Tired of people complaining about your price?

What Ive done a few times( if they are concerned about the cost) is if a customer is more concerned about swirls and paint correction and the interior is reasonably clean , I offer to do the paint polishing first and any leftover time in the day I will do a real quicker on the interior.

Then I make sure they are happy with everything ....if not they can pay me come out another day .Usually they are happy. Rarely someone will pay me to do more but has happened.

Today was a perfect example . I spent 1 hour on the interior and 8 on the exterior. The way I sold the job was divided the hood into thirds . One third got nothing (middle) two thirds got just cleaner wax (sides)Front area with tapeline got polished and waxed. It was a very clear picture for him on what way he wanted to go and what outcome to expect.He chose to do the polish.

If the entire vehicle is a disaster inside and out thats another story! Sometimes its the opposite and they really want the interior to be the main focus .

Not everyone can afford an expensive detail job ....especially in the past few years people have been cutting back on expenses.

But if a customer complains too much about my prices I direct them to the local carwash:D
 
detailchick said:
What Ive done a few times( if they are concerned about the cost) is if a customer is more concerned about swirls and paint correction and the interior is reasonably clean , I offer to do the paint polishing first and any leftover time in the day I will do a real quicker on the interior.

Then I make sure they are happy with everything ....if not they can pay me come out another day .Usually they are happy. Rarely someone will pay me to do more but has happened.

Today was a perfect example . I spent 1 hour on the interior and 8 on the exterior. The way I sold the job was divided the hood into thirds . One third got nothing (middle) two thirds got just cleaner wax (sides)Front area with tapeline got polished and waxed. It was a very clear picture for him on what way he wanted to go and what outcome to expect.He chose to do the polish.

If the entire vehicle is a disaster inside and out thats another story! Sometimes its the opposite and they really want the interior to be the main focus .

Not everyone can afford an expensive detail job ....especially in the past few years people have been cutting back on expenses.

But if a customer complains too much about my prices I direct them to the local carwash:D
Click to expand...


Demonstrations like that are great, but there are downsides. Least of which is you have to finish the hood. More insistent customers may actually be irritated by the hood looking so good if they can't afford the rest. But I think it is a good method as long as they're aware going in.

It always feels like a treat when a client calls you up and wants a big job and doesn't care about cost, tells you to do whatever you feel it needs, or asks for a BIG job and then doesn't even blink at the price. Got one of those coming in next week, a full size Silverado for a full correction...gonna be a LOT of hours, but they want it looking as good as possible. :)
 
GoFast908Z said:
Demonstrations like that are great, but there are downsides. Least of which is you have to finish the hood. More insistent customers may actually be irritated by the hood looking so good if they can't afford the rest. But I think it is a good method as long as they're aware going in.
Click to expand...
Yes , good points to consider ! The way I taped it off it actually looked like a clear bra after it was polished because it was a single stage it was pretty notable difference . But in this case he was wanting a polish from the very begginning so I was pretty confident he would go with it . I just wanted to make sure he would be happy with what I was planning on doing and show him the difference.

Maybe another not so noticable panel would be a better option in case they decided against it .
 

Attachments

  • img_0245.jpg
    img_0245.jpg
    44.1 KB · Views: 53
As was mentioned I think, the best thing you can do is put a 3 ring binder together with before and after pics of cars you've done along with testimonials from past clients, this is what I'd do detail chick. Saves you some time and when they see amazing before and after shots, it will be just as powerful not to mention it looks very professional.
 
As was mentioned I think, the best thing you can do is put a 3 ring binder together with before and after pics of cars you've done along with testimonials from past clients, this is what I'd do detail chick. Saves you some time and when they see amazing before and after shots, it will be just as powerful not to mention it looks very professional.
 
What kind of plastic sleaves do you guys use for the pictures? The ones I have are extremely sensitive to heat and will warp super easy and it looks bad.
 
When I do basic details for neighbors or friends I upload pics onto my iPad. My customers always think its neat and ALWAYS want to flip through the pictures. Actually, I have my pricing sheet and option on the iPad too so the clients have fun looking through it.
 
No one ever complains about my pricing, they look at my pictures on my website, and give me great tips, so maybe I should be complaining that I dont charge enough ? :confused:

Dan F
 
Gimlet said:
When I do basic details for neighbors or friends I upload pics onto my iPad. My customers always think its neat and ALWAYS want to flip through the pictures. Actually, I have my pricing sheet and option on the iPad too so the clients have fun looking through it.
Click to expand...

When selling something, it's a good idea to let the consumer view the price, rather than be told the price. For some strange reason they accept it as reasonable much quicker if it's in printed format.
 
Thats a good idea. i usually just have the basics listed, and then I tell them what I can afford to offer. But I will probably change it to not have a price. Thanks!
 
I have found that when menu pricing is offered, a customer will hold you to a "T" on what is said and will often expect more as opposed to less. This is why a hourly approach works best in most cases, where the work being performed is sold on a time basis(As is all automotive work regardless of type ie:Bodywork, suspension, engine repair) sans the parts and only labor applicable.

People are already used to this method of automotive pricing thru thier dealership or independent repair facility.

Just picked up the ipad as well...........great marketing tool and the pics are high-res which show the before and after shots much better than a regular digital photo.
 
Auto Concierge said:
I have found that when menu pricing is offered, a customer will hold you to a "T" on what is said and will often expect more as opposed to less. This is why a hourly approach works best in most cases, where the work being performed is sold on a time basis(As is all automotive work regardless of type ie:Bodywork, suspension, engine repair) sans the parts and only labor applicable.

People are already used to this method of automotive pricing thru thier dealership or independent repair facility.
Click to expand...
.

Couldn't have said it better.
 
Auto Concierge said:
I have found that when menu pricing is offered, a customer will hold you to a "T" on what is said and will often expect more as opposed to less. This is why a hourly approach works best in most cases, where the work being performed is sold on a time basis(As is all automotive work regardless of type ie:Bodywork, suspension, engine repair) sans the parts and only labor applicable.

People are already used to this method of automotive pricing thru thier dealership or independent repair facility.

Just picked up the ipad as well...........great marketing tool and the pics are high-res which show the before and after shots much better than a regular digital photo.
Click to expand...
Why do you bold and enlarge everything you say? Do you think its more valuable than others' words or do you think people wont read it unless it grabs their attention...something else maybe? Im curious...

The problem Ive had with this (hourly) approach (at least in this province) is that EVERY detailer works on 'menu price' basis, and even with quality work shown to the customer (I only do full corrections), the customer will still gravitate towards someone offering a fixed price. All of my business comes from word of mouth or from impromtu meetings at car shows. Ive found that advertising without a price is a waste of money...
It might also be affected by the fact that this is relatively small community, and the weather dictates that you can use nice cars about 4 months of the year at most...
 
grease said:
Why do you bold and enlarge everything you say? Do you think its more valuable than others' words or do you think people wont read it unless it grabs their attention...something else maybe? Im curious...

The problem Ive had with this (hourly) approach (at least in this province) is that EVERY detailer works on 'menu price' basis, and even with quality work shown to the customer (I only do full corrections), the customer will still gravitate towards someone offering a fixed price. All of my business comes from word of mouth or from impromtu meetings at car shows. Ive found that advertising without a price is a waste of money...
It might also be affected by the fact that this is relatively small community, and the weather dictates that you can use nice cars about 4 months of the year at most...
Click to expand...

Nothing to be curious about, I like playing with the font/color/size....any questions?.
 
Sorry, I wasnt clear enough. Some of your posts are really hard to read sometimes if not on a big screen...and I love reading your posts.

I do have a question.. You obviously have a large client base, and looks to be mostly very high end cars. If you were in a small market where there may only be a couple 100 nice cars in the area, in a climate that is unforgiving most of the year, with a couple well known detailers who (for the most part) do average work but have a great name, what would you do to get people aware of the kind of the work that can be accomplished? I know 1 other local detailer who does great work, and he's stopped doing his own thing, and went back to working at a dealership.
Ive managed to 'convince' people who were really allready receptive to the idea, so it doesnt really teach me anything.
 
gmblack3 said:
As Todd Helme once told me, "I consider it a complement when someone tells me that I am too expensive." :thumbup:
Click to expand...

This is the truth. I would rather have somebody tell me that my work costs too much vs. tell me my work isn't good enough.
 
Last thing I want to hear when I give someone a quote is...

'Yea that sounds great!"

I'd prefer a moan or two followed by a simple "Alright Lets book it"


:rockon:
 
When quoting work I always speak in terms of man hours and then letting the prospect know my hourly rate. Just throwing around figures dollar figures does not accurately convey they amount of work that goes into the process and you are doing your due diligence to educate your customer in all that the job entails of you do so.

If a prospect makes a comment about price and that the ?guy down the street? will do it for a fraction of the price I quoted I very politely and thoroughly explain the difference in services. If price is still a topic of discussion I respectfully decline the business and suggest that the prospect goes to the other guy and tell them that if they are satisfied with the work they receive then they made the right choice for them but, if they are not satisfied with the work they receive they are welcome to give me a call.

I do not get upset if this happens because it simply means that my services are not matched for this prospect so I welcome it as a first indicator that we are not a matched pair.

Luckily, by the time someone calls me they have done their research and know what they want and roughly how much it will cost.
 
Very interesting point(s) and although I don't detail for a living I am also in a competitive industry with more than a fair share of bottom feeders. Before I got educated I thought an $89.00 detail was a bargan. Now I realize it is nothing more than an expensive car wash with a rag jockey that can do hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of damage to my vehicle.

It takes time to educate people and build a customer base. You can choose between volume and quality. Rarely do both go hand in hand in any service business where the product is the operater to a large extent. The sales and marketing for these business are different. You can't educate the customer on why the $ 89.00 detail is a good deal, the price brings them in. Most likley you will loose this customer to a $39.00 wash n wax a 15 year old might do or to a pro if the expectations are not met or the black car comes back swirlzilla.

I think you need to figure out who you are as a detailer, what you want to provide and then make that a good deal by delivering on your promise weather it be a 10/10 job or a 5/10 at the correct price point. Do what you say, and say what you do-no surprises for the customer.

Also, when I started selling for a livng my company sent me to a professional sales training workshop for 3 days. What I remeber taking away clearly from those days:

1. Your competition doesn't lower your price, you do!

2. Relationships are built over days, months and years and destroyed in seconds. If something goes wrong, recover faster and harder than you think you have to consistantly.

3. You are the only truly unique thing that your competition does not have or can't get. Spend the time to work on "that" so it is something you can sell and use to your full advantage.

Your not selling a product, you selling an experience that looks like a service from my perspective. Frustrations grow for feeling like your competition is putting you in a box you can exist in for financial or serivce reasons. Keep focused on your plan and build from there. Don't sweat every single set back, they pave the roads of many sucesfull businessmen.

Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top