Started offically (part time lol) detailing, got my 1st repeat customer today

JWilliams.RadiantDetail

JWilliams.RadiantDetail

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I still gotta work my regular job so I can pay my bills. But, I don't go into work until 4PM so I can have a good amount of time to detail before work. Hope to be doing this full time before summers over. I gave them a good deal on a basic wash and interior semi detail. Asked if they wanted to add on a spray wax, he said no thanks and that he thought it already looked great (Black 2013 or 14 Benz C300) He went back in the house, and I took it upon myself to throw in BF Midnight Sun Carnuba spray wax. They want me to come back every 2 weeks. The sun was just about down when I finished so I couldn't get any pics. But that spray wax looks FANTASTIC! I need to buy a gallon of it. So fast to do an entire car, and so easy to remove. He ended up paying me more than we agreed upon, not a whole lot. But $10 over's ten extra bucks in my pocket. I'm lo-balling myself at the start to draw customers in. Yesterday I did 2 cars and both people ended up giving me more than I told them.
 
Nice job! Keep up the hard work, eventually you'll be able to raise your starting price by $10!
 
asianisafish said:
Nice job! Keep up the hard work, eventually you'll be able to raise your starting price by $10!
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HOPE it's more than that lol. I'm letting people I talk to right now that the quote they're getting's an introductory thing. Until I'm established, I'll stay semi flexible on my pricing, will gladly take a bit less $$$ for potential repeat customers and word of mouth from them.

Related - If anyone knows a reward web site program that's not expensive I'm all ears. Would love a flexible system I can use to track customers and set up rewards. I use Square for payments. And they offer a rewards system for free, but it's limited to 1 offering. They have a paid version, but it's still just 1 tier. The programs I'm finding online are either expensive, or far too lacking. I just want a points system where I can set up various rewards, give people a card and scan it every time I do a detail for them. I don't expect it to be free, would love to find something in the $30 a month range.
 
Congratulations quebert, hope more and more customers come your way .....keep on striving higher
 
props to you and i hope you have continued success!
 
quebert said:
I still gotta work my regular job so I can pay my bills. But, I don't go into work until 4PM so I can have a good amount of time to detail before work. Hope to be doing this full time before summers over. I gave them a good deal on a basic wash and interior semi detail. Asked if they wanted to add on a spray wax, he said no thanks and that he thought it already looked great (Black 2013 or 14 Benz C300) He went back in the house, and I took it upon myself to throw in BF Midnight Sun Carnuba spray wax. They want me to come back every 2 weeks. The sun was just about down when I finished so I couldn't get any pics. But that spray wax looks FANTASTIC! I need to buy a gallon of it. So fast to do an entire car, and so easy to remove. He ended up paying me more than we agreed upon, not a whole lot. But $10 over's ten extra bucks in my pocket. I'm lo-balling myself at the start to draw customers in. Yesterday I did 2 cars and both people ended up giving me more than I told them.
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Dont do that so often on low pricing,your present new customers will spread the word that your cheap and good,and then from a year from now you will be flooded with customers on that note and by the time you deduct your labor and chemicals you will find out that your true profit will be 10 hr so be careful.
 
Congrats. It is a big step to doing this even part time and put your name on the car instead of doing for a company and that company get all the praises.
 
Shoot high. Great job on the impression that you made. Like everyone has said, make sure you limit the introductory offer timeframe.
 
StephenK said:
Congrats. It is a big step to doing this even part time and put your name on the car instead of doing for a company and that company get all the praises.
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Thank you, since Xmas I've spent money on all this like I've been a professional full time detailer for a decade now lol. Friends and family have called me all sorts of stupid for going so over board. And while I don't totally disagree with them, I didn't want to start low end and have all sorts of stuff I was without, and things I'd want to replace. Even if it took me longer, I wasn't going to compromise on the products & tools I use. I definitely could have started with less products and a lot less high end stuff. But now I'm set for rest of the year.
 
j.williams@perpetualradiance said:
Thank you, since Xmas I've spent money on all this like I've been a professional full time detailer for a decade now lol. Friends and family have called me all sorts of stupid for going so over board. And while I don't totally disagree with them, I didn't want to start low end and have all sorts of stuff I was without, and things I'd want to replace. Even if it took me longer, I wasn't going to compromise on the products & tools I use. I definitely could have started with less products and a lot less high end stuff. But now I'm set for rest of the year.
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Congrats! The same thing happened to me! Started taking care of my new car and kept buying high end products and tools from here and then before I know it I have a garage full of detailing products and now I am starting a part time business for weekend detailing!
 
Congrats! Keep on kickin booty. That is an awesome sign because of your talented work.
 
GSKR said:
Dont do that so often on low pricing,your present new customers will spread the word that your cheap and good,and then from a year from now you will be flooded with customers on that note and by the time you deduct your labor and chemicals you will find out that your true profit will be 10 hr so be careful.
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:agree:This


Think about it like this. You have Wholefoods, Walmart, a local grocery store. They all sell groceries, but in the beginning, each one leveraged themselves to be a certain place in the market. Not that one is better or worse that the other. Walmart obviously has to do volume. Wholefoods has presumably higher margins and does not.

Reputation is a powerful thing. It spreads fast. I do mobile headlight restoration and purposely leverage my business to NOT be the cheap guy out there. It works for me for various reasons.

In these early days, decide where you want to be and start now. Customer do not take kindly to price increases so make what you want to make NOW.
 
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