Coating options, costs

[AutoAppeal]

Curious for opinions on pricing for your coating packages. Assuming the same prep work is completed do you offer different coatings at different price levels? Take a "high end" coating @$85+per and an affordable like mckees @$30 for 3-5veh for example, vast difference in product cost. Does Passing this along to the customer get more to opt for the coat? How do you sell it? As a more "affordable option"?

 

[GSKR]

If it's Americana glosscoat uber or mc Kees or any other coating I leave the price alone,there are no variable pricing on coatings low end or high end.all the work is the polishing etc,the coating application is one hr at best.

 

[FinishingTouchA]

I only offer GlossCoat, Opti Coat Pro, and Opti Coat Pro+

First I talk about the benefits and warranty of Pro+ and ask if $1200 sounds like a fair deal. Then I deal with objections and if they will not commit to $1200 I work to find their sweet spot $800 or $400

 

[GSKR]

Selling a coating job is risky,if you juggle numbers from 1200 down to 400 by the time you finish selling there programmed to think there getting ripped off,there is no recovery at that point.

 

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

Selling a coating job is risky,if you juggle numbers from 1200 down to 400 by the time you finish selling there programmed to think there getting ripped off,there is no recovery at that point.

I agree with this, that big of a drop off, they don't understand how one coating is better then the other. With prep work and correction differences at that point they think your just dumb lol

 

[Mike lambert]

We offer 2 brands I can't mention here. We sell based on how long the client wants it to last. That is based on how they maintain the coating.we only prep a car one way.

 

[AutoAppeal]

Thnx for the feedback. I was thinking that the sticker shock of the premium $1000+ could be negated with a reasonably cheaper option (not a $800 diff however) but i can see where the difference in product would be confusing to an uneducated customer who has "heard about coatings" but can hardly decide between a wax or sealant with longevitvy often being the deciding factor.

 

[Calendyr]

Putting Opti Coat pro coatings aside, the price difference for the client between more affordable coatings should not be that big because most of the cost is in time, not product. The way I do it is I calculate the time it takes, then add product cost if it's an expensive product like a coating. If it's a cheap product I absorb the cost of the product.

So let's say I compare total cost to a client for McKee's 37 coating and CQuartz coating it would go something like this:

Washing the car about 1.5 hours
Physical decontamination using Nanoskin sponge about 30 minutes
Doing a pre-coating polish about 3 hours
Applying the coating about an hour
Total time about 6 hours

So for McKee's 37 coating I would do 6 hours @ 40$ plus about 10$ in products for a total of 250$

For CQuartz, would be 6 hours @ 40$ plus about 50$ in products for a total of 290$

So yes it would be cheaper for the customer, but not by much.

Depending how much you want to charge per hour, your prices would of course vary.

 

[FinishingTouchA]

Selling a coating job is risky,if you juggle numbers from 1200 down to 400 by the time you finish selling they're programmed to think they're getting ripped off; there is no recovery at that point.

I explain the differences between the different price points. Gloss Coat doesn't include wheels, glass, and trim, a warranty, doesn't last more than 2-3 years, and isn't nearly as resistant to chemical etching. The Optimum coatings are strategically priced with characteristics and benefits in mind.

Waxing your vehicle every 2 months to keep it UV protected is where the ripoff is. $100x6=$600/year $600x7=$4200 when you could have had OCP+ with more gloss, chemical resistance, and a warranty for just $1200.

 

[Jowillie]

Or is it like the computer printer companies--I'll sell you a printer cheap, but you have to buy the ink from me--forever.
I'll give a shine guaranteed for 5 yrs to life--but you have to have a maintenance agreement with me for the guarantee.

 

[Mike lambert]

You also need to know what your area will tolerate, that is why we won't use products that set minimum pricing. We also don't use products that have a buy in or charge extra for a warranty. We take care of some very affluent clients, but I can't get west coast money in my area?