Another Way to Help you Attract Customers

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JamesCs

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Hey everybody, I have another idea for all detailing business owners out there. Offer a "free" (I know that's a no-no word but stay with me) "car care kit" when the customer books your high-end detailing package.

Whatever kind of car care kit you develop should only cost about $10 per kit (couple mf towels, spray wax in a 3 oz bottle, 3 oz of waterless wash, etc.)

This small amount of time and money, in theory, should lead to more bookings of your most expensive and most profitable detailing packages without having your customer expect something free every time thereafter, like a discount would.

This tactic has worked well for all kinds of businesses, like toys in happy meals, toys in cereal boxes, the sports illustrated football phone, "free" headphones coming with a new smartphone, etc.
 
Although it makes perfect sense, most of my clients would either give away the free car care kit or throw it in the trash. People that pay for top dollar corrections and coatings are either too lazy to take care of their own car or they lack the knowledge to do so. Most of my clients fall into category 1......which is very good for business! Lol!
 
Yes, I have small kits but no one wants them, they just say, I'll bring it back if it needs touching up. That's A ok with me, it was 2 towels, a quick detailer a small bottle off Uber rinseless. I have loyalty cars which everyone loves and they always ask for new ones
 
I agree with these 2^

Except I believe that even if you gave it to them, they'd Still manage to return to their programed ways of doing things [improperly]

Earlier today I stopped by 1 of my friends house and while I was chatting with him outside, right in front of his parents Toyota Tacoma that I just corrected 3 months ago.. What do you think I see? Yep, blatant swirls in a perfect partern from where the dry shop rag was used to "dust" off the vehicle. Smh.

I've come to the conclusion that It's next to impossible for older men in their 60's to stop wiping the dang car down with dirty dry shop rags they have laying around. The same man has a case of Meguiars Quik Detailer bottles collecting dust in his garage! They're years old too. Lol.

My father's the same exact way.. 1 time he swirled the heck out of my hood because he thought he was doing me a favor after the gardeners were working nextdoor and left my car a dusty mess. He took a cheap synthetic chamois that had been laying on the porch for weeks on the ground and wiped a bunch of swirls into my hood! I was like "why in the world did you do that? How many times do I have to tell you not to ever wipe any paint like that or you will scratch it." They cannot be helped. Rant over. Lol.
 
I wouldn't do this, here's my 2cents.

I actually offer a maintenance kit to customers around the $175 price point and people purchase them all the time. I don't think anyone is going to be influenced to spend high 3 figures and 4 figures for a small detail kit. An extra $175 to keep their vehicle clean with the proper tools and process (I spend 30-60 minutes showing them how to use it and often get them using it before they go home) adds way more value to someone than a cheap kit. Typically, if you're spending a grand on detailing (a luxury) another couple hundred is not a big deal.

The value of a quality kit is: it's already made up, 95% of the items must be ordered online and I can offer my kit at a lower price point than if they were to buy everything themselves and I still make a solid profit (with my 30-60 minutes of labor accounted for teaching how to care for the vehicle from here out).
 
Eldorado2k said:
I agree with these 2^

Except I believe that even if you gave it to them, they'd Still manage to return to their programed ways of doing things [improperly]

Earlier today I stopped by 1 of my friends house and while I was chatting with him outside, right in front of his parents Toyota Tacoma that I just corrected 3 months ago.. What do you think I see? Yep, blatant swirls in a perfect partern from where the dry shop rag was used to "dust" off the vehicle. Smh.

I've come to the conclusion that It's next to impossible for older men in their 60's to stop wiping the dang car down with dirty dry shop rags they have laying around. The same man has a case of Meguiars Quik Detailer bottles collecting dust in his garage! They're years old too. Lol.

My father's the same exact way.. 1 time he swirled the heck out of my hood because he thought he was doing me a favor after the gardeners were working nextdoor and left my car a dusty mess. He took a cheap synthetic chamois that had been laying on the porch for weeks on the ground and wiped a bunch of swirls into my hood! I was like "why in the world did you do that? How many times do I have to tell you not to ever wipe any paint like that or you will scratch it." They cannot be helped. Rant over. Lol.
Click to expand...

Ha,Ha, shouldn't have left your chamois on the porch!
 
:idea:

•Do it like we did, back
in the good ol' days:
-Offer up some entertainment,
music, and refreshments.

Go-Go Girls...Hi-Fi Stereo...and free Beer!!


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Bob
 
If you combined your free car care kit offer as part of a larger advertising campaign, I might agree with you in concept. Your offer is supposed to be an incentive to book a detail with you. Therefore the customer has to hear about the free give-away before they make the decision to get you to detail their car. Otherwise, you're just giving away your money.

In marketing, job one is to know your customer. The folks I know in the local high end car clubs come in three flavors (in no particular order). Type #1 - details their cars themselves. They enjoy spending the time with their car and wouldn't have it any other way. Type #2 - finds the cheapest way they can to to keep their car clean and that often involves car washes. Type #3 - loves a clean car but would rather pay someone else to keep it clean. These are the folks that are our customers. The only customer that might use your kit is type #1 but they are the least likely to have you detail their car. Type #3 is the guy that brings his car to you for detail but rarely if ever washes it himself. He sees no value in that free kit.

We all need to figure out how to expand the pool of type #3 customers. Keep the ideas coming.

Bill
 
I will usually give a 16oz bottle of a QD or WW and a nice soft MF towel and spend about 15 min telling them when and how to use it (to clean up bird poop/bugs when they happen before drying) and I only will give it to someone who seems interested at all. I have given away about 3 this year out of 24 customers so far.
 
I think this is overkill.The bottom line is that if they like you and your services they will be back.If not they tell there friends and family.So the rotation is always going and word of mouth travels fast.I have never handed out anything to a customer ever.This is my personal take on this.
 
Guyb said:
Ha,Ha, shouldn't have left your chamois on the porch!
Click to expand...

lol. That "chamois" should've been in the trash.. Once in a while I'll pick up a couple of those synthetic chamois from the 99 cent store and use them to dry the undesirable areas of vehicles. [door jambs, trunk jambs, etc] They're supposed to be chuckable, but in reality they're too durable to just chuck after 1 use.. Or maybe the cheapo inside me just leaves em laying around because there just may be another dirty job for them to be useful for someday... But that time it cost me! Lol.

The good thing is the swirls were very easy to polish away. Which is why I wasn't really upset with pops. Besides, I already know how he is and it was no surprise he was responsible for that. He's forbidden to touch his own vehicles. I won't allow him to. Lol.
 
Just02896 said:
most of my clients would either give away the free car care kit or throw it in the trash. People that pay for top dollar corrections and coatings are either too lazy to take care of their own car or they lack the knowledge to do so.
Click to expand...

This.
 
I think your work would speak for itself and then your customers refer you to people, maybe offer a 'discount' for 1st time referrals?
 
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