The infamous question: "How much do you charge for a detail?"

FinishingTouchA

FinishingTouchA

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Maybe it's just me, but the most frustrating question I get asked (multiple times a day) is "how much does a detail cost?" I'm getting better at answering since having the brick and mortar shop open for a month and getting "pricing sheets" I can hand to the customer. But it still hurts me when I get asked that question because I don't know what people expect for a "detail." Most of the shops around I believe do a quick AIO for the exterior and a shampoo/wipe/vac for the interior. I just have such a hard time explaining the different levels of detailing to people who have no idea what the difference between a wax a buffing is. Like someone will come to me and say they had their "truck waxed and the guy left circle scratches in the paint from pushing to hard" and I don't know if I should explain to them what the "hack detailer" actually did or if I should just tell them what it would cost to fix it. When I tell them the cost they are blown away because they don't understand the time involved but when I try to explain the process to them it goes in one ear and out the other. There has never been a detail shop within 15 miles of my town so people don't have a clue what a detail even is. Not trying to rant, just voicing what's been going through my head the last few weeks with trying to do a detail and having someone stop by every half hour.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
Maybe it's just me, but the most frustrating question I get asked (multiple times a day) is "how much does a detail cost?" I'm getting better at answering since having the brick and mortar shop open for a month and getting "pricing sheets" I can hand to the customer. But it still hurts me when I get asked that question because I don't know what people expect for a "detail." Most of the shops around I believe do a quick AIO for the exterior and a shampoo/wipe/vac for the interior. I just have such a hard time explaining the different levels of detailing to people who have no idea what the difference between a wax a buffing is. Like someone will come to me and say they had their "truck waxed and the guy left circle scratches in the paint from pushing to hard" and I don't know if I should explain to them what the "hack detailer" actually did or if I should just tell them what it would cost to fix it. When I tell them the cost they are blown away because they don't understand the time involved but when I try to explain the process to them it goes in one ear and out the other. There has never been a detail shop within 15 miles of my town so people don't have a clue what a detail even is. Not trying to rant, just voicing what's been going through my head the last few weeks with trying to do a detail and having someone stop by every half hour.
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Hopefully someone will chime in on this as i can totally relate. Nothing but hacks in my area and when you give them a price li8ke you say they are blown away. People have such a narrow mind when comes to auto detail work like anyone can do it and like its that easy. I've thought about throwing in the towel many times at least where i currently reside because people just don't understand the work involved. Time is Money no matter what yet people still expect the world for $150. Most people don't grumble about mechanic rates. My customer who owns a shop charges $110 per hr for labor yet people don't grumble but for a $250 detail which you give 5-6 hrs seems to be a like the world is ending.
 
You may try a referral campaign with existing customers who are happy to pay for quality.They already know what your prices are and how good your work is.They are your best sales team.
 
Look...cars needing repairs in order for people to get from point a to b...is not the same as having a car that looks shiny and clean. Detailing is looked upon as a luxury, not a necessity for 98% of the population. I remember Barry Meguiar once saying that only about 2% of car owners put a priority on having their cars detailed. His point being that there is potentially a huge untapped market.
 
silverfox said:
Look...cars needing repairs in order for people to get from point a to b...is not the same as having a car that looks shiny and clean. Detailing is looked upon as a luxury, not a necessity for 98% of the population. I remember Barry Meguiar once saying that only about 2% of car owners put a priority on having their cars detailed. His point being that there is potentially a huge untapped market.
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My point being money is money. If the repair guy said your bill is $850 for water pump and timing belt most will gladly paynit yet gripe over a $200 detail bill.

Labor intensive work cost money be it detailing, plumbers, mechanics etc. People just don't get it though. Anyone can try or say they detail but to they have the skill set for it.
 
First thing I ask is there budget. If they say 150 then I explain my AIO. But try to upsell a better package for 250.

Totally get you. The other one that gripes me is the guy that spend thousands on custom paint and upgrades but need 300$ worth of correction done and says that it's too much for him. I let em walk. Still has his swirls.
 
I'm going to be detailing my neighbor's red, 2013 Ford Crew cab/long bed when I know I'm going to have solid good weather for at least 2 days. We trade work sometimes and where he is Bob Villa, I am Tim the Toolman. So I quoted him $150 (the wife said DO NOT!!! charge him, but he won't do that because "that's a lot of work!"). But he DOES know that if anyone asks, it was a $450 job (exterior and glass. MAYBE a light vac on the inside, but he might do that while I'm buffing).

The only thing I regret about getting into this job is the roof and hood, this is a BIG truck.

I'm lucky in the fact that he wants his truck pristine, but refuses to do it himself, he HATES waxing a car and I'm the only one he trusts to do it from seeing me do my car all the time.
 
There isn't a definitive, objective answer to the question. For me it comes down to what the customer wants. If they're happy with a wash and a wax so be it. A lot of my female customers are happy with an interior "detail" and an exterior wash. I make a quick attempt at educating them on the various levels of "detailing" however making sure they understand the different amounts of time to get those levels and time is money. With that said, i truly enjoy and appreciate the few very discerning and particular customers who either know what paint correction is or just simply priveleged enough to want my best service. The latter may not even know how it gets that good but will pay for it again and again.

How much is a detail? It depends on what you want done to your vehicle.
 
I have the same problem around my area. There are a few shops I see around that are booming, but its quantity over quality for them. There is another guys that charges like $75 for a detail and people flock to that. We are a college town where the kids that attend have money and I just need a way to tap into that market.

If I tell someone its $150 for a AIO they just say well I can go here and they'll do it for $100 -- have fun, I say.
 
I think my main problem with that question is when they say detail and really mean vac/wipe/wash my mind cant get away from MY definition of detail and wonder if they really do want the works for the wash/wax price. I put myself in a bind. Even when asking people exactly what they mean they still (in my opinion) stay pretty vague.

There will always be a difference of opinion on what a detail is compared to a wash and I wish I could find a middle ground.
 
You might try asking these people what they want done. If the answer leads to a "splash and dash" kind of detail, you can at least give them your price for their desired service.
 
I think offering a package at each price point and KNOWING what my competitors are doing is helping us. Nathan
 
You need to have a target customer. Its all well and good to say your target customer is everyone, but in reality, thats not very practical.

There are many different ways to determine what your target customer is, but in this instance i would build it around what you are good at. There are many different items to detail, and many different levels of what you are starting with, and what you can end with.

In service heavy businesses you charge what you feel you are worth. Your market will let you know if that is where it should be.

You should not worry so much about what other business are doing that are not your direct competition. They have a different target customer than you.

Being an entrepreneur is not just starting your own business, but also doing it differently than anyone else out there. At the very least you need to be able to speak to how you are different.

Money should be the result of the work you put in, not the goal you set out for.

Last 2 pieces before I stop rambling. In the long run, the market sets your target customer, not you. You may start out wanting to do X, or have X type of clients, but you may come to the point where that is not the work you are getting. You will have to make the decision, which is more important, sticking to what you set out to do, but may compromise your ability to grow, or adapt to the changes, and change your plan. Neither is specifically good or bad, it is all about what is important to you.

Finally, all these business experts/books/resources will tell you that you need to build you plan, your brand, look 1-5-10 years out. While that is immensely important, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes.
"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson
 
I have the same issue and I see a lot of good points already brought up.

Probably the biggest issue I have is a lot of people aren't really sure what they want, and then when you try to explain all of their options and the pros/cons of each they just give a blank stare and you aren't any closer to an answer.

The nicest thing about being in the position that I am (just doing it on the side) is that I don't care about losing sales to cheepskates since I don't rely on income from detailing
 
House of Wax said:
I have the same issue and I see a lot of good points already brought up.

Probably the biggest issue I have is a lot of people aren't really sure what they want, and then when you try to explain all of their options and the pros/cons of each they just give a blank stare and you aren't any closer to an answer.

The nicest thing about being in the position that I am (just doing it on the side) is that I don't care about losing sales to cheepskates since I don't rely on income from detailing
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I'm in the same boat. Detailing is just a side business for me so if someone can find a detailer that will charge less than my price, I'll gladly let the customer walk. I charge $ 20 hour for my detailing services and personally think that's on the low side.
 
Sorry I would like to reply to everyone but I put in 15 hours today and Kona, your comment is the easiest to respond to.
2011 Kona Blue said:
I'm in the same boat. Detailing is just a side business for me so if someone can find a detailer that will charge less than my price, I'll gladly let the customer walk. I charge $ 20 hour for my detailing services and personally think that's on the low side.
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$20 an hour? Yeah if I think back 3 years that's exactly where I was. Now I look back and feel like that's an absurd number. Of course my overhead is a lot higher now and it is my full time job plus I'm a lot quicker now than I was then. When I quote I aim for $50 an hour.
 
Great thread! I struggle with this too at times.

Over the past year, I've noticed that there are 3 main services that people want when they ask for the price of a "detail":

1.Complete interior shampoo
2. Wax job
3. Buffing, polishing, swirl removal, defect removal, paint correction, etc (make the paint better than just a wax)

So here's some questions I ask to find out their expectations:

1. inside or outside?
2. Does the inside need "shampooing"? If so, this tells me it needs a complete interior detail and not a quick vacuum. Also, I find that customers can't really lie to me about the condition of their interior that much with this question. If its dirty , it needs "shampooing"
3. Do you want the outside to just be a little shinier (wax) or as new as possible (swirl removal), or somewhere in between (aio)?

Sometimes I find it helps to ask what their budget is. But with these questions and also knowing what the year , make, model of the I car is, I can give most people atleast a ballpark price
 
I just do a few jobs on the side. Does anyone else require certain items to be purchased if others are wanted? So if you want me to wash the car, I have to treat it for bugs, or if you want me to wax your car, I first have to clay it?

I would think most clients assume washing their car means getting everything off, but if this is a first time client, the bugs and contamination could take hours to get off.
 
Kengo123 said:
Great thread! I struggle with this too at times.

Over the past year, I've noticed that there are 3 main services that people want when they ask for the price of a "detail":

1.Complete interior shampoo
2. Wax job
3. Buffing, polishing, swirl removal, defect removal, paint correction, etc (make the paint better than just a wax)

So here's some questions I ask to find out their expectations:

1. inside or outside?
2. Does the inside need "shampooing"? If so, this tells me it needs a complete interior detail and not a quick vacuum. Also, I find that customers can't really lie to me about the condition of their interior that much with this question. If its dirty , it needs "shampooing"
3. Do you want the outside to just be a little shinier (wax) or as new as possible (swirl removal), or somewhere in between (aio)?

Sometimes I find it helps to ask what their budget is. But with these questions and also knowing what the year , make, model of the I car is, I can give most people atleast a ballpark price
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This is almost spot on with how I've been thinking and responding to the question.. But so far I've found success in upselling AIO by telling them a wax is really only good to layer on top of a maintained finish and only lasts about a month where as AIO lightens up the swirl scratches, removes oxidation, and leaves a more durable high gloss finish. It's really quite fun to use your detailing knowledge to be a sales person and upsell better services. Like yesterday I had an appt. for a Crew Cab Dually Wash and Wax and vac/wipe for 185, When he came in I upsold Leatherique treatment for 60 and once I got it washed up I called him and mentioned how the AIO would deepen the paint because it had lots of swirls and give a lot longer protection. That tacked on another 75 to the bill. When he picked it up he was happy with how much better it looked. I handed him a CarPro brochure and mentioned the self cleaning and hardening benefits of a coating and got the idea in his head for next time. I'm constantly learning to be less passive and more active as far as marketing and its paying off nearly 200%
 
BitterGreg said:
I just do a few jobs on the side. Does anyone else require certain items to be purchased if others are wanted? So if you want me to wash the car, I have to treat it for bugs, or if you want me to wax your car, I first have to clay it?

I would think most clients assume washing their car means getting everything off, but if this is a first time client, the bugs and contamination could take hours to get off.
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If the bugs are caked on that bad I use a good degreaser and let it dwell for 20-30 seconds then hit it with a bug scrubber and usually 95% will be gone. None of us want to be a production detailer but if the customer lets bugs cook into the surface they surely wont mind using a more aggressive chemical to get the remains off.
 
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