Great post by the OP. My response is coming from the perspective that the OP is looking for input on what to say to other people who ask him casually what he does for a living, as opposed to him asking me what I do for a living.
For background, I am not a professional detailer, just another obsessed enthusiast, but I was self employed for a few years providing personal services to clients, which is what detailers do; provide a service that benefits people in exchange for compensation. A good portion of my 15 year career thus far as an attorney has been providing services to individuals and small business owners which has taught me the need to market those services, just like all of you pros have to do in order to run a business.
Marketing is a process and must be a constant one. The way to think about it is as a funnel, you want to put as many potential clients into the top of your funnel as possible as distill that group down to the ones who want your services and are willing to pay for them. The big picture of your potential market starts with people who own a car, which is everyone. But not everyone who owns a car is an immediate potential client, i.e. the people who drive a $1500 bucket are not going to pay you what you are worth, but ignoring them is a mistake - each one of them knows people who drive cars worth more than $1500 and who could become potential clients of yours. Or maybe the person drives a $1500 POS now but will buy a better car they want to take good care of in the near future, and will pay you to take care of it then or refer a good paying client to you now.
The “what do you do for a living” in a social setting is a perfect opportunity to market your business using what is called an “elevator speech.” The term is an analogy of how you would market your business to someone in the 30-60 seconds while you share an elevator ride. You have a short window to get your point across in a casual and conversational way that benefits your business without coming across as a hard sell. At a meeting of a marketing group I belonged to we spend a two hour session working on how to craft a 30-60 second elevator speech. An example of how NOT to do it would be something like the following:
Q: So what do you do?
A: I wash cars.
End of conversation. Nowhere to go from there. The person has no reason to think you are anything other than a guy who works all day drying cars with a terry cloth towel at the swirl-o-matic for minimum wage. Not interesting, and doesn’t benefit your business. See greatwhitenorth’s post earlier in the thread.
The elevator speech engages the person in 60 seconds and puts them into the top of your marketing funnel.
Q: So what do you do for a living?
A: [elevator speech]
I own a business providing automotive detailing services that involves maintaining, cleaning, and making cars look better than brand new. [communicates that you are an entrepreneur, small business owner and gives a basic idea of what you do and that it involves skills which can’t be obtained for $10 at the car wash]. My clients [professionalism here] are people who recognize that a car is typically the second most expensive purchase they make and they understand that preserving and maintaining that asset is a good financial decision because it makes the car worth more and it also gives them the benefit of driving a car that always looks showroom new. [communicates the message that detailing is not just an expense but a benefit. Also frames your services as a smart financial decision and your clients as people who make good decisions with finances. Makes the person want to be in that group of people who make good decisions by paying you for detailing.] My business provides a range of services and prices and I work on all kinds of cars anywhere from Honda Accords to Ferraris. [removes idea that only rich people can afford you but that your services are expert enough for people who own a Ferrari. This is just an example, but everyone has heard of a Ferrari and knows its expensive. Not everyone knows what a Veyron or an MP4-12C is.] Detailing is my passion as well as my business. [meaning your job is a craft and you are driven to develop your skills because you love it. This resonates with people, most do not have jobs they love and they respect people who are able to make a living at something they love. Also probably means you are good at what you do and you view it as a profession, not just a way to make $10 with a rag and a bucket].
I’m not the most creative guy and many of you will be able to do much better than this example, but hopefully it gets the idea across. The elevator speech is an easy, and best of all free, way to expand the presence of your business. Work up what you want to communicate in a simple yet effective way that comes off as conversational. it should seem like you are just talking about your business, but in fact you are selling. Always. Rehearse it in front of the mirror until it comes off in a natural conversational way, not a rehearsed speech, even though it is and needs to be. if your elevator speech doesn’t generate interest, then tweak it and keep trying. Every set of sentences is a “test spot”. Keep at it until it works.
You may have the detailing skills to rival Mike P, or Joe at Superior Shine, or Chris Brown or Larry Kosilla, but people will never know that unless you communicate that in a subtle but effective way that doesn’t come off as arrogant or pushy. [okay maybe not a Mike Phillips level of skills but you can aspire to that]. Saying “I wash cars” is not going to do it. There is a difference between you and the $10 guy, and if people learn that, the right ones will hire you.
Big props to those of you who take a chance and start your own business. It takes guts and determination, and you are what has made this country great.
