Pricing

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Mattas25

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So I get a call from a potential client today asking about pricing and services, I find out that she's looking for a complete compound/polish/wax detail...I had a feeling that based on her knowledge of the terminology that she'd been shopping around. I tried to set up an appointment so I could better asses and quote accurately but she said she had some one coming to do the job already tomorrow. So I threw out my starting price and she abruptly thanked me for my time and was ready to go. I was interested what the other guy was charging because I know I'm pretty competitively, if not under priced (new and trying to gain new customers) and she told me he's only charging $125 for complete detail with interior and exterior with compound/polish/wax!!! I expressed my surprise to her at the low price considering how much work it is and wished her luck on the detail.

Anybody else deal with issues like this? What do you say to the customers? How does this guy stay in business?
 
There are guys out there who will low ball their pricing and spend a couple hours on the car and call it a complete "detail". I've had this happen to me a few times. A friend of mine actually had it done by a guy who promised a "complete detail" for $100. He got a wash, vacuum, and a hand wax over his very swirled out black paint for his $100. This was a complete detail in his mind until he saw what real detailing and paint correction looked like. He is now a regular customer of mine. Stand by your work and what you charge for it. Don't under sell yourself, you'll get burned out really fast.....

Mike
 
Firehouse Mike said:
There are guys out there who will low ball their pricing and spend a couple hours on the car and call it a complete "detail". I've had this happen to me a few times. A friend of mine actually had it done by a guy who promised a "complete detail" for $100. He got a wash, vacuum, and a hand wax over his very swirled out black paint for his $100. This was a complete detail in his mind until he saw what real detailing and paint correction looked like. He is now a regular customer of mine. Stand by your work and what you charge for it. Don't under sell yourself, you'll get burned out really fast.....

Mike
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:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:
 
I'll double that. :iagree::iagree: Great advice Mike. I'm going to remember that. :dblthumb2:

Peace,

Darrin
 
Lots and lots of them in my area. One guy posted $80 for a full interior and exterior on a SUV. I tell people straight up, one product I use is $20 for a bottle and I use half a bottle each time. The $80 guy isn't going to do that.
 
Lots of local guys charge $100 for a 'full detail'. One even includes a 'three stage buff'.

Not even going to try and fight for the customers that only want to pay that price. They don't care about quality, they are looking for a deal.
 
Firehouse Mike said:
There are guys out there who will low ball their pricing and spend a couple hours on the car and call it a complete "detail". I've had this happen to me a few times. A friend of mine actually had it done by a guy who promised a "complete detail" for $100. He got a wash, vacuum, and a hand wax over his very swirled out black paint for his $100. This was a complete detail in his mind until he saw what real detailing and paint correction looked like. He is now a regular customer of mine. Stand by your work and what you charge for it. Don't under sell yourself, you'll get burned out really fast.....

Mike
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Thanks for the words of wisdom. I totally agree, I know what my time and effort is worth, I definitely don't want to be the "go to guy" for bargain shoppers.
 
There's a couple here too, and there were many more back in Seattle where I used to detail. It's not even worth trying to compete with these guys on price. Let your work speak for itself and it'll pay off.

Usually the customers that are looking for those bargain basement prices also have the dirtiest cars out there (especially interiors) and you wouldn't want to do them at your current prices, let alone the prices those "other" guys are charging.
 
Just my opinion their needs to be a better explanation by one servicing customers, I try to inform customers that A DETAIL IS A THOROUGH CLEANING of vehicle, whether mini, express or complete. with only exception of using buffer/polisher is for an A.I.O (All in one product} or wax only.

And paint correction IS CORRECTING DEFECTS OF PAINT, such as etching,swirls, micro marring, water spots, scratches and et cetra.
By way of machine polishing/buffing as this may require the use of chemicals such as compounds and polishes in varies steps and requires time and certain skill level as not to cause more damage to painted surfaces. hope this helps.
 
Same problem around here. Every hand car wash (and there are like 50 of them in town) offer a full hand wash for 5.99$ and you can bump that up to 14.99$ if you want interior and armor all.

They also offer paint polishing for 100$.

I would be scared to see the results, even if they only charge 10$/hour for it, having 4 or 6 guys with polishers in a rush around my car would make me really scared. Cause that's how they do it around here. 4 or more guys clean the car at the same time. I have no idea how they can make a living. Takes them 15 minutes to do that 14,99$ cleaning... so that's 15$ split 6 ways for their work. And they still need to pay for products, the rent of the garage, electricity and all. Just baffles me.

But if someone wants to go there, I am not gonna anything to my prices to compete. It's frustrating but I won't waste my time and energy for pennies.
 
215Detailing said:
Just my opinion their needs to be a better explanation by one servicing customers, I try to inform customers that A DETAIL IS A THOROUGH CLEANING of vehicle, whether mini, express or complete. with only exception of using buffer/polisher is for an A.I.O (All in one product} or wax only.

And paint correction IS CORRECTING DEFECTS OF PAINT, such as etching,swirls, micro marring, water spots, scratches and et cetra.
By way of machine polishing/buffing as this may require the use of chemicals such as compounds and polishes in varies steps and requires time and certain skill level as not to cause more damage to painted surfaces. hope this helps.
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I totally agree, if I can't meet in person first, which I always try to do, I definitely explain my process and service that I provide in full detail. The client may not have any idea what I'm talking about, but at least they know what they're paying for.
 
Calendyr said:
Same problem around here. Every hand car wash (and there are like 50 of them in town) offer a full hand wash for 5.99$ and you can bump that up to 14.99$ if you want interior and armor all.



They also offer paint polishing for 100$.



I would be scared to see the results, even if they only charge 10$/hour for it, having 4 or 6 guys with polishers in a rush around my car would make me really scared. Cause that's how they do it around here. 4 or more guys clean the car at the same time. I have no idea how they can make a living. Takes them 15 minutes to do that 14,99$ cleaning... so that's 15$ split 6 ways for their work. And they still need to pay for products, the rent of the garage, electricity and all. Just baffles me.



But if someone wants to go there, I am not gonna anything to my prices to compete. It's frustrating but I won't waste my time and energy for pennies.
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Same here, if those customers want a cheap car wash than the "other guys" can have them. I'm looking for quality clients who appreciate the quality of work that I do, and are willing to pay for it.
 
Firehouse Mike said:
There are guys out there who will low ball their pricing and spend a couple hours on the car and call it a complete "detail". I've had this happen to me a few times. A friend of mine actually had it done by a guy who promised a "complete detail" for $100. He got a wash, vacuum, and a hand wax over his very swirled out black paint for his $100. This was a complete detail in his mind until he saw what real detailing and paint correction looked like. He is now a regular customer of mine. Stand by your work and what you charge for it. Don't under sell yourself, you'll get burned out really fast.....

Mike
Click to expand...


:dblthumb2: :iagree: :applause::righton:
 
I know someone who talked about how he wanted to keep his car for a while and take good care of it. I struck up a conversation about car care. He asked me how much I would charge him to detail his car "what's the best detail you got, everything?" I give a slight eye roll and ask him to be specific with what he wants what are his expectations. Then tell him looking at his car I can find a way to do $1500 worth of work on it. I go on about the steps time investment in paint correction and applying different protection etc. Then he says "so $50 should get me a really good detail, right?" Pretty much told him he's going to double that for the exterior no expectation of doing paint correction.

Chances are minimal of him jumping at that offer versus waiting for the hack a dealership to give another free detail the next time he gets service done.
 
So none of us would be on this website reading for hours and hours if we didn't CARE. There is a major difference between the great folks who contribute to this board and the hacks out there that could care less about the CUSTOMER and their VEHICLE. We all have a true passion for learning and developing our skills. Hacks just hack. We go out of our way to make sure the customer is happy. I can't count how many times I see something not scoped in the original workplan, that I just suck it up and fix. I'd rather lose $40 in labor and gain a customer for life who is happy to recommend me to 4 others and come back every 6 months with both their vehicles.

I feel I do excellent work, but am often humbled when I see the skill and art all of you do when posting pictures of your work. The day one thinks they know it all, is the day they should just hang it up and retire. We all learn from each other, and it's awesome.

Ok I'm off my soap box.
Scott
 
Hacks are everywhere. I quoted a price today and also was told that was high.

I based my prices on other reputable shops. Honest competition is a good thing. Under cutting professional tradesmen/woman isn't honest.

Being with 10 or 15 dollars is one thing. Not everyone is going to offer the exact same package.

The prices are based upon pride of workmanship.

I also was a grad of BU for audio production. I was proud of my work and poured my heart into a music projects. I've had work sighed by record labels and get national radio play, but I constantly was undercut by hacks tacking advantage of artists who didn't know better.

Producing a record is no different than detailing work.. It's taking a diamond in the rough, pouring heart, soul, artistry, technique into polishing it to a quality that would garner radio play and make the artist stand amongst the competition.

I still have my studio, but it's quiet now. I can't do records for $300.00 and that is what hacks are doing. Sadly, I've heard their Results. Soul, artistry were never part of their plan.
 
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