What is the Best Promotional Tactic You Use?

B

buda

New member
In our business we are constantly asked by detailers for ways to increase business. Of course the answer to this question is not simple. Although the detail business owners are looking for a "simple" low-cost miracle.



What I did recently was ask every detailer I talked to what they did to promote business and here is what several of them said:



1. Word of mouth is best. Social marketing, TV, radio, but the most effective is word of mouth.



2. Word of mouth, you can't beat a good "hands-on" referral from a satisfied customer.



3. Facebook has worked well. We also use local weekly newspapers, because they are affordable. Word of mouth is always our best friend. Discounts sometimes help.



4. For us, it is our "customer service." Being in business for several years we have a strong return base. We get this by providing excellent detailing service and outstanding customer service. With that we have built a huge referral business in addition to our repeat business.



5. We do it by "excellent phone skills; knowing our services; answering questions knowledgeably and confidently; creating friendships and being reasonable on our pricing. However the best source of business is referrals. When I look at my Google searches at the end of the month I see some excellent traffic.



So, what about you, what do you find is your best source of business?



Regards

Bud Abraham

DETAIL PLUS SYSTEMS
 
Doing quality work and having my customers sell me to my friends. About 90% of my new business is from referrals.



I put out flyers early on in the 90s to get my name out but once I had done 1000 jobs total, the referrals took over as my main source of new customers. With just my son and I working (and just me once he goes back to school), too much marketing and I'd end up with more than I can handle.
 
David Fermani said:
Participation on Autopia has helped me the most.
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Autopia has helped educate me, that's for sure. Never expected to get any business from this site so I was surprised when I started getting calls.
 
Me neither, but this whole madness started when I recieved a PM about 4 years ago when another forum member asked if I could detail his father's cars. After that, it's snowballed and most (if not all at times) of my business comes from forums. I'd hate to see what would happen if I had a website and did some real marketing.
 
David Fermani said:
Me neither, but this whole madness started when I recieved a PM about 4 years ago when another forum member asked if I could detail his father's cars. After that, it's snowballed and most (if not all at times) of my business comes from forums. I'd hate to see what would happen if I had a website and did some real marketing.
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You may actually get back into it full time! I know you miss it! You can't deny it. Your not an insurance adjuster your a detailer!
 
"My attention to details is both a blessing & a curse" My bank account keeps saying yes, but my wife and back keep saying no!
 
David Fermani said:
"My attention to details is both a blessing & a curse" My bank account keeps saying yes, but my wife and back keep saying no!
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They're called diamonds and chiropractors, David.... :p



"For every problem, there is a solution."
 
David, someone on another forum was looking for a FL detailer, I gave you a plug for an M3



WOM is best, and going the extra mile for the client! I do somethings others dont, and thats what sets me apart
 
David Fermani said:
Me neither, but this whole madness started when I recieved a PM about 4 years ago when another forum member asked if I could detail his father's cars. After that, it's snowballed and most (if not all at times) of my business comes from forums. I'd hate to see what would happen if I had a website and did some real marketing.
Click to expand...



David how hard is it to do detailing with another job on the side. Next year I begin working as a coop student (full time) and I am trying to gauge how much detailing I will get around to or at least how much I should.
 
Referrals are our number one source of new business. Our website may or may not generate business, but we get 25 to 40 visits per day, and visitors average almost three minutes on the site. Search engines bring us up first or second...



And, in our area, Angie's List is is very important. We have more than 65 glowing reviews and that drives business - at least 3-4 per week.

Facebook? Not so much.



Local body shops and mechanics are another frequent source of referrals.

We do no actual paid advertising. Certainly no more Yellow pages!
 
Interesting comments.



Without question referrals and word of mouth are critical for any service business, even doctors and dentists thrive off referrals.



But from the posts here it seems that many DETAILERS depend entirely on referrals and word of mouth.



Is that because they have tried other forms of advertising and they did not work, or because it is the ONLY form of advertising they have done?



Other auto service businesses spend thousands of dollars a year advertising their services. What makes the detail service different. Or is it different? Or maybe DETAILERS either don't have enough money to spend on paid advertising, or don't know how to advertise properly?



Just some thought provoking thoughts



Bud Abraham
 
David Fermani said:
Me neither, but this whole madness started when I recieved a PM about 4 years ago when another forum member asked if I could detail his father's cars. After that, it's snowballed and most (if not all at times) of my business comes from forums. I'd hate to see what would happen if I had a website and did some real marketing.
Click to expand...



I get a lot from offtopic.com (refer a lot of their members to autopian detailers too) not only from the Dallas area members, but Austin and Arizona too. I don't even list myself in the pro detailer's list I have stickied in the detailing forum but everyone knows what I do anyway.
 
Bud-referrals and repeat business give me pretty much all I can handle. If I had a large shop, I'd probably need to do some marketing but right now, all I'd be doing is increasing the wait time for people to get scheduled.
 
I firmly believe that ~95% of the population NEVER get their cars detailed.

Advertising to the masses, to reach 5%, makes no sense.

When I see an opportunity to reach my target demographic, such as the little league in an affluent community (30 something moms), I'll invest the money. Same for localized fundraisers. We'll donate a Gift Certificate...
 
buda said:
Interesting comments.



Without question referrals and word of mouth are critical for any service business, even doctors and dentists thrive off referrals.



But from the posts here it seems that many DETAILERS depend entirely on referrals and word of mouth.



Is that because they have tried other forms of advertising and they did not work, or because it is the ONLY form of advertising they have done?



Other auto service businesses spend thousands of dollars a year advertising their services. What makes the detail service different. Or is it different? Or maybe DETAILERS either don't have enough money to spend on paid advertising, or don't know how to advertise properly?



Just some thought provoking thoughts



Bud Abraham
Click to expand...



From my amateur detailer perspective and professional marketing perspective, I'd say it has to do with the kind of customers we're looking for. For the most part, you're not "wash and wax" guys. Professional detailers sell a higher end service to a focused clientele. A great deal of people don't care if their car is super shiny and don't know what a swirl is. It's okay if the car has a few scratches.



Judging from the majority of the cars I see here, people hiring pros have more money, are probably more wealthy and demand a higher level of quality and put more weight into personal referrals, especially when it comes to a professional service that puts their high-dollar vehicle into someone else's hands.



I recently saw a 50% off LivingSocial deal in my area for "detailing" and there were plenty (hundreds?) of those deals sold. I'm guessing that shop is not doing autopian-level details and I worry what cars coming out of there are going to look like. Much less how they're going to afford to do hundreds of details at half off ($45 vs. $90). A neighbor bought one, so I guess I'll get to see first hand (and maybe get a job out of it).



Which leads to yet another point--many people have had poor experiences with "detailers" so a referral from a trusted friend is gold, especially when the results are so obvious to behold.



Anyway, that's my take. And the reason I can see Angie's List working out so well for JB.



At the very least, every pro should have a professional-looking website with your own domain name. It might not sell for you, directly, but having customer testimonials, before/afters, a scheduling app or email address, package information (if not prices), insurance info (that you're insured/bonded), will reinforce the sale, give satisfied customers a route to referrals and lend legitimacy to your business. Have business cards and consider labeled clothing (tshirts, polos, what have you) -- these can be ordered online at very reasonable prices, essentially pay for themselves with a single job. The more you look professional, the less you look like some guy working out of his family car, the better imo.



My 2c.
 
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