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spikester7878

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I am completely new to having a detailing business as my full-time job, and I wanted to know what did you do that helped or impeded your business?

I honestly wish I spent more time on the forum before I got to where I am now. The name of my business is Obsessive Compulsive Detailing, I know super over used, but everyone I have met gets a kick out of it and it doesn't help that I have a bachelors in Psychology (that I just finished) and my girlfriend has a masters in Cognitive psychology...

I've been using facebook and a website for my business with very little success. I also have been handing out business cards like they are candy. I wear a company shirt as often as possible, and have logo's all over my personal car(2012 Passat) since I don't have a dedicated rig yet.

Website: http://autoocd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OCD-Obsessive-Compulsive-Detailing-212101135645842/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

I primarily have been working at customers houses, or in my personal garage for larger details. I have a wide variety of products, and have been detailing my own vehicles and a handful of others vehicles while I was in the army for over 10 years. I can get more specific about products/accessories I have if needed.

So as previously asked what has helped or impeded your business, and what was your start up rig?

Any information will be greatly appreciated.
 
I have a few questions for you. How clean is your Passat right now? Do many people call you from the blind handouts of your business cards? What polisher do you own?
 
I keep my Passat extremely clean. I don't think it would work very well if I was promoting detailing in a dirty car. I've had more luck at local chambers of commerce as opposed to blind handouts, but that also could be because I spend most of me time on a college campus where there is not a lot of expendable income (yay being a fulltime student). Right now I have a porter cable 7424xp. I have been doing everything for the set up out of pocket, so my set up is still pretty small. I am saving up for more equipment, including a dedicated vehicle.
 
spikester7878 said:
I am completely new to having a detailing business as my full-time job, and I wanted to know what did you do that helped or impeded your business?

I honestly wish I spent more time on the forum before I got to where I am now. The name of my business is Obsessive Compulsive Detailing, I know super over used, but everyone I have met gets a kick out of it and it doesn't help that I have a bachelors in Psychology (that I just finished) and my girlfriend has a masters in Cognitive psychology...

I've been using facebook and a website for my business with very little success. I also have been handing out business cards like they are candy. I wear a company shirt as often as possible, and have logo's all over my personal car(2012 Passat) since I don't have a dedicated rig yet.

Website: http://autoocd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OCD-Obsessive-Compulsive-Detailing-212101135645842/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

I primarily have been working at customers houses, or in my personal garage for larger details. I have a wide variety of products, and have been detailing my own vehicles and a handful of others vehicles while I was in the army for over 10 years. I can get more specific about products/accessories I have if needed.

So as previously asked what has helped or impeded your business, and what was your start up rig?

Any information will be greatly appreciated.
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I started with 25.00 and up car washes,you will build quickly in a year then weed out the people that you just cannot upsell.Along the way you will be getting exposure if your mobile.Give your new clients who spend the vip treatment and tell them to tell there friends,and it will multiply over time?And most importantly focus on who is gonna scale your business,a lawyer or doc or any client with money.Stay away from beater cars,they will use you once and call you in 1 year from now for that 25.00 car wash .
 
Most new business problems come down to this: obscurity, people do not know you exist. Fix that and everything will start moving.
 
Thanks for the input. I've been trying to get the word our, but it doesn't seem to be spreading.

For those who started mobile what was your set up when you started? Should a dedicated work vehicle like a ford transit or chevy hhr be a main goal to help with growth or should I focus on building a customer base and spreading the word first.
 
Best of luck with your venture! I am in the same boat so looking forward to some good lessons learned from the knowledgeable and helpful members on here!
 
I started on my HOA Facebook page, then a craigslist type page for my town. I posted a couple reflection shots and my price for a complete detail. Had a car or two a week from that. I still work full time a regular job so that was enough.
 
spikester7878 said:
Thanks for the input. I've been trying to get the word our, but it doesn't seem to be spreading.

For those who started mobile what was your set up when you started? Should a dedicated work vehicle like a ford transit or chevy hhr be a main goal to help with growth or should I focus on building a customer base and spreading the word first.
Click to expand...

When having a dedicated vehicle for detailing,such as a transit etc it shows you are committed and it does help ,like when your pumping gas and someone ask for a card.But will it guarantee anything to make you run out and buy one no.If you provide good service and quality work and prices that the general public can comprehend than you can worry about that later.
 
buying a dedicated vehicle will not get you jobs, customers will get you jobs.


actively post on your personal FB, do a referral program.

95% of my business is from word of mouth and referrals. feel free to message me on FB if you'd like to chat some more (Rich Frommann)
 
I definitely will be in contact. I'm just trying to figure out what I should be getting/doing to get prepared for business
 
word of mouth is the most powerful thing, so you need people to start talking about you.

get very unique business cards, i chose vertical cards so that any place i put cards they stand an inch taller than all the other ones.
 
RFrommann said:
word of mouth is the most powerful thing, so you need people to start talking about you.

get very unique business cards, i chose vertical cards so that any place i put cards they stand an inch taller than all the other ones.
Click to expand...
agreed,try not to skimp on the cards.I have 50 cards in my personal vehicle at all times,so when I'm shopping in a retail location before I enter the store I will tag 20 cars .
 
by attending car shows and showing off our stang ,and others wanting their cars detailed like ours,then it became word of mouth......have fun keep detailing....auto one detailing.....check us out on facebook
 
It doesn't matter if you own a car detailing business, mechanic shop, message therapy practice, tech-startup, or online business

Starting a business and getting customers will fall under the basic marketing and sales:

- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Facebook and Facebook ads (PPC)
- Google Adwords (PPC)
- Instagram
- Sales; how to answer the phone, how to handle complaints/objections
- Word of mouth

80% of your time should be focused on marketing/advertising/sales and the other 20% of your time should be focused on detailing
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I have planned this semester to maximize time to focus on working on marketing/ads/ and coming up with good sales promotions. Whats everyone using for the website? I am using godaddy and a local small business which is way too expensive for the lack of real service they provide, so I am looking to switch.
 
I'm using Sitebuilder right now. It's very easy to navigate and it's pretty cheap for the monthly with a dedicated domain name. I have a FB page too. I was detailing part time in Germany before I retired (Army) and moved back here. Go to Cars and Coffee that's near you if you can. That's where all the money cars and enthusiasts hang out, at least here anyway. Get your name out there in the FB car groups.

I'm also still trying to figure out a rig, water tank, water pump, and power situation. Where are you located?

Steve
 
I got my start by working with Hertz Rent A Car as they were having a bodyshop do their cars and they knew me from that. I had graduated from high school (1977) and while I was in high school my father cleaned and detailed cars and taught me, that was in 1974. In all I had a 16 gallon shop wet & dry shop vac and high speed polisher and used TigerKut compound and liquid ebony and used the local car washes until I could afford one and built my business by going to dealers and gas stations and cards and word of mouth. It worked and I made good money and then was offered a job for a major car rental firm to head up their detailing department in which we did 100 cars a week . . .Good luck to you in your new venture . . . . .
 
I am still in the Startup process. My first year was 2013 so this spring I will start my 4th season as a detailer.

I have a full time job that is flexible on the hours, so in the summer months I ask to cut the hours as much as possible down to 3 or 4 days a week when possible. It's not ideal because I have to schedule clients around my other job schedule but it allows me to have a steady income no matter how many client I get.

I think you should scale in, going full time detailing without an existing client base is hard. I have the same problem you do finding clients, it's a niche market and it takes time to build your client base.

Like others said, handing out business cards as much as possible is an inexpensive way to find clients. If you can have some sort of standing billboard you could setup while detailing it might get you noticed by neighbours at the client site.

Most of my clients come from my website, so I would definitely suggest you set one up. Facebook is great but it's not ideal to sell yourself and your services.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
You have my utmost respect for going in full time. But are you all in? Going all in is a must. You only have option A and there can't be an option B. Treat it like a business, not a $5 start up. I have found that most people that invest little money into their business usually get little results because the potential for loss is minimal (there are exceptions, especially here on AG). The motivational differences between someone who invested $150 into a whatever business is drastically different from someone who just invested $1million into a McDonalds franchise. Put yourself in a corner, explore outside your comfort zone. You will be surprised at your abilities and willingness to do what others won't do when there is no option B. Fight or flight.

What RFrommann said is absolutely right, your vehicle will not get you jobs, period. But the thought that you are 10K or 25K in the hole, or you have a $300 a month payment on your vehicle will wake your butt up in the morning to fix that. And what GSKR said about having a vehicle shows dedication is without a doubt correct. It also shows you are not some Mickey Mouse company working out of your trunk. Lastly, VP Mark hit the nail on the head with obscurity. How fix that? Either you have a big budget to spend on advertising or a massive social network that can reach thousands of users, or you walk your smiley little face in front of people and tell them what your business is and how you can serve them.

My business is a bit different than most detailers. I don't advertise, I don't Yelp, and I don't do social media. What I do do is make lots of contacts, in person. I kick (kiss) ass and take numbers. I don't care about giving my business card out because they won't call me anyway (I had 1 guy call me yesterday lol).

I've said this in another thread, but being a business owner is about being a salesman and making contacts. In your business, when you do a job at a customer's home, when you finish, do you leave? Or are you knocking on every neighbors door to let them know who you just served Jimmy next door and what you do? Leaving a card on their door/car won't do anything, that is as cold of a contact as it can get. But if you get a chance to get face to face and tell them that you just detailed the Johnson's car, assuming they know their next door neighbor, that instantly becomes a warm contact. In sales, they call this friendship borrowing. Borrow the friendship of your customers to make friends with their friends.

When a customer comes to your home to pick up his perfect car, you have to ask them for referrals right then and there. Search up on youtube how to ask for referrals. The art of asking for referrals is not easy, and I am no expert at it. But if you make it a priority to get good at this, you will not run out of work.

Be bold. Best of luck.

Oh yah, how did I start out? I bought myself a 2014 Savana, shelving, mostly 5 gallon jugs of chemicals, fully insured myself, website, uniforms, flyers, hired 2 employees. But most importantly, this is my only option. The mentality was: I'll either make it, or send the roses.
 
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