I'll be doing my own detailing business this summer as well, I'm worried that most customers won't understand claying, I also plan to do the wash clay wax and interior for 100, is this too steep? Should I go with 90?
Let me give you a little advise based on my limited business ownership knowledge.
Never sell yourself short
Never discount your services
Never lowball to get the deal
Never do a job your not comfortable with the price
Never sell yourself short
You want to start a
professional detailing business, so that means that
you are a professional. You need to have confidence in what you are doing and what you are charging. If a client asks why something costs so much, be upfront and honest. Tell them if its down and dirty work, tell them that you might need to remove the seats or their wheels have so much caked on brake dust that your going to spend 15 min per wheel for a good basic cleaning. Confidence and knowledge will lead to a good loyal relationship with the client.
Never discount your services
This was a hard concept for me to grasp when I had my business. If a customer balks at the price, simply reiterate the process and what is going to go into the service you are offering. If you still cannot show the worth and potential of the offering, ask the customer what they can live without and you will remove that service to lower the price. NEVER lower your price on your services. This might lead to an annoying customer coming back and back for the same service at the same price and you will be loosing profits from giving up other jobs.
Never lowball to get the deal
This goes hand and hand with all the different areas I am trying to cover. If you give too low of a price, you might get return business but its business that will be expecting that same lowball price. Know your own worth and know what you should be charging and what your time is worth to you. Lowballing generally attracts nit-picky, annoying customers (my experience) and are generally not worth the time and energy to please. Make sure you have a bottom line for yourself, for example if you do a wash and wax on a compact car, have a bottom line price for doing the job and never go below that price. That way you know you will at LEAST be making "x" per hour at the very worst if the car is completely trashed. Charge extra for exceptionally dirty cars, charge normal prices for extra clean cars (unless you are deciding to make some sort of maintenance program).
Never do a job that you are not comfortable with the price
I have made this mistake many many MANY times before. I took the job/ did the work because I just wanted the money. Not only was I miserable doing the work, I was upset with the pay (pretty much broke even), lost days of work, and at the end it cost me time, money, and energy. If you think you are not making enough money on the deal... walk away.
Your new, I get that. You need to make a name for yourself and you want to attract customers so you might want to have slightly lower prices then what you would if you were experienced but please make sure you have some sort of cost analysis as to how much detailing a car costs you. Make sure you equate products, wear and tear on reusables, gas, even a percentage of your marketing needs to go into the equation to figure out what you are making per vehicle/ per hour, which ever way you want to break it down.
