Thanks for all that!
I'm trying to get established and I'm offering a little discount on prices but nothing that is killing me or burning me out per say.
Friday, I only did 2 cars and made $180. Washing those cars got me 5 other customers but here's the kicker, my set up is a ram 1500 with a 6x10 enclosed trailer. These clients are about 48-50 miles south of me but I work in a neighboring city full time. The only issues where I tend to over book myself are on days where I cater to these clients. I'm already out of let's say $30-40 bucks in gas after the day is done so I try to get as many done in a day to justify me driving down there. I just feel like the foam cannon isn't producing results worth the extra 30 minutes I spend in setup and actual washing. These vehicles are maintained well (Mercedes & classic cars) and I think I'd benefit dramatically from ONR.
As for making $495 a detail, I would love to and I have the clients that would pay that no questions asked but I feel like I'd need a shop to produce the type of paint correction that kind of money would buy.
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Mike,
Hope my last mssg didn't sound out of place? It honestly wasn't meant to be mean spirited. Just throwing that out there as a 'different approach' as it may be.
I hear ya' on giving a discount here and there to get established. Sounds like that 'out of town' day is both a blessing and a curse. :dunno: I used to have some accounts like that when I owned my towing business. They'd call here and there, and while I really didn't want to lose the account, I freaking HATED GOING THERE.
They would buy cars at the auction my wife worked at, (right in my back door), but delivering them meant I'd be 90 miles away from my 'home turf' and almost ALWAYS I'd end up having to come back empty.
I finally told them I couldn't show up unless they had 2 cars, just didn't make sense, (no matter HOW much I charged them) for me to drive up there and have to come back empty.
Your deal there is similar. You are putting yourself out there just to service a small sale. Hopefully... once you're there you get some more 'small sales' and all of them together ends up making for a decent day.
Sounds like your setup though is a solid deal! I'd kill for your RAM and an enclosed trailer. (
If I were able to work it regularly. Which with my back is physically impossible.) I only do part time, and simply do not want anything more than that.
Tell ya' what though, sounds like Friday you had a good day!
rops: Those 2 cars paid OK, but the REAL money was in booking 5 more.
I mentioned the guy I had the conversation with, because I understand *why* he chose that business model. Now that doesn't mean it'll work, with him, with me, with anyone. But you know that people are constantly looking for a cheap deal. The other side of that coin is that there are plenty of people that want to separate themselves from the cheap way of doing things. You mentioned customers with hi-line cars. When a guy decides to buy a Mercedes, where does he go? Does he go to the Toyota dealership, hoping for a cheap Mercedes? Nope.... he goes to the Mercedes dealership where all the salesmen wear ties. Where the place is clean enough to eat off of the floor. Where there are Mercedes polo shirts, and golf balls, and money clips and you name it. It's about the mystique of driving the 3 pointed star. About aligning yourself with people that are successful.
I've had hi-line accounts before, and all of them think like that. They don't WANT to be cheap. And if two detailers are standing in front of a guy driving an S class, both wanting his business...
One says "I'll do your car for $50 sir, nobody beats my prices.".
The other says "Sir, I cater exclusively to executive class automobiles, my service is the best there is, my results speak for themselves and rest assured you will not find a better $150 detail job for your car anywhere. You have my word on it!"
Guess which one gets the shiny new S class?
That's what I was saying about it all being a state of mind.
This LX470 I've got in my garage is a fairly old truck. The doctor that owns it was wanting to spend $200 to "clean it up" (his exact words). When we showed up in our Denali (that is the same year as his, but detailed and slick) to pick it up he took one look and said
"Well it may need more, do what you think it needs. Can you do it for $300?" I told him I'd try to keep it in budget but the interior was pretty bad. And that actually we may spend a day just on the interior. (
Which we darn near did! Freaking drinks spilled everywhere, Coke splatter in the freaking headliner!!!!)
Swirls are massive! I had my swirl finder light with me (always do) and pointed out how bad they were. Remembering that this Toyota/Lexus black is single stage!!! I told him that while we COULD take all the swirls out, that there was no need to go to that much detail (it's his wife's DD) BUT... we could take out 75%~80% of them and have a really good shine, and a nice slick surface. (Like our Denali which he'd already been feeling of.)
So basically it's an BIG interior job with a good wheel cleaning, good wheel well cleaning, a quick under the hood dirt knock down and wipe, ONR'ing the jambs, a quick Megs D151 all over, and a couple of coats of polycharged DG 951, and after all is said and done it's a $450 detail.
I'll take them like this every time. Doesn't mean I work less than if I were doing 3 cars a day for 2 days, (although it might
)... but it DOES mean that I get paid what *HE* thinks I'm worth. Really doesn't matter what *WE* think we are worth, it's about making our customers think that *THEY* are getting the best there is. Once they do, then it's all gravy from that point forward. You don't need a "shop" to do that, you just need a customer that believes in you like YOU believe in you. (
FWIW, I don't have to feed my family with detailing, so that may take some pressure off. I also do mine from home. (oversized 3 car garage) Don't do mobile, and yes... I'll still stay part time.)
