Prices: to list or not to list?

DownSouthDetail

DownSouthDetail

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I'm in the process of starting my business and getting a website going and I can't decide if I want to list my prices or not. I have read Renny Doyle's book and it says to not list your prices because it takes the salesman out of you, but I've also seen some of the detailers on here who have their prices listed and they look to have a very well ran business. So could some of you please explain why you list your prices or why you do not, it would be much appreciated, Thanks :dblthumb2:
 
The successful businesses you are referring too may not have started out with a set price list. But now that they have continual business, customer referrals, and other incoming requests they are able to subject themselves to a price sheet because of their reputation. I am in the process of establishing a "small home business" with side and weekend jobs to keep my detailing bug alive and have no price listing at all. All of my business has been referral and so far it's worked great.
 
zexel said:
The successful businesses you are referring too may not have started out with a set price list. But now that they have continual business, customer referrals, and other incoming requests they are able to subject themselves to a price sheet because of their reputation. I am in the process of establishing a "small home business" with side and weekend jobs to keep my detailing bug alive and have no price listing at all. All of my business has been referral and so far it's worked great.
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That makes sense, thanks for the reply! I hope your business keeps going great and continues to grow!
 
I do not publish my pricing for my wedding photography. I want the customer to call and ask. This way, i have them on the phone and that makes closing a sale easier than if i put prices on my website. You want to have that personal interaction!
 
StangFan25 said:
I do not publish my pricing for my wedding photography. I want the customer to call and ask. This way, i have them on the phone and that makes closing a sale easier than if i put prices on my website. You want to have that personal interaction!
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Exactly. Let your customers tell you what they want work around their budget. Don't make their budget work around your "menu", so to speak.
 
It doesn't matter if you're an expensive guy or cheap guy or in the middle. It depends on how you think your customers will perceive your business and if they find value in it - whether it is better price or quality.

Once you figure out how much value or what kind of value you have to your customers, you can decide whether pricing will effect them contacting you or not. That doesn't mean you have to be cheaper, because i feel some customers find that a more expensive service (when paired with awesome evidence of quality) is a better quality service

I'd start off without pricing or a good starting at price, then adjust from there
 
I would NOT display prices. Disclaimer: I'm not a professional detailer. I would much rather display approximate hours it takes to do a job. Package A takes X amount of hours to complete, Package B takes X amount of hours. By NOT displaying a price, it allows you to use your salesmanship and close the deal.
 
The issue with not displaying prices is that you have to have a killer website and good evidence of the value that you have to offer. If not, it'll be too easy to skip over to the next website. You have to let the website start the sale for you a bit. Good pics with good work are a must
 
list the prices

more people will hit the backspace and go to another site with someone that does list their prices

it has nothing to do with what type of services you offer

its basically how much work does the visitor have to do on your site

and realistically speaking, the prices you post on your website will hardly be the actual prices you quote on customers cars

"why?" you may ask

well cause you should always say 'starting at $200'.. that way they have a general idea of the price range

and to be even more realistic.. a greater majority of people will ask "hey how much to detail a 2007 Dodge Ram?"
 
anonymoususer said:
I would NOT display prices. Disclaimer: I'm not a professional detailer. I would much rather display approximate hours it takes to do a job. Package A takes X amount of hours to complete, Package B takes X amount of hours. By NOT displaying a price, it allows you to use your salesmanship and close the deal.
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I disagree with you. I've always listed my prices form day one and I'm booked out 3-4 weeks year round. It lets people who are just price shop not to call me and those are not the customers I want. I list price the hours it takes and I only marketing I do is website,Facebook and word of mouth. Every detailer I know list there prices and never a problem with getting business. Just do great work and customers will come and it takes time to build a detailing business. Your reputation is everything in the business where there are tons of hacks!
 
Pureshine said:
I disagree with you. I've always listed my prices form day one and I'm booked out 3-4 weeks year round. It lets people who are just price shop not to call me and those are not the customers I want. I list price the hours it takes and I only marketing I do is website,Facebook and word of mouth. Every detailer I know list there prices and never a problem with getting business. Just do great work and customers will come and it takes time to build a detailing business. Your reputation is everything in the business where there are tons of hacks!
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This is spot on.

Detailing is subjective. My average client spends $200-300 a detail, someone who is price shopping for the best price is simply not going to use my business. People who price shop are also not going to be repeat, loyal customers, who actually value the best results using the best products and tools.
 
As a part-time detailer, I don't have time to deal with phone calls throughout the day while I'm at my full-time job. Listing STARTING prices on my website allows people get a ballpark answer to their question. It also weeds out cheapskates looking for a $99 show car detail.
 
Customer's perspective (since I don't do this for $$, but have shopped for svcs and paid detailers in the past):

If you don't give me a ballpark/range, then I'm usually not going to start a conversation. In FL, the detailer I've used/referred family to for 4-5 years did an appointment-only hand wash in the $40-$50 range. It allowed me to go visit his facility, meet him, take a look around at any other cars he was working on and evaluate whether I'd be willing to let him get more aggressive on the paint systems for the various cars owned by the family.

The place I've gone to in Washington DC sends around a 1/2 off special every so often, and got me in for a wash/clay/wax special at about $95. I needed convenience and was shopping for a price. Based on results, he'll only ever get me when I'm in a pinch.

Bottom line: price your services fairly b/c if you shirk on the "details" then the customer will notice. You set the price, not the customer, so don't expect any sympathy if you're losing money on your details unless you rush/take shortcuts. My $.02
 
Pureshine said:
I disagree with you. I've always listed my prices form day one and I'm booked out 3-4 weeks year round. It lets people who are just price shop not to call me and those are not the customers I want. I list price the hours it takes and I only marketing I do is website,Facebook and word of mouth. Every detailer I know list there prices and never a problem with getting business. Just do great work and customers will come and it takes time to build a detailing business. Your reputation is everything in the business where there are tons of hacks!
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I highly doubt the fact that you're booked for 3-4 weeks out has to do with website prices. There's many ways to over come price and to get customers in the door. One of many and the main reason is quality and reputation. It trumps everything else.
 
anonymoususer said:
I highly doubt the fact that you're booked for 3-4 weeks out has to do with website prices. There's many ways to over come price and to get customers in the door. One of many and the main reason is quality and reputation. It trumps everything else.
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He isn't saying he's booked that far BECAUSE he has prices on his website. He's saying that he is booked out 3-4 weeks DESPITE having prices on his website. The original assertion in the thread was that having prices on your site scares away customers and doesn't let you "Sell" your product to them. He was simply demonstrating that that is not true.
 
Pureshine said:
It lets people who are just price shop not to call me and those are not the customers I want............Just do great work and customers will come and it takes time to build a detailing business.
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Exactly. I have a FT job and a family, I don't want to waste my time giving a quote to every tom, #### and harry that is just price shopping for the best deal.

If you list "starting at", you've weeded out the lowballers and you still have the opportunity to sell the people who are willing to pay for quality when they ask for a specific price.

It sounds really nice when someone says 'if you don't list your price you can use your salemanship'; the real selling happens during inspection, and to get there, you need an interested party. Why would I spend an hour of my day inspecting a car with you and listening to your sales pitch if I have no idea what you charge? This applies to people cold calling you. If they have been recommended by a friend, they probably already know what you charged the other party.

Most people in my area are not calling me, they are emailing me and the first thing (often only thing) they ask is how much it costs; it often goes something like:

"how much 2 buff 2006 cadillac? i live in crazytown"

Not much room for salesmanship there. I have a canned response for those inquiries; I just add the name, vehicle type and typical pricing for two packages that I steer people toward. Finally, I list my next open appointments and inspection times and thank them for their consideration. Took 20 minutes to write and proof the original response and now takes less than 2 minutes to edit each time. Nearly as fast as typing "$300, you want buff tomorrow?", but comes off infinitely more professional. There's the first sales pitch to get them in or out the door fast. Then, if they are interested, I can sell them on a package that makes sense for them.
 
Alek@DeepClean said:
He isn't saying he's booked that far BECAUSE he has prices on his website. He's saying that he is booked out 3-4 weeks DESPITE having prices on his website. The original assertion in the thread was that having prices on your site scares away customers and doesn't let you "Sell" your product to them. He was simply demonstrating that that is not true.
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I apologize if you did not understand my point but i thought i was very clear. When did i say you will not get business if you display prices?

For this type of job i think the website is not here for selling the detail job but rather to get a customer to express interest in your service. The website with give your name, your information, and information on the service you provide, and entice the customer to inquire. When they call, now your job to sell the appointment for estimation or give an approximation of price over the phone with a firm price after estimation. When they're at your shop, now's the time to show your salesmanship and sell the job. Now's the time you can clean a small section of the hood and show off your buffing ability and wow the customer.

That's just my professional opinion. If you don't like it, don't use it. The OP was asking for an opinion, and i gave it. If it helps, i'm glad i could help.
 
anonymoususer said:
I apologize if you did not understand my point but i thought i was very clear. When did i say you will not get business if you display prices?

For this type of job i think the website is not here for selling the detail job but rather to get a customer to express interest in your service. The website with give your name, your information, and information on the service you provide, and entice the customer to inquire. When they call, now your job to sell the appointment for estimation or give an approximation of price over the phone with a firm price after estimation. When they're at your shop, now's the time to show your salesmanship and sell the job. Now's the time you can clean a small section of the hood and show off your buffing ability and wow the customer.

That's just my professional opinion. If you don't like it, don't use it. The OP was asking for an opinion, and i gave it. If it helps, i'm glad i could help.
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If you are a professional you would've read my whole post first. I never said I'm booked 3-4 weeks out because I show my prices. I did say great work and reputation is everything in this business. I'm tired of people on forums who don't read the whole post first before commenting on them. Please do not put words in my mouth I never said.
 
Thanks for all your replies! I think I'm leaning towards listing my starting at prices just to weed those people looking for a super cheap detail out!
 
Pureshine said:
If you are a professional you would've read my whole post first. I never said I'm booked 3-4 weeks out because I show my prices. I did say great work and reputation is everything in this business. I'm tired of people on forums who don't read the whole post first before commenting on them. Please do not put words in my mouth I never said.
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So what you're saying is you are unprofessional? Didn't i say earlier i am not a professional detailer? What does professionalism have to do with this? I'm pretty sure i am qualified for a professional marketing opinion. I have a marketing degree and i negotiate much higher dollar products/contracts than a detail job. When did i say you were booked because of displayed prices? I said the complete opposite! And i said reputation trumps all. So basically you just agreed with me. Good job at reading.
 
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