition of the vehicle, it applies to our conversations and how much I truly CARE about doing the right thing for human beings. the world needs so much more of that. its called KARMA, and its REAL. I actually handed a $20 bill back to a client today because I felt like she was paying too much. she was fine with paying it, I wasn't fine with accepting. it felt REALLY GOOD. I wont miss that $20 at all. trust me, doing business like that has proven to pay off in a much greater way in the long run. everyone in town knows me as that kind of guy, and it has opened doors and given me opportunities that are a lot bigger than cleaning cars. that feels WAY BETTER than telling my clients that I'm too busy or too good to clean their dirty vehicle, and that feeling is worth WAY MORE than $20. you wont meet too many people like me in your entire life.
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How long have you been in this business full-time if you don't mind me asking?



I told customer #2 today if he doesn't start adhering to my program I was going to have to let him go
 
OK, here is my short bio: I grew up next door to the family that invented Car Brite products (if you're familiar with them). their son was my same age so we were best friends, and still are. I was around car detailing products starting at the age of 5 and was always intrigued by them, and cars themselves. I'm 32 years old now. started this business when I was 11 years old, no joke. my dad worked for GM and was able to get me as much business as I ever wanted from the guys at the factory who drove brand new cars and made $35 an hour. I would do jobs after school and all weekend long. I went to 3 different detailing schools all around the country, and got a college degree in Business Administration. by the time I was in high school I was renting a building and had another guy helping me. trust me, I was the only high school freshman anybody had ever seen that was making over $1,000 a week. things continued to expand and over the last 10 years we've gone from one detail shop to now 3 separate shops in 3 cities (all have the same name, but are independently operated, though still under our umbrella. basically completely independent shops that share our name and pay us franchise fees each month). We have 2 car lots, and also have 3 wholesale dealers that work under my license and basically go to the auctions and new car lots and buy and resell cars on the wholesale market, all of which we split 50/50. we wholesale about 12-15 cars a week on average, and retail about 5 or 6. I had fully intended on eventually franchising the detailing business but once I got into the car sales business and saw how much more money could be made there I decided that detailing wasn't as important anymore. I am still very passionate about cleaning cars, for whatever reason, but there are other parts of the car business that are far more lucrative, and much faster. I still try to be as active in the detailing process as possible, while simply paying people to operate the other facets of the businesses. several years ago we got a contract with our local horse racing & casino track, and I quickly got involved in the racing industry. its now my biggest passion of all, and the amount of money you can make or lose in the horse racing business is staggering. I could work all week and not make nearly what I can in a 2 minute race, if you have horses good enough to compete in the high-purse stakes races. that is going to be my future, as I have slowly been getting out of the car business in recent years. but there is still something about taking a dirty car and making it clean...that feeling of self-satisfaction is second to none for me.

along the way I have never lost the values that I inherited from my mother. simply put: see the good in things and focus on that. go out of your way to help people, to give back, and to make each person feel important. its easy to get upset. its easy to find reasons to dislike, or even hate people. if you are one of those types of people, you will have plenty of company. but I have never been the type of person to take the easy road, and its paid off, and will most certainly continue to.

I really didn't come on here to preach. just stand up straight, keep a smile on your face, and make sure that every person you come into contact with, and darn sure all of your clients, know how much you care about them. you will be amazed at the doors it opens. doors leading to things far bigger than cleaning cars.
 
Not two weeks ago, I had a guy PM me on one of the forums wanting me to compound/polish and apply a coating to his 2014 Range Rover. He only lived 45 min / hour away, but I had to decline. I told him that I would love to have his business, but applying a coating was above my paygrade and suggested that he make an open post on the forums asking for an area detailer and describe exactly what he wanted. I was honest about not being experienced or qualified to apply a coating, but truth be told, I didn't want to risk the paint on a 2014 vehicle that costs more than my house with all its sharp edges and corners.

I never heard back from him and never saw a post on any of the forums requesting a detailer in his area for such a job, what can you do?
 
Don, there is a fine line between "don't pursue it because you are not comfortable" and "do my research, take my time, and do take on the challenge". Only you can really answer the questions as to what answer is right for you.
 
i have a 2005 jet black bmw that has never been detailed, but is in new new condition...Define perfect, because that to me means 20 hours of correction.

But its "really not that bad, just needs a good waxing as its looking a little faded - again, needs correction work, not just waxing

or the best one last week...

I have 2000 honda accord that needs the interior cleaned. Never been detailed in the last 10 years or so. Seats are dirty and carpets have lots of spills from things over the years. How much. I say ballpark $300 and thats for as good as i can get it, not perfect. Lady responds with "What, that seems pretty high, its just an old accord, not a ferrari. "The guy down the street said he could do it for $60 bucks, CAN YOU BEAT THAT?"
Right then and there I told her to try that guy out and let me know how it goes, we are expecting two totally different things, and I know your interior needs to be replaced, not just cleaned.
 
It`s Fairly easy to say no, but in a different way , if a customer has clear coat failure and they will ask " can you get this out" .
Just tell them honestly there is nothing that you can do. Say I will just make the issue worse because I`m essentially taking off more layers of already thinning clear coat. They will appreciate your honesty and get more work down the road for that. Always measure the paint and show them , if they see the numbers in front of them , it is unlikely they will be upset with you.
Yes, you will have situations where the price is trying to be negotiated as well ,
I have learned to always give a range when quoting over a text or email.
Like envious Eric said, I`ve had countless customers say their car is " clean" and garaged, well up kept, to find it needs major correction and they would not be happy with the results w/o a compound/ polish , any way just be honest and set their expectations before you start ! You are the professional, never forget that .


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