Your prices do seem low enough that people shouldn't really be thrown off by them. I think one of the main problems is communicating by text and email. I mean no offense by this, but I think texting with a new customer is very unprofessional, and really just setting yourself up to fail. Don't get me wrong, I will text current customers to let them know everything is going well, or even text them a teaser pic here and there to keep them excited, but to start off a relationship like that just isn't good in my book. I really like, at the very least, talking to my customers on the phone. I can let them hear that I know what I'm talking about and have the knowledge to make sure that their vehicles turn out exactly how they want them, if not better.
Also, you should never quote correction work without seeing the vehicle. It's just asking for trouble. What if that vehicle has clearcoat failure that the customer thinks can be corrected? If you don't see that until you show up for the job and tell the customer, they might get pissed because it's not worth it for them to get the vehicle detailed anymore. I ALWAY set up an inspection time with customers looking for corrections. This way I can see the vehicle's condition and quote an exact price. When I go to these appointments I always take a high powered light so people can see the true condition of the paint and I also take my ipad which has hundreds of pictures of correction work and vehicles I have detailed. This shows the customer what they can expect if they get a detail done by me. 90% of the time a have a car on there just like theirs so they can really see exactly what theirs can look like.
I also agree with the guys who have said don't beg for work. It's just not worth it. First off, that customer now knows that you are willing to drop you price or do a whole bunch of extra stuff for free. Personally, I don't want to be stuck giving away my services or doing anything for free. When you give a price, just say something like, please let me know when you would like to schedule your detail. It may sound pushy, but now they actually have to come back and say "I'm not interested" instead of just ignoring you.
The next thing I would bring up would be how are you advertising? Word of mouth is seriously the best form of advertising, and usually have a good quote
aid job ratio. If a current customer is telling their friend that you are a great detailer and do awesome work, that friend is way more likely to actually go to you and get work done since they trust their friend. On the other hand, if you are getting jobs from advertising on forums or craigslist your quote:job ratio is going to be much lower. People on sites like that like to shop around. They also usually don't understand what real detailing is. There are so many hacks running around out there doing "high speed polishing" for $50 that people sometimes think that is the going rate for everyone. They don't know what glazes are or that these hacks can do more harm to their vehicles than good. That is where you educating people comes in. I try to give people as much information as possible when I talk to them. Tell them how you measure every body panel with a paint meter to make sure you have enough clear coat to work with. This makes you sound like you actually know what you are doing. Tell them about wiping down with IPA to make sure you are truly removing the swirls and not just covering them up. I'm not saying you have to go through every step with your customer, but throw some things out there that make you sound better than the guy down the street that washes car in the gas station parking lot.
Finally, there are some people that just can't afford the work, or don't want to spend that much on the work. The general public (great unwashed, mouth breathers etc.) are usually perfectly happy with taking their vehicles to drive through car washes and driving around with swirls. These people are just never going to understand the high end of detailing, and that is fine. I do plenty of wash and waxes where people just want a shiny car and don't want to spend $500+ to get the swirls out. there is nothing wrong with that as long as you are doing it the right way, and using quality products.
I think that sums up my thoughts. Sorry if that is a little scatter brained, I typed it at work and had to stop to actually help people every few minutes...lol
Ah, I did forget something. I try to never just blurt out a price. As people have mentioned, find out the budget of the customer. "So what budget would you like to stick to, and what are you looking to get out of the detail?" Most people who are serious will be up front and honest. If they only have $250 to spend, and just want a shiny car, you can explain to them that you have a wash and wax package that will fit them perfectly. Or if they say they want swirls removed, but don't want to spend more than $300, you can tell them you have a great one step package that will remove a lot of swirls, but not make it perfect. However, the plus side to a one step is since you aren't going broke doing it, you won't be as upset if someone scuffs your door along the way or if you get a few swirls back over time. You just have ot make sure you have an answer for them. Remember, you are the one with all the information. You need to control the direction that the conversation goes. If you keep giving people an out or a reason to not have 100% faith in you abilities, then they will move on the the next guy every time.
Also, you should never quote correction work without seeing the vehicle. It's just asking for trouble. What if that vehicle has clearcoat failure that the customer thinks can be corrected? If you don't see that until you show up for the job and tell the customer, they might get pissed because it's not worth it for them to get the vehicle detailed anymore. I ALWAY set up an inspection time with customers looking for corrections. This way I can see the vehicle's condition and quote an exact price. When I go to these appointments I always take a high powered light so people can see the true condition of the paint and I also take my ipad which has hundreds of pictures of correction work and vehicles I have detailed. This shows the customer what they can expect if they get a detail done by me. 90% of the time a have a car on there just like theirs so they can really see exactly what theirs can look like.
I also agree with the guys who have said don't beg for work. It's just not worth it. First off, that customer now knows that you are willing to drop you price or do a whole bunch of extra stuff for free. Personally, I don't want to be stuck giving away my services or doing anything for free. When you give a price, just say something like, please let me know when you would like to schedule your detail. It may sound pushy, but now they actually have to come back and say "I'm not interested" instead of just ignoring you.
The next thing I would bring up would be how are you advertising? Word of mouth is seriously the best form of advertising, and usually have a good quote
aid job ratio. If a current customer is telling their friend that you are a great detailer and do awesome work, that friend is way more likely to actually go to you and get work done since they trust their friend. On the other hand, if you are getting jobs from advertising on forums or craigslist your quote:job ratio is going to be much lower. People on sites like that like to shop around. They also usually don't understand what real detailing is. There are so many hacks running around out there doing "high speed polishing" for $50 that people sometimes think that is the going rate for everyone. They don't know what glazes are or that these hacks can do more harm to their vehicles than good. That is where you educating people comes in. I try to give people as much information as possible when I talk to them. Tell them how you measure every body panel with a paint meter to make sure you have enough clear coat to work with. This makes you sound like you actually know what you are doing. Tell them about wiping down with IPA to make sure you are truly removing the swirls and not just covering them up. I'm not saying you have to go through every step with your customer, but throw some things out there that make you sound better than the guy down the street that washes car in the gas station parking lot.Finally, there are some people that just can't afford the work, or don't want to spend that much on the work. The general public (great unwashed, mouth breathers etc.) are usually perfectly happy with taking their vehicles to drive through car washes and driving around with swirls. These people are just never going to understand the high end of detailing, and that is fine. I do plenty of wash and waxes where people just want a shiny car and don't want to spend $500+ to get the swirls out. there is nothing wrong with that as long as you are doing it the right way, and using quality products.
I think that sums up my thoughts. Sorry if that is a little scatter brained, I typed it at work and had to stop to actually help people every few minutes...lol
Ah, I did forget something. I try to never just blurt out a price. As people have mentioned, find out the budget of the customer. "So what budget would you like to stick to, and what are you looking to get out of the detail?" Most people who are serious will be up front and honest. If they only have $250 to spend, and just want a shiny car, you can explain to them that you have a wash and wax package that will fit them perfectly. Or if they say they want swirls removed, but don't want to spend more than $300, you can tell them you have a great one step package that will remove a lot of swirls, but not make it perfect. However, the plus side to a one step is since you aren't going broke doing it, you won't be as upset if someone scuffs your door along the way or if you get a few swirls back over time. You just have ot make sure you have an answer for them. Remember, you are the one with all the information. You need to control the direction that the conversation goes. If you keep giving people an out or a reason to not have 100% faith in you abilities, then they will move on the the next guy every time.
