when to stop?

E

Envious Eric

New member
when do you guys say that is all the customer paid for and I am done....seems to me that I am constantly overworking myself to get it up to standards even though the customer doesnt pay for it....my fear is they pay for a 150 detail and get it, but go tell their friends they didnt like my work because this wasnt done, or that wasnt included when its included and done with a different package they were made aware of....



example...



some one pays for a one step polish, but car needs a two step, and you tell the customer, but the customer only wants to spend 75 bucks total, so you do it, they get pissed the scratches are not gone, and there are still a little swirl marks from the heavy tunnel wash induced swirls....what do you say/do?
 
Well I never touch a car for $75. I turn down car dealers for more than that.



You need to communicate with people, be frank with them upfront when you see what the actual condition is. When i quote a price over the phone. I give them a mid-range average price and tell them it could be more or less.



Back to talking to your customers, when your there to do the job, tell them what to expect by a 1 step compared to a 2 step, and let them make a decision on what they want, some people just want a shiny car. however you need to do this before you touch the car
 
toyotaguy said:
when do you guys say that is all the customer paid for and I am done....seems to me that I am constantly overworking myself to get it up to standards even though the customer doesnt pay for it
Click to expand...





It sounds like you need to figure out how to fully explain the difference between the various services you are offering. And that can sometimes be a problem.



The solution would be to try to simplify your services down to a small number of limited choices. That way the customer will have a more clear view of exactly what it is they expect you to accomplish for the money they are spending.
 
I only offer three detail packages....I educate them on polish break down, glaze functionality, clay bar process, and the durabilty between waxes and sealants. If they still have more questions, then I answer them. i tell what I think that the car will need to remove the defects, and what the outcome will be if they do not do the recommended package. I thoroughly inform them that if I dont use an aggressive polish (not a compound), then all the swirls and light scratches will not be removed, even though their paint will look 10 times shinnier! so what other means of education should I use....on the rare occasion, I do a test panel to show the differences in the polish process...
 
explain to them that you recommend that they have a full detail done first due to the condition of the paint. if they choose to get the lower end package, the paint is not going to look as good as it can due to the defects. not only that, but they probably wont be happy with the low end package because the paint needs to be prepped for that package to work to its maximum potential.



if the customer is that greedy, just tell them upfront that you wont work on their car, and reccommend them to another detailer in the area that will be happy to do a shotty job, and rape them of their money. however, if they get the full package, you can maintain it with the cheaper package once the paint has been fully prepped, and sealed. if all they want is a shiney car, the lower end package will do that. but if they want the paint to look better than the day they bought it, recommend the complete package.



agreed with the other poster. be upfront, and communicate with them.



explain to them that by spending the extra on a complete detail will not only make it look its best, but it will also have a much higher resale/trade-in value, and will save them from dropping thousands on a repaint.



i havent tried this, but how about having pictures of what the other packages are capable of on non prepped paint? take a shot of the car normally, with a wash and wax, snap a shot of the swirls, and then the complete detail...something to that extent.
 
I agree with MirrorFinish . I would add this ,ask the customer what it is they expect and taylor a detailer package that fits their budget. I'm not a fan of menu type detailing packages , I find it confuses the customer's more then anything . Keep it simple for yourself and the customer and you'll find those endless jobs have an end . Best of luck :buffing:
 
Believe it or not, most people don't notice most paint defects. Those that know what to look for should also know the work it takes to remove them, and be willing to pay accordingly. If they don't want to pay, then don't do their car- that simple. It may seem hard if you're not doing a whole lot of cars and would like to get more in, but you can't let that get the best of you. There will be plenty more cars to detail.
 
most people dont notice defects, but when theyre removed...all of a sudden their cars color looks much deeper, and has more depth. the lightest amount of swirls hazes the paint, and they accumulate over time. so while they may think their paint looks ok, once you remove the swirls, itll look like totally different paint. the thing is, most people dont understand this, so i think that pictures may be a good idea. of course, you can always pull out your swirl light, and show them the defects up close. if they arent blind, they should be able to notice how it dulls the paint. some people are naive when it comes to things like this, if you have to waste your time trying to convince them that its worth it, they arent worth your time.
 
Being in the detailing business should not be about having to convince the customer of anything. In order to become successful you must constantly be focused on meeting the needs of your customers. It is basic marketing; 'find a need and fill it'.



Many detailing businesses fail because the owners are too busy taking care of the technical side of the business. They may be good detailers, however, that does not necessarily make them good business owners.



The key to offering a 'customer friendly' package is to fully understanding what the customer needs and then figuring out how you are going to fill that need. Of course, customers expect to see good results; however, they are equally concerned with all of the things that you do that adds up to creating an overall good experience.



You have to create a strategic plan that will help you to identify the customer and why that customer needs the service being offered. When it comes to detailing, it’s not about price. It’s more about offering a high-quality service that is constantly focused on meeting the needs of your customer.



Just provide professional services and always aim to meet and exceed the needs of your customer. It is basically that simple.
 
I had this same issue early on - the solution for me was to refuse to do less work than was needed. I have three packages too, a wash & wax, one step polish, and the multistep (so everything). I let people know a wash & wax won't remove any paint defects, and if I show up and they want a one step and the car is black and clearly needs a multistep, I just tell them. 99% of the time they say ok and are out of their mind with joy at the results. 1% think I'm trying to upsell them and I lose them as a customer; oh well.
 
I do all my detailing at my shop. I do small cars for $150 and up from there. My problem is, as long as the car is in my shop, I don't know when to quit. I may have spent 5 hours on it and I'll spot some little something I'm SURE the customer would never notice. I usually undersell and over deliver. My repeat business is great.
 
I spend about 7 hours on each car and charge $180, onsite. After 7 hours of work with only 15 minutes of break time, I can stop working and have a clear conscience that I gave my customer his/her money's worth.



Sometimes you'll obsess about getting every possible streak out of a window, or every particle of dust out of the console, but you just have to draw the line somewhere and walk away. I draw that line at the 7 hour mark.
 
Picus said:
I had this same issue early on - the solution for me was to refuse to do less work than was needed. I have three packages too, a wash & wax, one step polish, and the multistep (so everything). I let people know a wash & wax won't remove any paint defects, and if I show up and they want a one step and the car is black and clearly needs a multistep, I just tell them. 99% of the time they say ok and are out of their mind with joy at the results. 1% think I'm trying to upsell them and I lose them as a customer; oh well.
Click to expand...



Same here. I no longer do cars for cheapskates because they want perfection at a wash price.
 
A gentleman called me the other day to detail his 1980 Porsche, very low miles. We meet at a nearby Starbucks and I told him what I believed the car needed, how I would do it, that I would need it for 2 full days and my price would be $500.00.



He thought for a moment then agreed on it and we shook hands. This way I know what I am getting into and my client knows exactly what the cost will be, what I will be able to get done and what I won't be able to fix. That's the method I would recommend to you.



Anthony
 
I began with the attitude that I only knew one way to clean a car - completely. Some cars need more "A", and some cars need more "B", but it all evens out in the long run. So, our pricing includes literally everything the car needs, short of touchup paint (which we can do, but...).



We offer three simple options: Complete, Int Only, and Ext Only. We occasionally do simple washes (for exotics, usually), but our space and schedule doesn't allow for much.



The vast majority of our clients could care less what steps and techniques we use, they just expect a very clean car.



Someone on this Board uses the slogan "You're Driving Our Reputation". I like that. That's why we don't offer a one-step buff/wax... We make paint better than most clients will ever appreciate.



We depend on that excellent word of mouth that only comes from doing your best work, every time.



And charging accordingly.



Jim
 
Best way to tell someone is to show them.. i dont detail for a living but if i were you i would get a suv fender or body part that has damaged paint and tape off 3 sections and do you step 1 step 2 and step 3 tp each section to show the diff.
 
good post great questions, i asked myself the same ones for months on months. now i charge an hourly rate regardless what i am doing plus materials used, i explain that a simple go over wash/vacc takes about an hour and that the work needed on thier vehicle is 4-10hrs or whatever, then go over your process when they say "who washes a car for ten hours" which the often do. anyhow save yourself some trouble and only offer one package for first timers, and touch ups for the beautiful cars youve already put that way. it will save you months of frustration. just my two cents
 
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