What's your sales pitch?

I

imported_GregCavi

New member
Today while I was getting my hair cut, one of the stylists had her car returned from a "detail." I overheard her ask the kid if he got the imperfections out, and to his reply "no." After hearing this, and expecting the worse, I introduced myself and told her that I specialize in paint restoration, and asked if she would like me to take a look at the car. Upon inspection I saw the car was riddled with holograms, and the typical wax in every nook and cranny. I explained to the lady about the damage and what I do to correct it. In describing what I do I could tell she wasn't buying what I was explaining.



So my question after all of that is what is your sales pitch, or more specifically, how do I convey that I will do the best detailing work on her car?



Greg
 
GregCavi said:
Today while I was getting my hair cut, one of the stylists had her car returned from a "detail." I overheard her ask the kid if he got the imperfections out, and to his reply "no." After hearing this, and expecting the worse, I introduced myself and told her that I specialize in paint restoration, and asked if she would like me to take a look at the car. Upon inspection I saw the car was riddled with holograms, and the typical wax in every nook and cranny. I explained to the lady about the damage and what I do to correct it. In describing what I do I could tell she wasn't buying what I was explaining.



So my question after all of that is what is your sales pitch, or more specifically, how do I convey that I will do the best detailing work on her car?



Greg
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from my experience, and i'm not a professional but do get enough customers, most people who aren't educated about car detailing will not want to learn...

for example, i've done the same thing you have, and got the nice "no" response... on the other hand, ive only said to a guy "i can fix that for you" and got a customer...

now i know people are different, but the 2 i'm talking about were "similar people" haha

you know what i'm talking about... regular everyday guys with 8-5 jobs and avg. cars....

from that experience, explaining to the guy who said no maybe meant that i was trying really hard to take his money by sounding "smart" and talking in detail about what he needs fixed



sorry for the long post... to answer your question, i don't really have a sales pitch, or don't work on one since 95% of my business comes from word of mouth... every now and then there'll be a car and a guy checking his scratches, so i would tell him i can fix it etc. etc..



hope this helps in any way
 
I always tried to do a hands on approach to selling a job. I would demonstrate the clay procedure, then buff & wax. I then enforse that the whole car will be done this way and will all look like the small portion I did. Then I ask what day they want their car done and collect a deposit to hold the date. Done.
 
David Fermani said:
I always tried to do a hands on approach to selling a job. I would demonstrate the clay procedure, then buff & wax. I then enforse that the whole car will be done this way and will all look like the small portion I did. Then I ask what day they want their car done and collect a deposit to hold the date. Done.
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I think I am going to have to try the demo approach from now on. I think there are to many super hack shops around my new city that always fall short on promises.



Greg
 
My sales pitch is that I approach it from a paint care standpoint - I explain to the customer that all paint is going to fail eventually, but that I remove contamination and provide protection in a manner that increases the long term longetivity and eventually resale value of the car. I tell them that a few extra bucks spent with me over a hack detailer will turn into a net gain when they go to trade it in or sell it. Most of my clients understand that having me detail actually saves them money in the long run, as a car that I care for regularly is going to blue book out to "excellent" as long as they do their part (keep up on repairs, don't crash it).
 
GregCavi said:
So my question after all of that is what is your sales pitch?
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A good sales pitch will not do very much when it comes to getting someone interested in having their car detailed. High pressure sales tactics usually do not work. What does work is going out there and finding clients who already have a need for the services you offer and then filling that need. Keep it simple. Being in the detailing business should not be about becoming a good sales person. It should be about becoming a good business person.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
A good sales pitch will not do very much when it comes to getting someone interested in having their car detailed. High pressure sales tactics usually do not work. What does work is going out there and finding clients who already have a need for the services you offer and then filling that need. Keep it simple. Being in the detailing business should not be about becoming a good sales person. It should be about becoming a good business person.
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So what do you tell prospective new customers when they call and say, "I'd like to get my car detailed, what does it entail and how much does it cost?"



More importantly what do you say to them when they say, "so and so will do that for $50 cheaper, why the price difference?"



Is that not part of sales?



It doesn't have to be high pressure to be considered a sales pitch. In detailing you have to sell yourself, gain their trust by delivering on your promises, much like in any business.



Perhaps you can answer this for me because I cannot for the life of me find an answer to it...Besides people who sell cars who has a "need" for detailing?



Also



How can you become a good business person but be lousey at sales?
 
mirrorfinishman said:
A good sales pitch will not do very much when it comes to getting someone interested in having their car detailed. High pressure sales tactics usually do not work. What does work is going out there and finding clients who already have a need for the services you offer and then filling that need. Keep it simple. Being in the detailing business should not be about becoming a good sales person. It should be about becoming a good business person.
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Being a salesman is one of the most key components to being a sucessful detailing business owner -(Business 101) Most customers shop several places before making a decision which one will do their vehicle. If your sales ability is lacking and does not stand out from the rest, you'll probably loose the sale. Most shop owners in my area don't do a good job of selling detailing as a process and don't represent themselves professional. That's where I capitalize and get the sale. If you can sell, your closing rate will be higher, you'll have more clients, more work, better reputation and more money. If you don't sell, you're leaving money on the table for people like me. Thanks. :clap:



Frank, What do you do when a potential customer requests your services? Give them a price brochure and a business card tell them to call you when you're ready? :nixweiss :confused:
 
As eluded to earlier, some customers eyes begin to glaze over a bit when you begin to get too technical with the process and steps for paint correction. The single best method that I have found to get your point across is through the use of a portfolio. After all what is it that you are selling? A visual correction right?



Take a before and after picture of different body panels with different defects and throw them into a portfolio and into the trunk of your car. Instead of verbally stating your methods, show a before and after.
 
spendyg said:
As eluded to earlier, some customers eyes begin to glaze over a bit when you begin to get too technical with the process and steps for paint correction. The single best method that I have found to get your point across is through the use of a portfolio. After all what is it that you are selling? A visual correction right?



Take a before and after picture of different body panels with different defects and throw them into a portfolio and into the trunk of your car. Instead of verbally stating your methods, show a before and after.
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i just thought of that a couple weeks ago.... just doing like 2 photos, before/after, on a page, and putting maybe 5-10 pages in a folder to show different defects, what they looked like after detailing, and a few full car shots

i thought it was a pretty good idea, glad someone else thinks so :spot
 
I think the portfolio idea is a good one. When you guys explain your process to prospective customers, how do you do it? Do you just explain the process or do you actually explain how it works? I mean if you just tell the woman that you polish the paint with X compound, then polish again with X polish, then seal with a wax, that doesn't really tell them much. It sounds like what the local kid detailer/swirlcreator can do.



The key to obtaining business as another mentioned, is to find a need, and then tell them what you can do to fill that need. Using the hairdresser as an example, we already know she has the need because she asked the kid if he got the imperfections out. So you know that she at least cares about the finish of the paint. You can then use that opportunity to explain to her how most detailers like that kid simply take the easy approach to detailing and try to cover up the imperfections with wax. Then explain to her that you go much more in depth to remove the imperfections. Then explain the process and keep it simple, telling her about how you actually remove a minute amount of the paint to take out scratches instead of covering them. Throw in a good analogy to explain the imortance of a "real" detail compared to what this kid did. One that comes to mind would be that this kids cheap detail equates to buying certain slimming clothes to help hide the fact you are overweight. But your detail is like getting on that treadmill to attack the problem and get rid of the weight. Sure it's a lot of work, but it results in a much better look as well as being more healthy.
 
How does it get better than actually demonstrating what can be done on a portion of the customer's vehicle? Your not confusing the person with just verbal language. Most people respond and learn best from visual explanations and this is most effective when used with your sales pitch. Also, there won't any surprises when the customer inspects their vehicle when it's done. They know and understand what to expect ahead of time. This works for me great.
 
Greg,



I re-read your original post and I have to think that it may have been better for you to just introduce yourself, hand her one of your business cards and tell her to remember you the next time she needs to have her car detailed. Since she just paid someone to detail her car now and they were not able to get the imperfections out, there is a pretty good chance she would go with you next time.



Your situation is a classic example of finding someone who has a need and then filling that need. Rather than trying to hit her with a sales pitch, it would have been much better to just let her know that you would be happy to take care of her car the next time she needs to have it detailed. That way you would have been giving her an opportunity to choose you, rather than trying to sell her on your services.



Just my thoughts on the subject.
 
MichaelM said:
More importantly what do you say to them when they say, "so and so will do that for $50 cheaper, why the price difference?"
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I tell em to "eff off" & stop wasting my time... :)
 
mirrorfinishman said:
I have to think that it may have been better for you to just introduce yourself, hand her one of your business cards and tell her to remember you the next time she needs to have her car detailed. Since she just paid someone to detail her car now and they were not able to get the imperfections out, there is a pretty good chance she would go with you next time.
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Seems like all your doing here is putting yourself next in line to dissapoint. At this point the customer has already had a "detailer" fail. How do you differentiate yourself from the rest by only giving them a card and saying, "try me next"?



You have a much better chance getting the job by telling them WHY they should choose you. If that doesn't work, SHOW them why they should choose you. And if THAT doesn't work and they can't see the value in what you do, thank them for their time and let them walk. They aren't your customer.



Of course, in this case, actually being able to correct the paint issues is quite important.
 
Excellent points everyone! Thanks everyone for their input. In the future I plan this:



First off I will introduce my self and give them a very quick mission statement. I will then present them with a small album of before/afters. After that if they are interested in an estimate or test spot I will do so. Finally I will leave them with a card, a handshake, and be on my way.



On the issue of what do you say to someone who says, shop B does this for X amount cheaper than you, I say "why don't you go there then? I then tell them that I assure them my work is of higher quality than that shop.



I have no problem telling someone to go to the cheaper one if they think my prices are to expensive. High quality detailing isn't for everyone, and there are far more customers that can appreciate the work.



Greg
 
Upon every estimate or conversation I have with a potential customer, I fill out an estimate/quote sheet and give them a copy. This includes the customer's name, #, address, vehicle information and complete estimate for repairs. This way I have their info to follow up with them to possibly get the sale. I show them that I'm interested in working with them and it protrays a professional image. Again, most detail shop owners don't go out of their way to get the sale and every little bit helps. See, without any structured sales technique with today's business environment, you're not fully marketing yourself professionally. The more you apply sales and marketing techniques to your daily business operations, the more sucessful you will become. How many times do you give out a business card or flyer to a potential customers and never hear back from them? There's probably a good reason why. Especially when they seemed really interested in you.
 
When I pitch my services to someone, I compare it to something they already know.



For example, I compare a proper car detail to getting a proper facial at the salon when I am talking to a woman. I explain to her that there are many steps, as she would know, to a proper facial like cleansing, steaming, exfoliating, blemish removal, hydrating and moisturizing. I then explain that there are many steps to a proper detail similar to a facial. You don't just go to the salon wash your face and slap on a cream just like you don't wash a car and slap on a bulk cleaner wax.



With men, I compare it to painting your house. I explain to him that there are many steps, as he would know, to a proper paint job like scraping, sanding, spackling, caulking, sanding again, priming then painting. You just don't slap on a coat of paint to the house.



Furthermore, I explain that there are the proper products, knowledge, skills and techniques to use when getting a facial or painting just like there a proper products knowledge, skills and techniques to use when detailing to ensure a swirl free, marr free, hologram free, well bonded durable finish proper for your car's color to maximize it's beauty.



When you break it down like that and briefly explain the benefits of each detailing step and explain the quality of your products they'll understand. Many never realized how in depth detailing is and then they understand your pricing, have an appreciation for the service and become eager to have their car done. You finish up by telling them they can go the cheap route and get what they pay for, or get it done properly and pay accordingly (in a more diplomatic way). Offer them a couple references.



With this 5 minute conversation you have educated them while simultaneously SELLING them on your services without "high pressure tactics." Instead of waiting around for those "who have a need" for detailing, you can sell yourself to those who know nothing about it. I have received more referrals from these people than from those "who have a need" for detailing. You can not be in business without selling your business. If not, enjoy not expanding your client base by ignoring a massive market. The proper sale equals educating the potential client not selling them in the traditional sense of the word.



Hope this helps.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Seth,



Let me be the first to tell you that you can most certainly expand your client base and continue to grow your business without using a sales pitch.
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Is it the best way?
 
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