jwgreen6
New member
- Dec 26, 2010
- 222
- 0
I've been detailing part-time for the past two years and I've been praying/asking for more detail work so I can quit my "real job".
A month ago, I posted an ad on craigslist hawking my detailing business. Less than a week later I received a call from a gentleman in FL asking me to detail "a few cars" for him in Indiana. I thought he meant 2-3 cars for a friend or family member as a gift or something along those lines.
Boy was I WRONG.
He is a classic car dealer and wanted me to detail the 75+ (!!!) cars he's bringing to the annual Labor Day Auto Auction in Auburn IN.
In case you are not familiar with the Auburn Labor Day auto auction, it's one, if not the biggest, auto auctions in the USA. There are cars ranging from total junk/wrecks to stunning examples of Duesenburgs and everything in between. Most of the cars I'm working on are US made classic cars from Model A's to 1959 fuel-injected Corvette to a late model Cadillac. Nothing exotic like a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
After a little research and discussion with the client, it was determined the level of effort is simply washing the exterior, vacuuming the interior and cleaning windows but nothing advanced like wet sanding and compounding cars or extracting carpets. For those jobs, he hired a detailer from FL he's worked with before.
It never dawned on me to approach dealers at this auction for work. I've been struggling to increase business and, well boys and girls, here it is. One other thing I don't know is if anyone is selling pro detailing supplies at the auction. This is an option I'm considering for next year.
I was going to have 3 other people help me with this effort, but my customer said only one person is needed (or willing to pay for) this time.
Today was my first day of detailing cars at the auction site. It's been a long day and a lot of hard work for not much money but the experience makes it worth it. The detailer I'm working with has been pushing me to do better and I know that is making me a better detailer. I never had the benefit of detailing with somebody else and learning from them, so it's encouraging to have someone who is willing to work with me.
The things I've learned so far from this experience: 1. Craigslist pays. The ad I used came from Robert Keppel of Applied Colors. I also got another full detail from another client because he liked my ad over the other "low-ball" detailers on CL. 2. Be open to alternatives. I almost turned this project down due to the size and scope of effort. 3. Don't take criticism of work from another detailer as a bad thing. You might learn something that you can apply to future details. 4. Be careful what you pray for.
A month ago, I posted an ad on craigslist hawking my detailing business. Less than a week later I received a call from a gentleman in FL asking me to detail "a few cars" for him in Indiana. I thought he meant 2-3 cars for a friend or family member as a gift or something along those lines.
Boy was I WRONG.
He is a classic car dealer and wanted me to detail the 75+ (!!!) cars he's bringing to the annual Labor Day Auto Auction in Auburn IN.
In case you are not familiar with the Auburn Labor Day auto auction, it's one, if not the biggest, auto auctions in the USA. There are cars ranging from total junk/wrecks to stunning examples of Duesenburgs and everything in between. Most of the cars I'm working on are US made classic cars from Model A's to 1959 fuel-injected Corvette to a late model Cadillac. Nothing exotic like a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
After a little research and discussion with the client, it was determined the level of effort is simply washing the exterior, vacuuming the interior and cleaning windows but nothing advanced like wet sanding and compounding cars or extracting carpets. For those jobs, he hired a detailer from FL he's worked with before.
It never dawned on me to approach dealers at this auction for work. I've been struggling to increase business and, well boys and girls, here it is. One other thing I don't know is if anyone is selling pro detailing supplies at the auction. This is an option I'm considering for next year.
I was going to have 3 other people help me with this effort, but my customer said only one person is needed (or willing to pay for) this time.
Today was my first day of detailing cars at the auction site. It's been a long day and a lot of hard work for not much money but the experience makes it worth it. The detailer I'm working with has been pushing me to do better and I know that is making me a better detailer. I never had the benefit of detailing with somebody else and learning from them, so it's encouraging to have someone who is willing to work with me.
The things I've learned so far from this experience: 1. Craigslist pays. The ad I used came from Robert Keppel of Applied Colors. I also got another full detail from another client because he liked my ad over the other "low-ball" detailers on CL. 2. Be open to alternatives. I almost turned this project down due to the size and scope of effort. 3. Don't take criticism of work from another detailer as a bad thing. You might learn something that you can apply to future details. 4. Be careful what you pray for.
