Underappreciated Profession

R

RAG

New member
I've come to the conclusion that we are in an underappreciated profession. Sure, most of my clients are awesome and are the exception, but still, as a whole it is not well rewarded. Seriously, most good plummers, elictricians, carpenters, realtors, pool cleaners, etc. make a bunch more money than a good detailer does. Look at just about any profession, and the cream of the crop are making big money whereas detailers hit a wall and realitively low levels. Crimeny, the gardener that services most of the houses on my block charges more than any detailer I know of. I guess there just aren't enough people that understand and or appreciate what it is we do, keeping the price down; if all of a sudden everybody starting wanting their cars taken care of properly and understood what this entailed, I'm sure the average detailer's wage would double. And of course it doesn't help that there are so many "low-wage/Hack" detailers out there either, ruining the experience for people and keeping prices down.



Oh well, it's a good thing I enjoy what I do :buffing: And maybe someday I'll "sell out" and hire a bunch of detailers to work for me and to the "volume" thing :think:
 
When you say that the "gardener" charges more than a detailer, that doesn't mean he makes more than you do. Arguably, his equipment, travel time, and gasoline expenses might mean that he makes less than you do. This discussion has been had before, but I would argue that unless you are comparing tax returns (or lack thereof ;) ), you can't really say who is doing better.
 
You could always retain your brand, open up a "new" business that focuses on volume. :D Though I am sure keeping everything separate is the key, and perhaps not as easy as it sounds...
 
when this was discussed a few months ago it was a very interesting thread. i'll stick with what i said before:



it is not a matter of appreciating what detailers do...it is all about necessity. if your plumbing breaks you pretty much NEED it fixed...if your car is scratched or dirty...it'll still run.
 
i don't really agree with that paradigm, if the average american sees a fresh scratch on his/her 40k sedan, the normal reaction is panick and questioning. how do i get it out how much does it cost, if a pro was there at the time im sure you could make mint. truth is alot of so called detailers are what water this profession down, and i was part of that. i didnt think explaining a full job to people wouldve mattered. oh, i didnt know how to do it either. so what makes the new kid on the block different you ask? easy, enthusiasm and confidence. enthusiastic aboput the work he's capable of and confident he can do a complete 180 on the work at hand.
 
I didn't read or see the thread from a few months ago.



Yeah, the necessity thing is big. This is why I'm now starting to learn the body shop industry...when you get in a wreck, you "gotta" get it fixed. I'll do detailing as an adjunct to the body work...we'll see. But I really don't like being in a "luxury" field of work, cause if the economy goes south for a while, we're in trouble.



paradigm said:
when this was discussed a few months ago it was a very interesting thread. i'll stick with what i said before:



it is not a matter of appreciating what detailers do...it is all about necessity. if your plumbing breaks you pretty much NEED it fixed...if your car is scratched or dirty...it'll still run.
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RAG said:
...I really don't like being in a "luxury" field of work, cause if the economy goes south for a while, we're in trouble.
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In my opinion, the economy doesn't necessarily need to take a dive, consumer spending trends need only shift. With a little effort you can penetrate a series of avenues that place a demand on separate benefits derived from your services. Bringing in work from different sub-industries at any degree can allow a business to diversify it's revenues thus making it less penetrable when there are shifts in the economy. One wouldn't really need to split up earnings into four equal parts for example; but keeping up relationships with each can make it easier to change your marketing plan and detailing service-structure to accommodate where the dough is rollin' in. I tend to focus on private/retail/european (as a whole) not only because they are willing to compensate me for the job done right but also, this client is less effected by a turn in the US economy.



RAG said:
. . . plumbers, electricians, carpenters, realtors, pool cleaners, etc. . .
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These are the industries directly effected by a downshift in consumer spending not because the need for such a service is reduced but because, in an effort to maintain profits, the owner/CFO will have to cut costs personally and/or within their small business. These owner/operators are typically in the middle class and do not place the same fiscal importance on a finely detailed vehicle when the books don't allow. The company owner also may have to terminate employees. In such an event, each respective market then floods with indies who try to low-ball jobs to undercut the next guy, just to have a contract. Reciprocity. Imagine a moderately large body shop in your area lays off a quarter of it's workforce, say five prep guys. I would bet that the two of those guys are going to start up a detailing operation together with a business model similar to that of a body shops': Volume. Multiply that by a few BS per area and you've got some competition in one of your four sub-industries. Once should then place less of their focus on this avenue.



Being able to profit from servicing the clientele that can afford your skill level, only a durable reputation need be developed. A detailer who does very high quality work and has focused the majority of his marketing efforts on gathering and maintaining the more affluent buyer will always steadfast once the stigma with his/her reputation is established in such a social group. Until then, I say diversify while keeping your eye on the apple. Time is the only test.
 
Under appreciated, yes. Many look at detailing as a luxury and just dont see any value in it. Some see it as a necessity. Others need it and dont want to pay for it. (used car dealers for one)



Under paid? Well, that depends on what you think is a good living. I know what I need to make in a day to maintain my lifesytle.
 
RAG said:
IBut I really don't like being in a "luxury" field of work, cause if the economy goes south for a while, we're in trouble.
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Not at all. Good economy means people want their new car detailed. Bad economy means they want their old car they now have to keep detailed.



Plus, much of our clientel isn't as affected by economic trends as some other businesses are.
 
I agree with Scott. Services that might be considered "luxury" services will likely be in demand, no matter what.



Is detailing an underappreciated profession? Perhaps. I'm sure that there are plenty of customers who might be rude, or try to bargain for your services. And, there are plenty of imposters and fakes in the detailing field who give everyone a bad name.



I beleive that a detailer who does quality work, charges fair prices, and keeps plugging along no matter what will develop a clientele of friendly, loyal customers. At that point, you are no longer at the mercy of unappreciative/rude customers. It may take a while to get there, but it can happen, and then it can become a very satisfying profession.



In my opinion, Scott and others on this board are prototypes for this. As someone who has spent 3+ decades in another "underappreciated" profession (public-school teaching), my hat is off to them.
 
I can honestly tell you that there are plenty of people out there who sincerely appreciate and are more than willing to pay for what the true detailing business professionals in this industry have to offer.



Neither a lack of understanding nor appreciation for professional detailing has very little to do with keeping the price down. And the only real reason why detailers hit a wall and resort to low level pricing, is because they lack either the desire or ability to gain the basic business knowledge necessary to start up and run a successful business.



And you can forget about the low wage hack detailers. They have nothing to do with ruining the experience for people and keeping prices down. You would not want the customers they attract anyway.



It is basically up to you to do something positive in order to find those good detailing customers who truely appreciate what you do. There is no good reason why anyone has to feel like they are underappreciated in this profession.



Think about it. You are only underappreciated if you think you are.
 
VaSuperShine said:
i don't really agree with that paradigm, if the average american sees a fresh scratch on his/her 40k sedan, the normal reaction is panick and questioning. how do i get it out how much does it cost, if a pro was there at the time im sure you could make mint. truth is alot of so called detailers are what water this profession down, and i was part of that. i didnt think explaining a full job to people wouldve mattered. oh, i didnt know how to do it either. so what makes the new kid on the block different you ask? easy, enthusiasm and confidence. enthusiastic aboput the work he's capable of and confident he can do a complete 180 on the work at hand.
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i understand what you're saying...my point is just that it isn't a necessity like electricity or plumbing...possibly a very emotional response (oh no! my car is scratched!), yes...but not a necessity. i can strip the paint completely off my car and it will still perform perfectly...it just won't look nice. so, that brings it to a want vs. a need. the secret is to try and sway people into feeling better by having a great looking car vs. a swirled up one. that comes down to marketing and some education of the clients. bottom line is there are only so many people that will pay hundreds of dollars to have a shiny car...the secret is finding them or learning how to get them to find you.
 
VASUPERSHINE - I guess you haven't been to the Larchmont, Rye, Harrison, Scarsdale, or Greenwich train station parking lots lately? Ill get some pics, you will puke for sure.



Larchmont station on any given weekday at 6:45am:

There are about 5 2007 S550's with bumper scuffs already.

A 2006 M5 with a rear bumper that looks like it doubles as a seeing eye dog.

Scattered dozen or so 5 series BMW's that are total train wrecks. Scattered dozen or so E class benzito's that are equally abused.

Forget the Volvo's and Saabs, disasters.

My favorite, I am parking my Q7 next to it now daily, is a A4 avant, no scratches just a car wash swirl nightmare. I can hold my hand 3 inches from the paint and still cant see a reflection.



Larchmont isn't the ritziest of areas around but the average home price is about $940k with $20k in annual property taxes. It surely isn't a money thing for some people.

I just dont think these people value a clean, spotless car. I am sure they go for a detail once in a while though. I'd venture to say 90% of the cars are leased, like all 3 of my cars. I could really care how my cars they look when they get returned, there is no clean or swirl free clause in my lease. I only clean them because I have the detailing disease.



Its a tough sale on some car owners, others love to have a clean car.
 
It is because I have this sense that there's a general under-appreciation of what it takes to detail a vehicle that I quote lower prices than I should. I get the sense that if I say, "A fair price to detail your SUV would be $300", I'd get laughed at, or be expected to be a miracle worker that brings their marred, scratched vehicle back to immaculate perfection



BTW, I'm not a pro, just a weekend detailer that puts in a lot of work on paid weekend jobs. But it's a hell of a lot of work because I take pride in it. And I do it because I love the challenge. But it would be nice if more people understood the amount of work it requires.
 
sevenrd said:
It is because I have this sense that there's a general under-appreciation of what it takes to detail a vehicle that I quote lower prices than I should. I get the sense that if I say, "A fair price to detail your SUV would be $300", I'd get laughed at, or be expected to be a miracle worker that brings their marred, scratched vehicle back to immaculate perfection



BTW, I'm not a pro, just a weekend detailer that puts in a lot of work on paid weekend jobs. But it's a hell of a lot of work because I take pride in it. And I do it because I love the challenge. But it would be nice if more people understood the amount of work it requires.
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BINGO. I agree with your sentiments.
 
Look. Detailing is hard hard work. And it's a profession very few are truely good at...most of these so-called professionals out there are just taking advantage of people by performing basic wax jobs and calling it a complete detail and by selling gimmic sealants and charging big bucks for it. So it's too bad those of us who perform true quality work don't get properly rewarded as do the upper echelon does in most other professions...I'm talking $500-$600 for a quality detail, not $250.



In my area, if you're not making at least $100/hour, you cannot afford to live ($40-$50/hour before expenses isn't going to cut it) - the average home price in my community is about a mil...good thing my wife's a Realtor :)
 
sevenrd said:
It is because I have this sense that there's a general under-appreciation of what it takes to detail a vehicle that I quote lower prices than I should. I get the sense that if I say, "A fair price to detail your SUV would be $300", I'd get laughed at, or be expected to be a miracle worker that brings their marred, scratched vehicle back to immaculate perfection



BTW, I'm not a pro, just a weekend detailer that puts in a lot of work on paid weekend jobs. But it's a hell of a lot of work because I take pride in it. And I do it because I love the challenge. But it would be nice if more people understood the amount of work it requires.
Click to expand...



That's exactly why i underquote when i do, fear of being laughed at almost, lately i have removed that bug from my brain, ive done five suv's in the past month, the least i charged was 290 for a one step polish and three step lsp. I am interested in making a living and don't care if they do laugh anymore, if they do they obviously didn't intend on calling my business number and shouldve just took it through a conveyour belt. Simply put I charge what i want now if they dont wanna pay fine. I'm not in a ritzy area by any means but have had great success lately selling big jobs, For this im convinced it's not the area the deatailer is in, but rather the salesperson in the area that gets the price wanted.
 
I think there is a serious issue that is frequently overlooked by many of the pro detailers. Why would a customer want you to detail their vehicle when the products that you use only lasts 2 months. Is a $150-$250 detail that lasts 2 months a product with value. To the average consumer the answer is NO. You must meet the customers needs. Some don't care about durability and have the disposable income for quarterly details. Others will only have it done once a year. Offering the most durable products and a Xmonth warranty might be a good plan. Doing only specialized work (show cars or exotics) could probably demend a higher price and lower volumes.
 
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