Newbie Needing help with pricing

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mountainmedic

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Hey y'all I am new to this detailing for a side job thing and I was really needing some help with some pricing. I bought a buffer just to do my vehicles and now people are asking me to do theirs. I have two different three different people right now wanting a price. They are wanting a full detail inside and out, buffed with cleaner wax and then a sealant put on. Here are the cars:

Mini cooper red
Jeep Wrangler four door white with a white hard top

The other job is the towns police cars they have three dodge chargers white and they want a quote to do the full detail and buff 2 times a year spring and fall and either maintenance clean once or twice a month(they want a quote on both ways both once a month and then one twice a month).

Thank you you ahead of time and like always any help is very much appreciated from this newbie.
 
I thought the inmates take care of the police cars.Down here they do.Being that this a partime thing set your prices relatively high.cant see blowing your weekend for 250.00. Aim at correction details one car over a 2 day period 500.00 or more.If its production do what you want,but it will be hard to make a profit.you don't want to go down discount road.you will be buying all kinds of products with so many customers that are cheap you will mind as well work at footlocker or something.Not bashing,just giving you my experience that I've gone thru.volume sucks in this business.I had to change my whole clientele to more of quality minded people.for example tues Land Rover discovery full blown correction and interior 2 days of work 1350.00.Doctors are the best customers.stay away from the general public that deosnt have a true profession,because they don't appreciate your time for the money you are worth.stay away from car washing as well zero profit.Its negetive but you wanted to know,and I'm giving you the reality.chase people with money.
 
GSKR said:
I thought the inmates take care of the police cars.Down here they do.Being that this a partime thing set your prices relatively high.cant see blowing your weekend for 250.00. Aim at correction details one car over a 2 day period 500.00 or more.If its production do what you want,but it will be hard to make a profit.you don't want to go down discount road.you will be buying all kinds of products with so many customers that are cheap you will mind as well work at footlocker or something.Not bashing,just giving you my experience that I've gone thru.volume sucks in this business.I had to change my whole clientele to more of quality minded people.for example tues Land Rover discovery full blown correction and interior 2 days of work 1350.00.Doctors are the best customers.stay away from the general public that deosnt have a true profession,because they don't appreciate your time for the money you are worth.stay away from car washing as well zero profit.Its negetive but you wanted to know,and I'm giving you the reality.chase people with money.
Click to expand...

Dude!!!! Thanks for sharing some real life experience regarding money!!! Everyone loves to keep that hush hush Around here. It's a sin to tell anyone (but your customer ) your prices. If I do a days work it's about $175 for full exterior correction. Everything else is extra. You guys can ask me any question regarding detailing and money and I'll answer on point. Usually you get a vague answer. I have only done a few full corrections mainly panel details say they got a trunk they slid groceries on for a year. I charge $40 per panel like this

f7208b7b022c7fae6d5d6a58e401d05c.jpg


HF polisher, Megs cutting 6 inch pad with 105, Megs polishing pad with 205, hand wax with high tech yellow wax.

3ebf03891c0f4ede7e3c4ec33ada7228.jpg


The main thing is, do not second guess yourself without hearing a good price range, my first real job was $80 for the whole thing. I totally regret that even though I really needed money for supplies at the time. I'd say at least $250 for a multi step, interior is EXTRA! Also if they want something like headlights, $60 extra. Don't feel like you have to provide more for them to get their money's worth!


-Mr. Slick.
 
And remember price is set by the market...
Once that ceiling is clear to you you'll need to decide if it's a market you want to be in...
That's a decision based in your own costs vs a perception of the worth of your time..... And other options for income available to you.......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
$250 for a mutli step? wow I wouldn't even get out of bed for that. $400 to 600 for a 1 step. or forgit it. They can go else where. :P

Like others have said depends on your area, and market though. If the prices are low. I would try to find different people willing to spend the money. Don't go down the road of giving cfheap prices, cause when that person tells their friends after you make their car look great. They say hey, and he is cheap also! Then when you quote them a higher price. They go back to your other customer, and say "hey man I thought you said he was cheap? " Better to walk now, and look for the good customers. I rather do a couple cars a week at some point, then to be doing 20 cars busting my ass for nothing. Doesn't make sense. :)
 
srpurdy said:
$250 for a mutli step? wow I wouldn't even get out of bed for that. $400 to 600 for a 1 step. or forgit it. They can go else where. :P

Like others have said depends on your area, and market though. If the prices are low. I would try to find different people willing to spend the money. Don't go down the road of giving cfheap prices, cause when that person tells their friends after you make their car look great. They say hey, and he is cheap also! Then when you quote them a higher price. They go back to your other customer, and say "hey man I thought you said he was cheap? " Better to walk now, and look for the good customers. I rather do a couple cars a week at some point, then to be doing 20 cars busting my ass for nothing. Doesn't make sense. :)
Click to expand...
I think you have said the same thing about me a while back about you wouldn't get out of bed for less than a thousand dollars.Here is the synopsis ,you have to do whatever it takes to feed your family and keep the lights on.I don't think it nice of you to make comments like that.Im not personally insulting you.Everyones market and motivation is different.They will earn what is comfortable for them as far as a living.I see 250.00 a day is better than zero.Keep your comments to yourself,most of the forum members are soaking up knowledge and product use.Everyone has there own outake on life and make there decisions.If you can stay in bed for less than 1000.00 more power to you,but keep it to yourself and don't downgrade anyone.Ive seen most of your post regarding products and such,which tells me you are new at this as well.So keep your negetive comments to yourself and this forum will be inviting to all.I have 25 years of hand on experience everyday detailing some times I come off negetive but it's only the truth from experience .Have a good day!
 
If you have a response to that feel free to pm me thanks.
 
Keep your packages simple and straight forward! Go above and beyond for the customer and also communicate with them with confidence and courtesy! Always, and I repeat ALWAYS, back up your work. If you make a mistake, fix it! If the customer is not satisfied with something, fix it! Your best marketing is word of mouth from doing stellar work! Take care of the customers and they will take care of you!

Finally, get some business cars from Vista Print and after every job leave 5 in their cup holder.

A good starting price is $35 an hour. Figure 10% for product expense.

Best wishes to you!
 
Slick01 said;
Everyone loves to keep that hush hush Around here. It's a sin to tell anyone (but your customer ) your prices.
Click to expand...

AGO is a world wide forum, with members in many geo-locations. For someone to state what their price is for "x" is meaningless for someone in a completely different economy. Folks may not state prices on the forum because it's not relevant. Everyone's situation is different whether it be geo-location, services offered or specific services. However, most folks have a link to their site in their sig block and folks can freely browse those links for pricing. "X-Package" in Boston or NYC is in a different economy than an "X-Package" in Conrad Montana. (Just picking on Conrad because I once lived about an hour from there...) and it's different than Boston.

Also package prices are not hard-n-fast. I use Mike Phillips VIF form. If the car is not the pristine cream-puff the owner states it is, my prices are all *Starting At...." It's literally a quote by quote basis.

To the OP:
My best suggestion is to price shop others in your geo-location that offer similar service. Competition is good, but do not undercut others in your area.
As GSKR states, if you are doing this part-time, set your prices high. This way you get the vehicles/customers you chose, and can eliminate the others that would otherwise go to a car-wash (cars that you don't want to take/customers that are potential problems).
 
GSKR said:
I think you have said the same thing about me a while back about you wouldn't get out of bed for less than a thousand dollars.Here is the synopsis ,you have to do whatever it takes to feed your family and keep the lights on.I don't think it nice of you to make comments like that.Im not personally insulting you.Everyones market and motivation is different.They will earn what is comfortable for them as far as a living.I see 250.00 a day is better than zero.Keep your comments to yourself,most of the forum members are soaking up knowledge and product use.Everyone has there own outake on life and make there decisions.If you can stay in bed for less than 1000.00 more power to you,but keep it to yourself and don't downgrade anyone.Ive seen most of your post regarding products and such,which tells me you are new at this as well.So keep your negetive comments to yourself and this forum will be inviting to all.I have 25 years of hand on experience everyday detailing some times I come off negetive but it's only the truth from experience .Have a good day!
Click to expand...

That's just my opinon. If you took it that way. That's something you've read into my text that just is not true at all. My post was meant to be helpful. I rather see someone successful and making $500 instead of making $250. So the point of my post was for people to value themselves more. Not less. I am not knocking it, but sometimes people need to understand that people will take advantage of you anytime they can. That is it. If I said something to you. That you took personally. It wasn't meant that way. I got better things to do than to insult people on message boards. So I am sorry if my posts have offended you, but I won't stop myself from stating my opinion about something.

Yes I am new to detailing, but I have been running businesses going on 20 years. So this is not my first business, and probably not my last. :)

And I actually appreicated some of your posts in other topics. So what you may think that I think of you is not really the case. :)

I posted here and not in pm, because if you're going to confront me publicly, you have to be willing to be confronted publicly. If you wanted to take the high road you should have pm'ed me for clairifcation in the first place. :)

Back on topic....
 
Funny how most will get into bed for a lot less than they will get out of it.. ;)
 
Yesterday I detailed an airstream trailer. $80 for wash and wax. Thought I was ballin. I got a long way to go....


-Mr. Slick.
 
mountainmedic said:
Hey y'all I am new to this detailing for a side job thing and I was really needing some help with some pricing. I bought a buffer just to do my vehicles and now people are asking me to do theirs. I have two different three different people right now wanting a price. They are wanting a full detail inside and out, buffed with cleaner wax and then a sealant put on. Here are the cars:

Mini cooper red
Jeep Wrangler four door white with a white hard top

The other job is the towns police cars they have three dodge chargers white and they want a quote to do the full detail and buff 2 times a year spring and fall and either maintenance clean once or twice a month(they want a quote on both ways both once a month and then one twice a month).

Thank you you ahead of time and like always any help is very much appreciated from this newbie.
Click to expand...

Pm sent
 
srpurdy said:
$250 for a mutli step? wow I wouldn't even get out of bed for that. $400 to 600 for a 1 step. or forgit it. They can go else where. :P

Like others have said depends on your area, and market though. If the prices are low. I would try to find different people willing to spend the money. Don't go down the road of giving cfheap prices, cause when that person tells their friends after you make their car look great. They say hey, and he is cheap also! Then when you quote them a higher price. They go back to your other customer, and say "hey man I thought you said he was cheap? " Better to walk now, and look for the good customers. I rather do a couple cars a week at some point, then to be doing 20 cars busting my ass for nothing. Doesn't make sense. :)
Click to expand...

I actually found this really helpful. Trying to adjust so I can succeed as a business, not just barely survive. I'm actually building it up from the bare bones right now. Doing the legal stuff, gotta get a permit next. Sometimes I'm thinking I'm making some real cash then I look at the costs and get back to reality. I've gotten so much help on detailing techniques but when it comes to cost/ how much per hour it seems you can make more working at McDonalds if you're not careful.


-Mr. Slick.
 
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