Selling you Services

kdubski

kdubski

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This summer I am doing an unpaid internship which is preventing me from having a full-time summer job. When I average out my work, it comes out to about 1 car a week. The problem is, I have about $15k tuition to pay annually and bulk of that comes from whatever job I have that summer, with detailing remaining as side work.

I am looking to go around and "introduce" myself to the plentiful machine shops in my neighborhood (roughly 30). I am emphasizing introducing myself because I don't want to come off as a salesman as most of these places have no solicitation policies. Also, most have secretaries who will prevent me from meeting with the principals who are the guys with the nice cars.

Have any of you successful business owners gone to business' (not limited to car industry) to reach out and acquire work? If so, what has worked for you?
 
When I was starting out, the biggest payoff was seeking out local car forums/car groups and posting up examples of my work.

Documenting complete details (ie show n shine type of write ups) on your website will allow potential customers to really understand the amount of work you put into your services. Most people don't fully understand what goes into an extensive process like a full paint correction and coating installation service, so showing them each step along the way is key in helping them comprehend what they are paying for.

I'm not sure exactly what type of services you're looking to offer, but I think you would have more luck seeking out potential automotive enthusiasts rather than going door-to-door with local businesses.

-Zach
 
I'm trying to position myself as a high end service provider. I have a few exotic car clients, some of which are enthusiasts, some are not.

I am targeting these business' because:
a)There are high end/exotic cars parked outside of them daily (assume owners).
b) Business' can afford the high priced services as they can recover more quickly from that expense as compared to a consumer.
c) Concentration of work, meaning each business is a hub of a network. If I can gain the business of these potential clients, I can also gain the business of THEIR clients.
d) Compared to the regular "enthusiast", most of the people I'm targeting are busy and middle aged. They have little to no interest of detailing themselves.
 
No offense, but if you're a broke college student trying to make tuition $ why attempt to limit yourself to what you already admit to be a select audience? Fine to pick and choose jobs, but it's about who has cash in hand sometimes. Unless you're going to college to learn to be a detailer it's a means to an end and getting an income stream is the critical part. The best businesses I've seen grown start at the grassroots level THEN move into specialty markets.
 
Ccrew said:
No offense, but if you're a broke college student trying to make tuition $ why attempt to limit yourself to what you already admit to be a select audience? Fine to pick and choose jobs, but it's about who has cash in hand sometimes. Unless you're going to college to learn to be a detailer it's a means to an end and getting an income stream is the critical part. The best businesses I've seen grown start at the grassroots level THEN move into specialty markets.
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Good points. This goes back to what your time is worth to you and who is willing to pay for your level of quality. I got into detailing because I am passionate about exotic cars, and this is the type of work I want to do. I invested heavily to cater to these types of car owners and so far I have been having mild success. I am not limiting myself to a select audience, but I am trying to capture more of this market's share. I am not broke, but I am certainly not making as much as I would like to this summer.
 
Owners arrive before anyone and leave after everyone go at 7am and after 6 pm See a nice care out front...Pull in BAM no gatekeeper to deal with...
 
For me just starting out I found the best response on Facebook. I started with our community HOA page, and was able to average a car a week. Neighbors that could drive their car to me, drop it off and walk home. The next place I went was a Craig's list type page for our town, that got me another car or two a week, all free advertising.
 
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