Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
The Get Me a New Customer Kit by Mike Phillips
I share a lot of business information, tips and techniques to help the people in my detailing classes that are detailing for money, (many attend just to learn how to detail their own car or cars), and that's because my job is to make them successful.
Here's just one of them....
The "Get Me a New Customer Kit"
Here's what's in it
Clean, microfiber towels stored in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag. (to keep them clean and uncontaminated when stored in your car, truck or suv)
Clay lubricant that also doubles as a spray detailer
Detailing Clay
Sandwich baggies
Post-it notes
Swirl Finder Light
Business cards
Paint Thickness Gauge
Here's how you use the kit....
First you need to be a people person, that is you have to have confidence in yourself to be able to talk to strangers that you meet about your car detailing business.
After striking up a conversation on the topic of potentially detailing their car, you suggest that together you take a look at the car. After looking over the car, as a detailer you should be able to determine the condition of the paint at least to some general degree, like neglected condition, kind-of-okay condition, maybe brand-new-condition.
Regardless of the condition, tell the potential customer that you have a series of tests you can do to get a more accurate evaluation of the paint. Then you pull out your kit.
First step: Take a post-it note and rip it off of the stack of post-it notes and hand it to the potential customer and ask them to hold it between their thumb and index finger. Point out how thin it feels. Then tell them that a post-it note is around 3 mils thin. Then tell them the factory clearcoat on modern cars is around 2 mils thin. The effect this has is to drive home the point that the clear layer of paint on their car is THIN. Then go deep. Tell them that all the UV protection for the entire paint job, (clear layer, basecoat layer, primer, etc.), is in the top clearcoat layer. Explain that hiring a detailer or detail shop without training to understand this simple aspect of the car's pant is risky. Look around the parking lot for a car with clearcoat failure and the point to it and state that clearcoat failure can happen if a car is not properly polished and wax.
Second step: Ask them if you can wipe the dirt and dust off a section of paint on either the hood or the trunk lid. Most people will say "yes". After wiping the dust off using your clay lube and clean microfiber towel, (be sure to remove the towel out of the zip-lock back to show them it's clean and that you actually care about your work), then you feel the paint first with your clean bare hand. This is so YOU have an idea if the paint is contaminated or not and how it feels to bare skin. If it feels bumpy or gritty without using the baggie you know it's going to feel REALLY BAD when they feel it with the baggie test. BUT start with just your clean, bare hand. Then ask them to feel the same area with their hand. In a lot of cases, even contaminated paint can feel smooth especially to the untrained person.
Next, you feel the paint with the baggie test (so you know the level of contamination), and then have them feel using the baggie test. If the paint is contaminated and this is the most common scenario for any daily driver, then their eyes will light up and they will say something like
Oh my gosh! What is that?
Then you calmly explain how there are contaminants in the air, things like industrial fallout, tree sap mist, overspray paint, etc. and that when these contaminants land on their car's paint, if not removed in a short amount of time they build-up and give the paint a rough or bumpy texture.
Then tell them that's where detailing clay comes into play. Explain how detailing clay works to remove bonded contaminants. If you don't know, I have an article on that topic. Also be sure to tell them that bonded contaminants don't normally wash off, (they didn't wipe off with the clay lube) and the best way to remove them is via a mechanical means like detailing clay. You can go deep and let them know that as long as the contaminants are present, applying a coat of wax is for the most part a waste of time because the layer of contaminants block the wax from bonding to the paint.
Up to this point you have,
1: Established that clearcoats are thin.
2: Shown that the customer's paint is contaminated
3: You have demonstrated that you know your craft and are professional in your manner.
Third step: Go to Swirl City
Now if the sun is out, shining overhead, you can position yourself and the car owner to look down at the hood or trunk lid where the sun is reflecting the light back to your eyes and point out the swirls, scratches and often times water spots.
If the sun is not out, then use your swirl finder light. When they ask you what the light is, don't ever say it's a flashlight. Anyone has and knows how to use a flashlight. You're a professional and you own a Swirl Finder Light. Explain how swirls build up just like contaminants over time and that these scratches in the paint open the paint surface up and besides being unsightly they enable further deterioration, i.e. oxidation and in severe cases... clearcoat failure.
Close the deal
At some point you should be able to tell if the customer is interested in having their car detailed or they're simply either wasting your time or gathering information to price shop and at this point you can let them know you are a professional detailer and fully equipped to remove the defects and restore the shine to their car.
And of course, if you're a regular member of AutogeekOnline and have requested my VIF or Vehicle Inspection Form you know you're supposed to have at least three "packages" or service offerings to appeal to all levels of cars and customers. Next you share your packages and what they include and then match your package to your customer. Many customers with a daily driver or grocery getter will be happy with your Package 1 where you'll simply use a one-step cleaner/wax. Others may opt for Package 2 or Package 3 depending upon their car and their affection for a clean ride.
That's the Get Me a New Customer Kit. Put one together and like the saying goes...
Don't leave home without it...
If you have a fixed shop you can do all of the above too... the kit is for mobile detailers AND fixed location detailers when they are driving. If you're like me, you always meet people and talk about car detailing so might as well be prepared.
Optional
If you have a paint thickness gauge, keep it with you. I would say in most cases pulling out your paint thickness gauge and measuring paint thickness will usually be overkill and in most cases will be too much information for the average person to take in. The paint thickness gauge is a powerful marketing tool however and can be used to your advantage as it demonstrates even further your expertise in the craft of car detailing.
I share a lot of business information, tips and techniques to help the people in my detailing classes that are detailing for money, (many attend just to learn how to detail their own car or cars), and that's because my job is to make them successful.
Here's just one of them....
The "Get Me a New Customer Kit"
Here's what's in it
Clean, microfiber towels stored in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag. (to keep them clean and uncontaminated when stored in your car, truck or suv)
Clay lubricant that also doubles as a spray detailer
Detailing Clay
Sandwich baggies
Post-it notes
Swirl Finder Light
Business cards
Paint Thickness Gauge
Here's how you use the kit....
First you need to be a people person, that is you have to have confidence in yourself to be able to talk to strangers that you meet about your car detailing business.
After striking up a conversation on the topic of potentially detailing their car, you suggest that together you take a look at the car. After looking over the car, as a detailer you should be able to determine the condition of the paint at least to some general degree, like neglected condition, kind-of-okay condition, maybe brand-new-condition.
Regardless of the condition, tell the potential customer that you have a series of tests you can do to get a more accurate evaluation of the paint. Then you pull out your kit.
First step: Take a post-it note and rip it off of the stack of post-it notes and hand it to the potential customer and ask them to hold it between their thumb and index finger. Point out how thin it feels. Then tell them that a post-it note is around 3 mils thin. Then tell them the factory clearcoat on modern cars is around 2 mils thin. The effect this has is to drive home the point that the clear layer of paint on their car is THIN. Then go deep. Tell them that all the UV protection for the entire paint job, (clear layer, basecoat layer, primer, etc.), is in the top clearcoat layer. Explain that hiring a detailer or detail shop without training to understand this simple aspect of the car's pant is risky. Look around the parking lot for a car with clearcoat failure and the point to it and state that clearcoat failure can happen if a car is not properly polished and wax.
Second step: Ask them if you can wipe the dirt and dust off a section of paint on either the hood or the trunk lid. Most people will say "yes". After wiping the dust off using your clay lube and clean microfiber towel, (be sure to remove the towel out of the zip-lock back to show them it's clean and that you actually care about your work), then you feel the paint first with your clean bare hand. This is so YOU have an idea if the paint is contaminated or not and how it feels to bare skin. If it feels bumpy or gritty without using the baggie you know it's going to feel REALLY BAD when they feel it with the baggie test. BUT start with just your clean, bare hand. Then ask them to feel the same area with their hand. In a lot of cases, even contaminated paint can feel smooth especially to the untrained person.
Next, you feel the paint with the baggie test (so you know the level of contamination), and then have them feel using the baggie test. If the paint is contaminated and this is the most common scenario for any daily driver, then their eyes will light up and they will say something like
Oh my gosh! What is that?
Then you calmly explain how there are contaminants in the air, things like industrial fallout, tree sap mist, overspray paint, etc. and that when these contaminants land on their car's paint, if not removed in a short amount of time they build-up and give the paint a rough or bumpy texture.
Then tell them that's where detailing clay comes into play. Explain how detailing clay works to remove bonded contaminants. If you don't know, I have an article on that topic. Also be sure to tell them that bonded contaminants don't normally wash off, (they didn't wipe off with the clay lube) and the best way to remove them is via a mechanical means like detailing clay. You can go deep and let them know that as long as the contaminants are present, applying a coat of wax is for the most part a waste of time because the layer of contaminants block the wax from bonding to the paint.
Up to this point you have,
1: Established that clearcoats are thin.
2: Shown that the customer's paint is contaminated
3: You have demonstrated that you know your craft and are professional in your manner.
Third step: Go to Swirl City
Now if the sun is out, shining overhead, you can position yourself and the car owner to look down at the hood or trunk lid where the sun is reflecting the light back to your eyes and point out the swirls, scratches and often times water spots.
If the sun is not out, then use your swirl finder light. When they ask you what the light is, don't ever say it's a flashlight. Anyone has and knows how to use a flashlight. You're a professional and you own a Swirl Finder Light. Explain how swirls build up just like contaminants over time and that these scratches in the paint open the paint surface up and besides being unsightly they enable further deterioration, i.e. oxidation and in severe cases... clearcoat failure.
Close the deal
At some point you should be able to tell if the customer is interested in having their car detailed or they're simply either wasting your time or gathering information to price shop and at this point you can let them know you are a professional detailer and fully equipped to remove the defects and restore the shine to their car.
And of course, if you're a regular member of AutogeekOnline and have requested my VIF or Vehicle Inspection Form you know you're supposed to have at least three "packages" or service offerings to appeal to all levels of cars and customers. Next you share your packages and what they include and then match your package to your customer. Many customers with a daily driver or grocery getter will be happy with your Package 1 where you'll simply use a one-step cleaner/wax. Others may opt for Package 2 or Package 3 depending upon their car and their affection for a clean ride.
That's the Get Me a New Customer Kit. Put one together and like the saying goes...
Don't leave home without it...
If you have a fixed shop you can do all of the above too... the kit is for mobile detailers AND fixed location detailers when they are driving. If you're like me, you always meet people and talk about car detailing so might as well be prepared.
Optional
If you have a paint thickness gauge, keep it with you. I would say in most cases pulling out your paint thickness gauge and measuring paint thickness will usually be overkill and in most cases will be too much information for the average person to take in. The paint thickness gauge is a powerful marketing tool however and can be used to your advantage as it demonstrates even further your expertise in the craft of car detailing.
