Demonstration dilemma

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NinjaPain

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Whats good guys...

I've been doing a few Express Details lately in collaboration with Deal Chicken. I can do an Express Detail $45 (hand wash, dry, removing most spots from interior, glass, bug and tar removal, tire/wheels) in about 1.25 hours for a mid size car. The deal charges $15 more for a mini van or suv--and/or $15 charge for excessive dirt/pet hair . Out of the $45, I get half of the deal for myself.

I'm having problems upselling, but here lately I'm thinking about demonstrating rather than talking about upselling. Here's what I mean; after I'm finish hand-washing and drying the vehicle, I will choose a small area of the car to apply UC. I want to demonstrate to my client what their vehicle could really look like.

My question/concern is how would I blend the corrected side back in with the uncorrected side. Although the corrected side will look better, it will still leave a noticeable line (if using tape). All this is based upon the assumption that the client not being sold even after paint is corrected.
 
That sounds like a terrible idea. Don't do something to their car that they didn't ask for and aren't aware of.

I know I'd be very angry. The only way to make it look "right" is to pay you to fix the rest of the car...that's robbery.
 
Without lots of up selling which you say your having a hard time with seems like a very low return after figuring in expenses. You might be better off working out some kind of deal with local merchants. Throwing them a bone once or twice a month might get you better results.

That said... I would shy away from doing demo's on customer cars without their permission, even with permission you might be opening up a can of worms for yourself! A little spray wax, tire shine is one thing and should be an easy up sell but any kind of paint correction/cleaning could potentially piss them off. Concentrate on up sell services your local customers want and need.
It's your job to educate them but even if you do a great job it still will be lost on 85% of the people out there. I try to keep it simple and deploy the KISS principal.
1. What it is.
2. What it does.
3. Why it's good for them.

Maybe change your up sell tactics around, practice your speal a little and find something that works for you. You would be surprised what a little practice and role playing can do.

Just some thoughts. All the best.
 
If you truly want to "show" the correction potential, then my suggestion is to go to a salvage yard and get a couple of different color deck lids and do have while leaving the other alone. I agree with the above comments that you do not want to do a test spot on a potential customer's car with hopes they will want to finish the work.
 
NinjaPain said:
I've been doing a few Express Details lately in collaboration with Deal Chicken.


I'm having problems upselling,
Click to expand...


The market you're going after is not the right market for upselling, you're basically going for people that are buying for price, not because they are "into" their cars.

What you want to do is put a show car shine on someone's daily driver because it's in your blood to do your best. A lot of us are like that. The trick is to know your customer and match your services to your customer.

Don't put a show car finish on someone's daily driver that won't appreciate it or understand what they must now do after the fact to maintain our hard work.


Read this article, don't scan it... read it...



A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer


If you want to do high-end work, that is if you want to do a multiple step process to create a better than new finish on a neglected car to feed the need for your detailing obsession, then focus on marketing your talent and skills to people that have cool cars or what I call, Special Interest Vehicles, or SIV's. Not people that shop Deal Chicken.


FWIW



:)
 
Gaining 'detailing-experience' working for "companies" like DealChicken, while making 1/2 the deal's price-point, may seem like a good deal.
That good-deal-feeling will soon pass. If it hasn't already, that is.

I'm sure it's difficult to upsell, and actually perform that upsell service (such as a paint-correction-step), to a DealChicken-customer...
While there is another DealChicken customer breathing down your neck.

If there's anyway foreseeably possible...
Please...Please: ditch this gig...

Let the DealChickens of the World cross over to the other side of the road.
I see no reason to ever ask why they did...


Bob
 
All great replies here.

If you don't have another market to extend your higher end services to and this is it..Here's what I would do.

As mentioned previously, go check your salvage yard and look for some of the worst of these things (This is saying you have the room to tote your findings with you to display to potential clients).

Neglected swirled hood ( If space is tight than still get the hood and use a little creativity and try this) Do not quote me on this I have not tried this its only an *Idea* for if space is limited.

Get the appropriate tools and cut the a section of the panel say 16" x 16" and correct half with a tape line. I'm sure there is a way and it would save room but get the point across on a much smaller scale.

Get the worst headlight you can find. Yellowish,Dull,Faded,Oxidized...Whatever...And run a tape line and correct that.

Lastly I would look for faded plastics and again run a tape line and correct that as well with a trim restorer.

If by whatever means you can upsell one of those 3 services they all pay more than what you did "Express package" for and thus can generate more revenue without the "Middle man" taking their cut.

A quick run down would be something like this I would imagine if you could work this type of strategy into your business plan.

The small work gets them in the door at $45.

You then proceed to do the work at which you get half and it takes you 1 1/2 hours give or take right? At the end of the detail you generated a PPH (price per hour) of $15.00 and made a grand total of $22.50 IMHO that's to low for such work/services.

If the volume is there and you don't mind that price range, Use that as the ticket in the door to promote your upsells like this for an example.

Paint correction $45-75/ Hr
Headlight resto $60/Set (Takes 1 hour)
Trim resto $20-30/Hr (Not hard time depends on size/condition)

If you got a few people to do this and had them leave a positive review and share with their friends/family. You now have an advantage in your market because you are "Specializing" in a service and do a great job. Word will spread and you will have the pull em in the door price with the knock em out upsells..

I hope that made sense and didn't confuse no one. Kinda wrote a book right there but I generally like to explain as best I can. - Tory
 
T3 AutoDetails said:
All great replies here.

If you don't have another market to extend your higher end services to and this is it..Here's what I would do.

As mentioned previously, go check your salvage yard and look for some of the worst of these things (This is saying you have the room to tote your findings with you to display to potential clients).

Neglected swirled hood ( If space is tight than still get the hood and use a little creativity and try this) Do not quote me on this I have not tried this its only an *Idea* for if space is limited.

Get the appropriate tools and cut the a section of the panel say 16" x 16" and correct half with a tape line. I'm sure there is a way and it would save room but get the point across on a much smaller scale.

Get the worst headlight you can find. Yellowish,Dull,Faded,Oxidized...Whatever...And run a tape line and correct that.

Lastly I would look for faded plastics and again run a tape line and correct that as well with a trim restorer.

If by whatever means you can upsell one of those 3 services they all pay more than what you did "Express package" for and thus can generate more revenue without the "Middle man" taking their cut.

A quick run down would be something like this I would imagine if you could work this type of strategy into your business plan.

The small work gets them in the door at $45.

You then proceed to do the work at which you get half and it takes you 1 1/2 hours give or take right? At the end of the detail you generated a PPH (price per hour) of $15.00 and made a grand total of $22.50 IMHO that's to low for such work/services.

If the volume is there and you don't mind that price range, Use that as the ticket in the door to promote your upsells like this for an example.

Paint correction $45-75/ Hr
Headlight resto $60/Set (Takes 1 hour)
Trim resto $20-30/Hr (Not hard time depends on size/condition)

If you got a few people to do this and had them leave a positive review and share with their friends/family. You now have an advantage in your market because you are "Specializing" in a service and do a great job. Word will spread and you will have the pull em in the door price with the knock em out upsells..

I hope that made sense and didn't confuse no one. Kinda wrote a book right there but I generally like to explain as best I can. - Tory
Click to expand...

Fantastic advice!
I never thought about having an old headlight half restored on hand just to show. Good for brick and mortar shops too!
 
I feel like you would be better off giving people literature, perhaps even a loyalty card (buy any 3 services get a free wash, etc.) to the groupon crowd than up selling. Even a referral bonus such as a free wash if they send you someone for a full price detail. There are ways to market successfully out of this but trying to sell a steak to the hot dog buyers is going to be slim pickings.
 
VP Mark said:
I feel like you would be better off giving people literature, perhaps even a loyalty card (buy any 3 services get a free wash, etc.) to the groupon crowd than up selling. Even a referral bonus such as a free wash if they send you someone for a full price detail. There are ways to market successfully out of this but trying to sell a steak to the hot dog buyers is going to be slim pickings.
Click to expand...

Literature cost money and to that crowd will be thrown away since they are the "Hotdog" crowd. It's not that they wont buy, In more cases than none from my experience the market is simply uneducated on what a detailer can do.

Most people think we just wash cars and that's that. In reality if you have a great business personality you can sell to anyone if you can get them to listen. At this point you need to know nothing really of detailing (the salvage yard corrected parts explain themselves at this point) but more about business and how to sell.

When you get them listening (That business thing I was talking about) Then you can convert to both the businessman and the salesman (pro-detailer) and educate the uneducated which in turn creates question. When questions arise and you know what your talking about! Guess what you are the goto man.

They may not get the service today but the professional image you just laid down being both a businessman and a industry professional instead of one or the other which will never work in business. Creates the loyalty and referral program in one.

You can think i'm crazy but you have to know people to be successful in any business and I know people. If you just give people your time while maintaining a professional image to explain things throughout the whole process I promise you will generate sales. It may not be that day or them per say. But you have them talking now (Referral) to their friends family etc.

Do you think they now will goto a body shop to get new headlights or send someone to a body shop for $xxx.xx headlights when they know your process is the same thing for say $60?

My point is you just have to know how to talk to people while being professional,honest,the guy everyone likes to make the sale. It's never really about the money, If it was why would they even get a wash in the first place regardless of the cost? Wouldn't they do it themselves or have the kids do it? So money can't be that tight.

Truth is people want to pay for it either because 1, They are lazy. 2, They don't have the time. 3, know you know your stuff and its easier to pay for your service then attempt it themselves *After the fact they now know you do more than just (Wash cars) *

Maybe this just my take. I have never had a problem getting what I want for price or people taking my advice for what needs to be done. Again just gotta know how to be the business man first and foremost. The salesman second. And the industry professional third. When you have all 3 down you are a danger to professionals in your area because i'm positive there are not many who have all 3 at the same top notch level.

You can turn hotdog sales into steak sales (I do it all the time) and have more problems with people who have the money yet are just so tight in the rear end you can't squeeze a penny out.

Sorry for the book, Hell maybe I should write one some day :) but that is my take and it works.
 
Idk this is just what I have learned in my Detailing Adventure:

If you want to work on Car show cars, then you have to go to car shows and meet car show guys.

I've been to a couple recently, and they'll grab a chair for you and ask you to sit down and talk with them about "Their" car. Money NEVER gets brought up on either side, because you are just talking about "Their" cars.


I gave my uncle my business card. He looked at it and said "Good Job" he then gave it back and said "I can't accept this" I said "why?"

He then said "because then I would have to pay you" lol

I Detail just because I love to, but of course I am not going to always be doing it for free. PPG called me today btw guys :D
 
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