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dad07

dad07

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You or break you.

Detailing is hard work and to succeed you need to pour your heart and soul into it.

Example: I detailed a vehical for a guy and it took me longer than normal( I'm old and I like to make sure I cross my T's and dot my I's)the customer was unhappy with the results. Why? all he said was I took to long!

Fast forward to this weekend......took in a Surburban,a big vehical, and we agreed on what he wanted and the amount of time "I" needed.The vehical was dropped off 4 hours later than agreed.I worked my butt off on this thing all weekend and I wasn't happy on the end results becuase of equipment failer(not the customers fault) so I did the best I could with what I had to use( I poured my heart and soul into it) finished the job and got paid with high praises.

I got a phone call Monday am it was the surburban customer (and was thinking O God what did I miss?) He wanted to stop by and was making sure I was there.

So here we go my nerves were shot waiting for his arrival.....he pulls in with the Surburban and the vehical owner from several weeks earlier( they are good friends come to find out)

Surburban owner says Tim After I got home and looked at my car I wanted you to know that I think you did an outstanding job and that I'm thrilled with your work!( sigh of relief on my part)

The Friend(who's vehical I did a few weeks earlier) said Tim I owe you an apology, your work was really top notch and I hope I haven't hurt your biz with some things I said to a few people....after a few I told them both IF YOUR HAPPY I'M HAPPY!

Sorry for the long read but IF you really put your heart and soul into it they will come to you!

Just a side note: My phone has been ringing all day, and I'm book solid for the next month!
 
I'm glad that worked out for you Tim. We do pour our souls into our work, and you just pray it shows.
 
I too am glad it turned out good for you. I don't think people understand our level of detailing which is why they question the length of time needed.
 
Some people just don't have any idea what it takes to do a good job. I for one would never tackle someones car because it took me a week or more just to get mine done. I am glad it turned out well for you.
 
I'm glad the first guy saw the light and came around. It is gratifying when your hard work is appreciated.
 
Tim...thats awesome! Its always good to hear these stories.
 
rwright said:
I don't think people understand our level of detailing which is why they question the length of time needed.
Click to expand...

People in general don't understand how long it takes from beginning to end nor how much work is involved when doing it right the first time.

Even if you educate them the only way they get it is if they either stick around and watch or stick around and watch and help...

At my last Advanced Class the guys that got to sand down the 1971 GTO and then buff it out had no idea how much work it was until a couple hours into it...

I think it's accurate to say they all loved the experience and just as accurate to say none of them ever want to sand down and buff out an entire car... especially by themselves...


:)
 
Great story Tim! I am glad that your hard work and dedication are paying off for you! :props:
 
Fantastic narrative, Tim!

This story shows that you believe in yourself and your abilities; and, you approach each task by putting your heart, mind, and soul into it....including, no doubt, down to even the smallest of deeds.

This is the secret to success.

Thanks for sharing.

:)

Bob
 
That's pretty darn outstanding!!! I hope the First customer goes back and tries to undo the damage done...Great success story!!! I totally agree that you have to put your heart and soul into it if you plan to get good results. Cross the T's and Dot the I's, that's what detailing is all about.

:props: to you Tim!!! You're The Man!!!
 
I'm glad it worked out for you. Good to here that your hard work paid off. Keep up the GREAT work!
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
People in general don't understand how long it takes from beginning to end nor how much work is involved when doing it right the first time.

Even if you educate them the only way they get it is if they either stick around and watch or stick around and watch and help...

At my last Advanced Class the guys that got to sand down the 1971 GTO and then buff it out had no idea how much work it was until a couple hours into it...

I think it's accurate to say they all loved the experience and just as accurate to say none of them ever want to sand down and buff out an entire car... especially by themselves...


:)
Click to expand...

You got that right. It was a lot of work but what a great experience. But, it is true that people have no concept of how long it takes to do a full detail. And you are also correct that I will not be volunteering to wet sand and buff a car by myself.
 
Tim,

Great story but I was expecting an unhappy ending.

Generally, the only time a customer made it a point to stop by was to express disappointment. Rarely these days does someone take the time to stop by and express additional thanks and satisfaction...:props:


Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
People in general don't understand how long it takes from beginning to end nor how much work is involved when doing it right the first time.

Even if you educate them the only way they get it is if they either stick around and watch or stick around and watch and help...
Click to expand...

Mike,

I could not agree more!

Detailing is not easy by a long shot.

Detailing is physically exhausting and time consuming. Some think detailing is little more than a wash & wax then vacuum out the interior and wash the windows. Most customers have little insight into what's really required to do the job correctly the first time.
 
Excellent story Tim :props:

People don't understand pride in ones work but you do and thats why you put 10x the effort. Great work!

Too many people have the words "good enough" in the front of their dictionary when doing their job.
 
Great story Tim! It was quite scary reading it at first, but it all turned out well in the end! :dblthumb2:

I do agree that many people think a full detail can be done in a matter of hours, but some cars need more time than others. I work kind of slow at times as well, but I warm the customer ahead of time.

They ask me how long a full detail last and I say about 4-5 hours, but then I tell them that the longer I have thier car the more time I can spend cleaning it and doing it the right way. I tell them that if they are dropping that much $$$ on a detail it is best to not rush things and in the end they are happy they waited. Of course this doesn't mean I keep their car for the whole day but sometimes even an extra hour helps a great deal.

Keep it up Tim!
 
Nothing makes me feel better than getting a great customer compliment.

Complaints can really cloud my day.

I need to find a middle ground.

Tim
 
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