Moving Business Out of State

[jarred767]

So, I've mentioned it in a couple of threads here and there over the last couple months, but I am planning on moving my business from Seattle, WA to Bend, OR (about 350 miles) this March. I'm working on making a bunch of changes to reflect the move online in February-ish, so that I can at least have a few leads generated before actually making the move. I've got a list of a few other things that I will be doing to hopefully make the move and re-establishment as pain-free as possible, but I'd love to hear any advice from you guys.

I know there's probably not too many that have actually done this (if you have, you're advice is like gold, please share), but even just brainstorming ideas of things that I should do would help. I really appreciate the advice.

Oh, and if any of you are in the Seattle/Bellevue/Kirkland market and know a great and reliable mobile detailer, I'm in the market of trying to find a couple reputable options to give my current clients. Thanks guys! :dblthumb2:

 

[Pureshine]

I would make sure where you moving can handle the prices you want to get. I hope everything goes great for you bro and wish you nothing but success and if you need anything let me know.

 

[Scott@IncrediblyDetailed]

I would be switching over your web stuff and SEO asap as it takes a couple weeks or months to fully take effect. You're getting a chance at a new market with all the tools and skills. Goodluck!!!

 

[4AudiQ]

My wife & I moved from Bend to Molalla(West side of the Cascades) June , 2013. We now only have to deal with the rain, not the snow & cold conditions. I got real tired of shoveling
snow. My north facing drive way was covered with ice all winter long. There are a lot of retired folks living in Bend in nice communities.
There is a Porsche, Audi, VW, BMW dealer there, so many people have money.

 

[thebamboo23]

Start lead capturing!!

If you wanted to make it as pain free as possible, you would need to start marketing now.

Aka, collect email addresses.

And the only way to get results quick is Facebook ads and Google Adwords.

You'll need several things:
- Landing page software: leadpages.net, unbounce.com, etc..
- Email service provider: mailchimp.com, aweber.com, etc...
- Adwords account
- Facebook ads business page

You'll also need to know:
- Copywriting
- Conversion rate optimization
- How to set a drip system / autoresponder
- How to use Adwords
- How to use Power Editor in Facebook (NOT 'Boost')

This is the goal you want to go for:

https://flic.kr/p/pEySLMhttps://www.flickr.com/people/99143810@N03/

https://flic.kr/p/qjTxUPhttps://www.flickr.com/people/99143810@N03/

They'll have people WANTING the product BEFORE it even comes out.

You can do the same.

The neat thing is there is such low competition in local detailing markets. So if you have your chops down you can have a fairly decent email list.

What can you do with this email list? Sell to them

Of course, this comes down to a few things:
- Ad spend budget
- Juicy copy
- Offer to capture emails
- Audience your targeting
- How you have your sales funnel set up

You don't need to spend a buttload of money... Heck, do $2 a day for Facebook.

I know it's a bunch of work, but if you had the time, this would be the number best option to get leads.

You can't rely on SEO.

 

[jarred767]

I would make sure where you moving can handle the prices you want to get. I hope everything goes great for you bro and wish you nothing but success and if you need anything let me know.

Thanks for the support Todd, from what I can tell with my research, I should be able to charge pretty similar prices to what I am now, maybe 10% less in a worst case scenario. However, the cost of living is much less, which will more than offset that, so I feel pretty confident.

I'll be sure to be give any of my customers on the eastside your way if they don't specifically need something mobile.

I would be switching over your web stuff and SEO asap as it takes a couple weeks or months to fully take effect. You're getting a chance at a new market with all the tools and skills. Goodluck!!!

Hmm, this soon huh, well I'm actually building a new site and hopefully it will at least be operational in the next few weeks, and as soon as it is, I'll have it up so it has time to get "crawled." I was planning on switching everything else (like Adwords, Yelp, Google+, Facebook, etc.) over in the beginning of February to give a solid 6 weeks, will that be enough time, or should I do even earlier? I am really excited about the opportunity to start over fresh with all the knowledge and experience that I've gained over the years; it's going to be a great challenge.

My wife & I moved from Bend to Molalla(West side of the Cascades) June , 2013. We now only have to deal with the rain, not the snow & cold conditions. I got real tired of shoveling
snow. My north facing drive way was covered with ice all winter long. There are a lot of retired folks living in Bend in nice communities.
There is a Porsche, Audi, VW, BMW dealer there, so many people have money.

Funny, the grass is always greener huh One of the biggest reasons we're moving is to get away from the constant rain of Seattle. We both love the snow, and we'll see how the temperature changes affect us (I like the cold and my wife is impartial, but we just need something new and absolutely love the area). I have heard that there is quite a bit of money in town, so I think I've got a good shot at be the first and only legitimate mobile detailing service.

Start lead capturing!!

If you wanted to make it as pain free as possible, you would need to start marketing now.

Aka, collect email addresses.

And the only way to get results quick is Facebook ads and Google Adwords.

You'll need several things:
- Landing page software: leadpages.net, unbounce.com, etc..
- Email service provider: mailchimp.com, aweber.com, etc...
- Adwords account
- Facebook ads business page

You'll also need to know:
- Copywriting
- Conversion rate optimization
- How to set a drip system / autoresponder
- How to use Adwords
- How to use Power Editor in Facebook (NOT 'Boost')

This is the goal you want to go for:

They'll have people WANTING the product BEFORE it even comes out.

You can do the same.

The neat thing is there is such low competition in local detailing markets. So if you have your chops down you can have a fairly decent email list.

What can you do with this email list? Sell to them

Of course, this comes down to a few things:
- Ad spend budget
- Juicy copy
- Offer to capture emails
- Audience your targeting
- How you have your sales funnel set up

You don't need to spend a buttload of money... Heck, do $2 a day for Facebook.

I know it's a bunch of work, but if you had the time, this would be the number best option to get leads.

You can't rely on SEO.

Wow, a lot of stuff to digest there, and thanks for taking the time to put it all together; it is much appreciated. I'm not sure if I quite need to go that in-depth as it's just a one-man show, but doing some of the simpler things like maybe some Facebook advertising or start-up the AdWords as soon as I get the new site up and running.

How would you go about collecting email addresses of potential customers in the new location though?

Thanks again everyone, and any more comments or suggestions are always welcome!rops:

 

[thebamboo23]

Hmm, this soon huh, well I'm actually building a new site and hopefully it will at least be operational in the next few weeks, and as soon as it is, I'll have it up so it has time to get "crawled." I was planning on switching everything else (like Adwords, Yelp, Google+, Facebook, etc.) over in the beginning of February to give a solid 6 weeks, will that be enough time, or should I do even earlier? I am really excited about the opportunity to start over fresh with all the knowledge and experience that I've gained over the years; it's going to be a great challenge.

No way will it be 6 weeks... unless you know what you're doing, try 3 to 6 months

Wow, a lot of stuff to digest there, and thanks for taking the time to put it all together; it is much appreciated. I'm not sure if I quite need to go that in-depth as it's just a one-man show, but doing some of the simpler things like maybe some Facebook advertising or start-up the AdWords as soon as I get the new site up and running.

How would you go about collecting email addresses of potential customers in the new location though?

Thanks again everyone, and any more comments or suggestions are always welcome!rops:

One man show or 10 man crew, this benefits anyone and everyone.

You need a software that allow to set up landing pages that integrates with an email service provider

Example: Aweber + Leadpages + Adwords

 

[jarred767]

No way will it be 6 weeks... unless you know what you're doing, try 3 to 6 months



One man show or 10 man crew, this benefits anyone and everyone.

You need a software that allow to set up landing pages that integrates with an email service provider

Example: Aweber + Leadpages + Adwords

Well, I've heard a few weeks to a couple months, but never 3-6 months before...interesting.

I agree that it can benefit anyone and everyone, but with a 10 man crew you need to generate more potential business than you do when you're solo. All the time and effort that would go into a campaign this big, will be more cost-effective for a larger business than my one man business. Plus, if it takes 3-6 months, I'm probably too late for this type of thing anyways.

 

[Pureshine]

Thanks for the support Todd, from what I can tell with my research, I should be able to charge pretty similar prices to what I am now, maybe 10% less in a worst case scenario. However, the cost of living is much less, which will more than offset that, so I feel pretty confident.

I'll be sure to be give any of my customers on the eastside your way if they don't specifically need something mobile.

Thanks Jarred!

 

[4AudiQ]

Here is the competition:
Rod's Automotive Detailing - Same-Day Quality Detailing | Bend, OR

https://plus.google.com/114920972996218435216/photos?hl=en

Showroom Mobile Automotive Detailing - Bend, OR | Yelp

All About The Details - Bend, OR | Yelp

Detail Kings - Bend, OR | Yelp

JR?s Auto Body Shop - Bend, OR | Yelp

D.A.D.S. Of Bend - Bend, OR | Yelp

Superior Shield - Bend, OR | Yelp

BT Auto Detail - Bend, OR | Yelp

Mario?s Automotive Detailing - Bend, OR | Yelp

Plus, Thomas Dekany (http://tdekany.com/)of Portland metro area goes to Bend to do
paint correction (he is good). He used to be a moderator for 3D Products
3D Professional Detailing Products | Auto Detail | Supplies | Car Care

I cannot vouch for any of the above as to the quality of their work, except Thomas’.
Best wishes in your adventure.

 

[thebamboo23]

Well, I've heard a few weeks to a couple months, but never 3-6 months before...interesting.

I agree that it can benefit anyone and everyone, but with a 10 man crew you need to generate more potential business than you do when you're solo. All the time and effort that would go into a campaign this big, will be more cost-effective for a larger business than my one man business. Plus, if it takes 3-6 months, I'm probably too late for this type of thing anyways.

OOPS. Sorry about that.

I meant 3 to 6 months for SEO to kick in.

Capturing emails from a different zipcode can be within 2 days

 

[jarred767]

Here is the competition:
Rod's Automotive Detailing - Same-Day Quality Detailing | Bend, OR

https://plus.google.com/114920972996218435216/photos?hl=en

Showroom Mobile Automotive Detailing - Bend, OR | Yelp

All About The Details - Bend, OR | Yelp

Detail Kings - Bend, OR | Yelp

JR?s Auto Body Shop - Bend, OR | Yelp

D.A.D.S. Of Bend - Bend, OR | Yelp

Superior Shield - Bend, OR | Yelp

BT Auto Detail - Bend, OR | Yelp

Mario?s Automotive Detailing - Bend, OR | Yelp

Plus, Thomas Dekany (http://tdekany.com/)of Portland metro area goes to Bend to do
paint correction (he is good). He used to be a moderator for 3D Products
3D Professional Detailing Products | Auto Detail | Supplies | Car Care

I cannot vouch for any of the above as to the quality of their work, except Thomas’.
Best wishes in your adventure.

Thanks man! I have checked out most of those places over the last 6 months to a year and most of them aside from the first two and Thomas seem really low key/weekend warrior type businesses. Showroom Mobile is actually out of business now (I spoke with him and he had a great business, but lost the passion and desire), Rods is probably the biggest competition, but they kind of seem like they're more of a volume shop, and of course Thomas is great and awesome and his work speaks for itself (I'm not sure how often he comes to Bend though since he's located 3 hours away). There's also a detail shop at the Porsche dealership too that will be competition.

From my research, I feel like there is a great opportunity (amount of expendable income/nice cars/retired people needing and wanting the service vs amount of competition in the area). My biggest hurdle will be figuring out best practices to keep busy through winter months since they're colder than here in Seattle, but that's part of why we're moving in March-so that I've got time to really get that figured out.

 

[Cosmin]

see your move like a start of new business, but use your experience to tailor the business plan the way you want it. keep it simple.


*just cause internet is "free" and handy , you still have to kick doors, build network and deliver results.

 

[allenk4]

Is the detail shop at the Porsche dealership run by them or contractors who work in the dealerships shop?

If it is run by the dealership, I think you should stop by and let them know you are willing to help them out when they get too busy. I would offer to do a free detail on the vehicle of whoever is calling the shots

Maybe their detail shop is not qualified to do coatings and you can put together a proposal where the billing is done thru the dealership. They keep their cut and pay you the rest

 

[jarred767]

3+ month Update:

It's been a little while since I posted in this thread, but figured it would be best to update it and have this thread be a little more useful for someone who might be going through a similar situation in the future.

I went ahead and did many of the things I mentioned in the first post and had my new site up and running in the new location almost two months before the move. I continued to work on it, but at least it was getting crawled by search engines (it's essentially "done" now). This was incremental in the transition as from this one thing combined with transferring over my Yelp page to the new city (not an easy task) I was able to have an entire week of work scheduled before I even made my move, which was awesome. :xyxthumbs:

Once I got here, I hit the ground running. I've utilized Instagram quite effectively and gotten a few jobs through there and made some great local connections as well (both through FB/Instagram, from my site, and making connections locally in person). The first month or so I was working 4-5 days a week which was awesome and much better than I expected. Now I have been working 5-6 full pretty full days a week for the last two months averaging similar profits to what I was before leaving Seattle (roughly 6k per month). I'm currently booked up about two weeks and really trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting some sort of additional fixed location that I could increase production a little more and not be hurt as much by winter once it gets here.

I would have to say the biggest thing that helped in this transition was definitely online presence and SEO of my website. By about the beginning of the second month here, I was either 2nd or 3rd on almost all keywords when searching on Google and this has been instrumental I believe. I also got very active with following up with customers that I was getting (I'd send out a physical letter thanking them for their service and I included a $20 off coupon for them to use in the next 6 months and another one for them to give to a friend). I've already seen good results to this follow up and much better than anything I had done in the past through email.

Finally, having my mobile rig up and running with my decals definitely has helped spread the word and it's amazing how many people stop and ask questions while I'm working compared to before I had decals on it. It has already way more than paid itself off.

I'll try to do a better job of keeping this updated every so often as the business progresses in the new city and make this a resource others can use when either starting a new business or moving to a new location.

 

[sproketser]

Congrats & you have a great looking mobile setup mate . Any pix of the interior !

 

[Pureshine]

That's great Jarred! Glad things are going good bro.

 

[Firehouse Mike]

Awesome job! Happy to hear that everything has worked out great for you!

Mike :dblthumb2:

 

[jarred767]

Congrats & you have a great looking mobile setup mate . Any pix of the interior !

Thanks, I have some old ones from right when I bought it. I'll try to snap some new ones with my current setup and post them up.

That's great Jarred! Glad things are going good bro.

Awesome job! Happy to hear that everything has worked out great for you!

Mike :dblthumb2:

Thanks guys, appreciate the support! It's been a fun journey so far, and I LOVE my new town! Hope you're both doin well too.

 

[sproketser]

Thanks, I have some old ones from right when I bought it. I'll try to snap some new ones with my current setup and post them up.




Thanks guys, appreciate the support! It's been a fun journey so far, and I LOVE my new town! Hope you're both doin well too.

Thanx , it would be great .