did my first car for money today, client wasnt too thrilled

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ride5150

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i detailed a 350z today, 1 step polish/seal with poliseal, cleaned/dressed tires trim etc etc put 303 fabric protectant on the convertible top. i only charged $100 and also cleaned up the headlights (wet sanded and compounded then polished then sealed)

i did the car and it looked really good, but it was pretty clean to begin with so there wasnt a drastic difference.

heres the link to the thread i made about the detail (with pics):

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/36856-brilliantly-detailed-nissan-350z.html

the guy was happy but i dunno, not entirely thrilled about the way the car looked. i took out a lot of scratches, but its a light colored car and you couldnt see them that well in the first place. i kinda wish it was a darker color so you could really see a difference.

from now on before i do a car ill go over the entire thing and tell the customer what will come out and what wont, that a light colored car hides blemishes better than a dark car, and what they should expect when im done. you live you learn i guess.

anyone had a similair situation?
 
I actually hate to say this, but don't expect people to praise you. Most ppl don't realize how much work is involved. So if you don't hear a complaint, take that as a compliment most times!
 
i would not worry about it,95% of people dont have any idea what it takes just to get to the point in which we can polish-i did a black dodge stratus with megs da system and probably got out 70% of rids and swirls[i just get more impressed with this stuff the more i use it] but spent most of my time getting the bugs off and claying,even clayed some parts with pb bug juice and all they said was it sure is shinny while there standing on bug gutts:dblthumb2:
 
Another thing to consider. I did a side by side comparison on a similar colored car using Poli-Seal on one side and Poorboy's World Polish with Sealant on the other side and the Poli-Seal side had muted the metal flake to the point that you could barely tell that there was any flake in the paint but the Poorboy's PWS side was brilliantly glittering with metal flake. I would only use Poli-Seal again on a solid color with no flake in it.

I know how much work it takes and most detailers say that process over product is what gets the results but I find that Poli-Seal defies this logic. Try some PWS and see for yourself. Good job but testing and research is a big part of this game. Shine on.
 
I've definitely come to the conclusion that most people are not going to get overly excited about their cars. Most people come to me and say the car looks good or great, but that's about it. I rarely get an over the top reaction. Which is fine. As long as they are not complaining.

That being said you get more of the drastic reaction when the car is extremely dirty. But if your working on a car that is already pretty clean it can be tough to get that wow factor.
 
Dr Oldz said:
I actually hate to say this, but don't expect people to praise you. Most ppl don't realize how much work is involved. So if you don't hear a complaint, take that as a compliment most times!
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You cannot argue with pure logic! :xyxthumbs:
 
Good idea to go over the car w/ the customer. Then you both know what is expected. Like others have said as long as they're not complaining you should be ok. Oh yeah... and you get paid! :xyxthumbs:
 
Dr Oldz said:
I actually hate to say this, but don't expect people to praise you. Most ppl don't realize how much work is involved. So if you don't hear a complaint, take that as a compliment most times!
Click to expand...

Dr. Oldz scores again - totally agree here :xyxthumbs:
 
ride5150 said:
i

i took out a lot of scratches, but its a light colored car and you couldnt see them that well in the first place. i kinda wish it was a darker color so you could really see a difference.
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Hard to create a dramatic before and after difference on a light colored basecoat/clearcoat paint system.

Also a reason to match your services to your customer. Could be washing, claying and then using a simple one-step cleaner/wax would have met the goal and customer would have been just as happy and not know the difference that you did less steps. You do less steps, less work, higher profit.

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business

The difference between a swirl and squirrel



:)
 
OP- What kind of Tire Gel did you use? Something that gives a semi-gloss or satin, new-tire kind of look I'm sure (personally, that's what I like). I'd bet that if you slathered the glossiest, darkest, wettest-looking, crap tire gel on there, the customer would have said: "WOW! It really looks nice!" UUUHHHHGGGG...

Dr Oldz said:
I actually hate to say this, but don't expect people to praise you. Most ppl don't realize how much work is involved. So if you don't hear a complaint, take that as a compliment most times!
Click to expand...

:iagree: In my Company (video production), we call it "No news is good news". If we deliver a product and don't hear back from them complaining about something, there was no problem and surely they are happy with it. I know I did well on the project, but compliments really make the extra effort I put in (unseen by the customer) worth while.

BorisC said:
Good idea to go over the car w/ the customer. Then you both know what is expected. Like others have said as long as they're not complaining you should be ok. Oh yeah... and you get paid! :xyxthumbs:
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:iagree:
 
Alot of ppl are just wired this way. They don't get overly excited about anything

If I were you, I would call him right now and ask if he was satisfied with the job. If he mentions something in particular that he was hoping would've turned out better, I would offer to come back over and address that particular issue

It goes along way with ppl if they know your still there after the money has already been transfered/spent
 
Flash Gordon said:
Alot of ppl are just wired this way. They don't get overly excited about anything

If I were you, I would call him right now and ask if he was satisfied with the job. If he mentions something in particular that he was hoping would've turned out better, I would offer to come back over and address that particular issue.

It goes a long way with ppl if they know your still there after the money has already been transfered/spent.
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:iagree: 100%

Well... you could wait to call until a bit later in the morning :p
 
One other thing. I'd you are working on a vehicle for a "car guy", don't expect much of a response other than "it looks good" because most of the time they don't want to admit that you did a good job even though it looks amazing.
 
I've done a clients car before and he had some concerns with how the interior looked, mainly the dash... Turns out he likes the cheap shiny look of armor all and I use a natural shine dressing lol and he drives a sl550!!!!
 
IMO, tires and wheels/trim really set off the shine of the wax finish.

I don't do it professionally, but usually get compliments on how the vehicle looks, and it makes a person feel good that their efforts are appreciated.

Like Flash said, some people are just wired that way, if you got a "looks good" that's the compliment. The important thing is, when other people tell him how good his car looks, he says that you did a good job for him. And then there are people who are never satisfied with anything that costs them money, even if they are too lazy or unable to do it themselves.

You know the amount of work and time you put in, and if you're satisfied that you gave him his money's worth, don't worry about it. If the customer comes back, or sends a referral, that's a compliment.
 
thanks for all the responses, im not sure if he wasnt thrilled, i just feel like he was expecting more. his front bumper had a ton of rock chips, when i was going over the car i DID tell him they werent gonna come out and the front bumper needs to be repainted. he said "its okay, do what you can do." there was nothing i could do tho, and i think he was expecting the front bumper to come out looking new. there was also a scratch on the side mirror he showed me that was literally 1/8 of an inch into the plastic, i also told him it wasnt going to come out.

i took out almost all scratches (or made it to the point were its not visible) on the entire car except for the front bumper, but i think he was most concerned about the front bumper.

when he came out he said "oh the scratches didnt come out?" i said no, theyre rock chips and the bumper needs to be repainted. right there i shouldve shown him the rest of the car, showed him that there are literally 1 or 2 scratches on the entire car and i wasnt sleeping during the 5 hrs i had the car.

i did ask him if he liked it, he said yes its shiny...lol:P he asked me what i put on the convertible top, i told him 303 fabric protectant and that now instead of soaking up water, the water will bead of the fabric top, that they use it on aircraft etc.

my main concern is that the car doesnt look DRASTICALLY better than it was before, and i dont want the guy to be thinking i cheated him out of $100, and in turn to not recommend me to any of his friends.

eh, im not sure what to do. maybe he does like what i did and just isnt enthusiastic.
 
jhallhall said:
I've done a clients car before and he had some concerns with how the interior looked, mainly the dash... Turns out he likes the cheap shiny look of armor all and I use a natural shine dressing lol and he drives a sl550!!!!
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to each his own i guess:P i like shiny too, but not greasy.
 
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