What is your sales pitch when people aren't willing to spend money?

I agree with David that simply talking to someone about detailing can be a sales pitch. However, the situation brought up with this thread is trying to sell a $150 detail to someone only willing to pay $50 for it. When someone has their mind made up that $50 is their budget for a detail job, how, if at all, do you think you could get them to spend 3 times that amount?



The only one's I think can be convinced are the one's who are ignorant. They think a detail is a wash and wax so they can't understand why it costs so much. When they get the process explained to them, see some pictures, are educated as to what the products do that why they're needed then they are more willing to spend the money to get it done.



I prefer to deal with the one's who have the money to get the work done, I am no infomercial salesman and choose not to spend much time going above and beyond to sell my service to someone.
 
I offer three packages to fit most people's budget. Basically, they are wash and vacuum, mini-detail, and full detail. Rarely do I get people that are not willing to pay the price for these pacakages. If someone balks at my prices, I do my best to explain the value in the service. As already stated some people just do not see the value in detailing. Most of us do not want those type of people as customers.
 
rkf76 said:
I agree with David that simply talking to someone about detailing can be a sales pitch. However, the situation brought up with this thread is trying to sell a $150 detail to someone only willing to pay $50 for it. When someone has their mind made up that $50 is their budget for a detail job, how, if at all, do you think you could get them to spend 3 times that amount?



The only one's I think can be convinced are the one's who are ignorant. They think a detail is a wash and wax so they can't understand why it costs so much. When they get the process explained to them, see some pictures, are educated as to what the products do that why they're needed then they are more willing to spend the money to get it done.



I prefer to deal with the one's who have the money to get the work done, I am no infomercial salesman and choose not to spend much time going above and beyond to sell my service to someone.
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You will find it very hard to make a real career out of this, if you dont want to educate people, and only want to deal with people that know what a real detail is and how the products work.
 
joshtpa said:
You will find it very hard to make a real career out of this, if you dont want to educate people, and only want to deal with people that know what a real detail is and how the products work.
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joshtpa,



Be careful and speak for yourself.



Contrary to popular belief, there are a few of us professional detailing business owners who have actually made a successful and profitable career out of this without constantly throwing a sales pitch at people who aren't willing to spend the money. It is always much better to go after the target market who have the money and who totally understand the value of car detailing. Remember, people who say it cannot be done, are usually interrupted by others doing it.
 
Ok, if you say so. Of course it would be easier to do that, but those customers are few and far between. Any form of profitable business involves sales.
 
You are right josh. It is easier. The difficult part is going out there and finding those good clients who are both willing (and able) to spend the money. That is probably why so many detailers think a sales pitch is going to somehow convince the people who aren't willing to spend the money. Always try to remain focused on; who is your customer? and why does that customer need your service? That will help you to find those good detailing customers. They are out there, it just takes a little work to find them.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
You are right josh. It is easier. The difficult part is going out there and finding those good clients who are both willing (and able) to spend the money. That is probably why so many detailers think a sales pitch is going to somehow convince the people who aren't willing to spend the money. Always try to remain focused on; who is your customer? and why does that customer need your service? That will help you to find those good detailing customers. They are out there, it just takes a little work to find them.
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Frank, very true. I have realized that with certain types of people, no amount of "selling" will make them understand the value in a detail costing more than $200. Other types of people just need to be "sold" a little to convince them to buy. I have also found that it is not necessarily the rich who will buy detailing services. Many times middle to upper middle class are the ones who buy most of my detailing services.
 
The "rich" in most cases will not. It is not always the people that have money that spend money...Like I said before...Look at the sneaker industry. They sell to low income households, because that is how they are MARKETED.
 
joshtpa said:
Ok, if you say so. Of course it would be easier to do that, but those customers are few and far between. Any form of profitable business involves sales.
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Actually, there are a lot more of those customers than you think...and they are more than willing to 'sell' you to their friends if you do quality work.
 
I vote for finding your target market as well. I do not have my own detailing business. However, after simply browsing this site and seeing all of the click-and-brags, I would be absolutely willing to pay any of you guys your set price for a detail. I'm not wealthy by any means, I have observed the processes/products/tools you all use frequently and I have a good idea of the actual condition of my cars' paint. However, TIME is an issue for many people's level of care for their cars. I have time to wash, clay, vacuum and wax my cars sometimes, but a full detail is usually out of the question.



It comes down to, as many have mentioned, value. People need to understand that they get what they pay for with professional services. If they can't comprehend $200+ for intricate, labor-intensive work that may take a full work-day+, they do not really care to have their car looking its best and do not need to take up your time, as you are in business as a professional, not the neighborhood car-wash kid.



From a consumer standpoint, it is good to have various packages for different levels of service and provide them up front.



Confidence, honesty, explanation of work, references, perhaps a brief portfolio of past jobs for comparisons are all things I would look for in a professional service provider of any sort.



-John
 
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