Which services to provide for mobile detailing?

drumr_102

drumr_102

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I'm going to be starting a mobile detailing business in January and I'm currently stocking up on the products I'll need, so I'm checking out the Cyber Monday deals and getting carried away with all of the possibilities of new products for me. What are everyone's opinions on the services crucial to starting/operating a mobile detailing business? I've read up on bare minimum services, but I'm starting to question if I should have some more advanced services to bring in extra money. Or would this be a waste of money initially due to lack of clientele?

I currently have everything to do a two bucket method wash with ONR, clay bar, and a quick wax for the exterior and a steam cleaner, wet/dry vac, and 303 protectant for the interior.

What I'm considering:

Exterior:
-DA Polisher to do traditional waxes and swirl removals
-The wax and swirl remover to perform the services above

Interior:
-Leather products, 303 Fabric Guard, etc.

I'd like to hear opinions and experiences. I don't want to invest time and money into a service that people generally won't want to pay for or appreciate.

Thanks! Happy Cyber Monday shopping!
 
You will spend a lot of time vacuuming

Invest in a good Wet/Dry Vacuum, before buying all the fancy stuff, like foam cannons and 10 different waxes
 
Thanks! I'm glad to hear this. I already have the PF51 already and vacuuming is easy enough.

I get the feeling that most people care about a clean interior more than the exterior. I figure customers will want stains out of their carpet before paying for swirl removal, etc. Has this proved true for anyone?
 
You can have the best products in the world but without clients it's meaningless. Start with the bare minimum & work towards everything else. Some people care more about interiors & vice versa, everyone is different. Starting out I would suggest just worrying about getting clients. Remember to be business minded, not just detail minded.

Good luck. Detailing full time is exhausting but very rewarding & you have potential to make some serious cash.
 
Thank you Tanner! I need this tattooed on me somewhere :) The anticipation gets to me and I begin to over think details (being on AGO almost daily doesn't help) like you say and miss the bigger picture which is having customers to support the business in the first place. I guess I should be focusing more on website design, pricing structure, and customer acquisition, etc.
 
Small and mobile this is all I would offer to start.

Exterior:
1. Wash, clay and sealant.
2. Wash, clay, polish and sealant (upgrade to coating).

Interior:
1. Vac & Damp Towel Wipedown (sounds exactly like it is).
2. Vac, Floor Mat Shampoo and Interior Wipedown with cleaning cracks & crevices.
3. Full Interior, shampoo carpets, seats, mats, clean/condition leather, etc.


The majority of people don't know what swirls are and usually don't want to pay for them to be removed. I think you'll be set since it's winter with just basic exteriors and more thorough interiors. Unless it's a maintenance wash I'm always going to clay...unless of course it genuinely doesn't need it.

I rarely bring up paint correction or swirls with customers who do not contact me with already knowing and wanting them removed, but every customer loves a clean interior.
 
Scott@IncrediblyDetailed said:
The majority of people don't know what swirls are and usually don't want to pay for them to be removed.
Click to expand...

I agree....

The difference between a swirl and squirrel


For clarification...

This is a Squirrel
ScottsVetteScratch011.jpg



These are Swirls
CobwebSwirls001.jpg






Scott@IncrediblyDetailed said:
I rarely bring up paint correction or swirls with customers who do not contact me with already knowing and wanting them removed, but every customer loves a clean interior.
Click to expand...


In my detailing boot camp classes I teach people to under promise and over deliver.

If your customer is what I call a Transportation Customer, that is they think of their car as a means of transportation, not an extension of their personality, then don't educate them on what swirls are because chances are really good all they want is shiny paint, black tires, clear windows and a clean interior.

In other words... the basics... and that's all they want to pay for... nothing wrong with this either, it's the bread and butter of the detailing customer market.


:)
 
All great input thus far and i can't disagree with anything.

I have found a good thorough interior cleaning as you mentioned along with a good exterior wash, decon and wax is sufficient for maybe 80% of my clientele. And among that 80% are varying desires for frequency. The remaining roughly 20% get some or all of my full potential with regard to paint correction. If i were starting out again i would maximize as many of those "80%'s" as possible with VERY GOOD AND RELIABLE BASIC SERVICES. Focus on refining the higher end services on your car, your family cars and the very few customers who want it and grow into that end.

And advertise the crap out of your business!
 
Thank you all for the replies! This is helping me a lot to stay on track :dblthumb2:
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
To the OP... be sure to read through this,

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business


And get one of these,

Mike Phillips - Vehicle Inspection Form - Version 2




:)
Click to expand...

Scott@IncrediblyDetailed said:
Small and mobile this is all I would offer to start.

Exterior:
1. Wash, clay and sealant.
2. Wash, clay, polish and sealant (upgrade to coating).

Interior:
1. Vac & Damp Towel Wipedown (sounds exactly like it is).
2. Vac, Floor Mat Shampoo and Interior Wipedown with cleaning cracks & crevices.
3. Full Interior, shampoo carpets, seats, mats, clean/condition leather, etc.


The majority of people don't know what swirls are and usually don't want to pay for them to be removed. I think you'll be set since it's winter with just basic exteriors and more thorough interiors. Unless it's a maintenance wash I'm always going to clay...unless of course it genuinely doesn't need it.

I rarely bring up paint correction or swirls with customers who do not contact me with already knowing and wanting them removed, but every customer loves a clean interior.
Click to expand...

I don't want to over-complicate my packages, but I'm curious about the polish and wax "tiering". I already have a spray wax that I use after claying, but I'm seeing a lot of suggestions to have a traditional wax. Should I have options for express wax, wax, and a polish and wax similar to Scott's suggestion? If so, wouldn't I want a DA to make these services worth my time?
 
You should definitely have an option for a traditional wax. I have options for a spray wax & traditional. My traditional wax package is one of the most popular, definitely explain the differences between spray waxing & traditional if a customer asks for the spray wax. If it's a new client a typically do a wax & set them up on a regular schedule where I use the spray wax.
 
You also need to decide if your going to do production detailing or not.

Also Facebook is a great tool for gaining new customers, if you use it correctly. I get 95% of my business from Facebook. When I started detailing it took me 3 months to grow my business to the point I was comfortable quitting my full time job to only detail. Just remember to hustle everyday & don't worry about competition or anybody else who details.

Be honest, work hard & take care of your customers. People really respect someone who is genuine & hard working.
 
Tanner Krabill said:
You should definitely have an option for a traditional wax. I have options for a spray wax & traditional. My traditional wax package is one of the most popular, definitely explain the differences between spray waxing & traditional if a customer asks for the spray wax. If it's a new client a typically do a wax & set them up on a regular schedule where I use the spray wax.
Click to expand...

What is the difference between a spray wax and a traditional wax?

How do you explain the difference to the Customer?
 
Mainly the protection you get from a spray wax doesn't last as long as a traditional hand wax.
 
Tanner Krabill said:
Mainly the protection you get from a spray wax doesn't last as long as a traditional hand wax.
Click to expand...


Which spray waxes vs. which traditional waxes?

It is my understanding that there may be no difference between the paste, liquid and spray versions of a product. Only the application technique has changed slightly

I believe that many Customers think of spray wax as what happens when you drive thru an automated car wash and the sign flashes "WAX"

How do you explain the difference between spray wax and traditional wax?
 
Thank you Tanner! You have been extremely helpful.

Do you do hand waxes or use a polisher or some kind of power tools for your waxes? I'm willing to put in the elbow grease for a wax, but if I'm doing waxes for most of my customers I think it would be worth the $100+ for a DA polisher...
 
allenk4 said:
Which spray waxes vs. which traditional waxes?

It is my understanding that there may be no difference between the paste, liquid and spray versions of a product. Only the application technique has changed slightly

I believe that many Customers think of spray wax as what happens when you drive thru an automated car wash and the sign flashes "WAX"

How do you explain the difference between spray wax and traditional wax?
Click to expand...

A spray wax gives you weeks of protection where most waxes last 6+ months I believe.

Someone with a good current layer of wax would benefit from having a spray wax on top of the current wax to give an added layer of protection as well as a new shine, but some cars that haven't had a wax in quite some time would be a candidate for an up-sell to a traditional wax which, to my understanding is a thicker, longer lasting coating.

Through my limited experience there is an obvious difference with the spray wax. If you think about it, it is designed to come out of a spray bottle as a somewhat watery consistency and in my mind that wouldn't be able to stick to a car for as long. I trust someone on here would be able to describe it on a more scientific level though. I tried to find a thread with more info on this, but I could not. I'm sure it's somewhere though...
 
drumr_102 said:
A spray wax gives you weeks of protection where most waxes last 6+ months I believe.

Someone with a good current layer of wax would benefit from having a spray wax on top of the current wax to give an added layer of protection as well as a new shine, but some cars that haven't had a wax in quite some time would be a candidate for an up-sell to a traditional wax which, to my understanding is a thicker, longer lasting coating.

Through my limited experience there is an obvious difference with the spray wax. If you think about it, it is designed to come out of a spray bottle as a somewhat watery consistency and in my mind that wouldn't be able to stick to a car for as long. I trust someone on here would be able to describe it on a more scientific level though. I tried to find a thread with more info on this, but I could not. I'm sure it's somewhere though...
Click to expand...

I am very interested in all of these traditional waxes that last "6+ months". I hope you are not promising 6+ months to your Customers

I do not believe the consistency of the product has much to do with the thickness of the final layer left on the paint after buffing

I have thought about it quite a bit and determined that there is a lot more going on in this new generation of LSP's than can be so easily explained


I am most interested in understanding the discussion with the Customer and how the two options are described/differentiated, especially since they come at two different price points
 
I recommend for daily drivers to have their cars waxed every 3 months. I have one client who does that for his Audi a7 & I also do a spray wax on it every week. The price point is different because the amount of time it takes to apply a liquid or paste wax by hand/DA & buff it off is significantly
Longer than a spray wax.

I pitch it like this, have a good hand wax every three months & spray wax as often as you like. It's another layer of protection over the current wax & keeps the car looking great.

I started out doing everything by hand & bought the porter cable after a couple months. It's great & I highly recommend picking one up.
 
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