First paying detail

[Mark McGuire]

Got my first paying detail today. This is how it happened, one of the VP from my company came to look at the job, while we were talking it came up that his car sure looked bad (dirty, no wax). He made the statment that he wished he knew a good detailer. Well I just could'nt let that slip by, so I told him that I did do some detailing on the side and that I could make his car look new. He just looked at me, then told me how dirty and stained the carpt was and if I could do anything with it. I looked at it and it didn't look so bad to me so I told him yea. Then he asked the big question that all new b's dred "HOW MUCH". I didn't want to scare him off so I said about 100.00 dollars. He didn't even flench, when can you do it.
That's how it happened now I'm scared to death, you know, "Can I do a good enough job" "will he like my work" "will I ruin his car", but then I think I have a PC now, the BEST product available, what can go wrong. So I am looking forward to it. Maybe he will let me do his C5 too. I am doing this tomorrow so any advice, tips, products, you guys can throw in here, lets have em.
Sorry to ramble, kind of excieted.
Thanks

[Tim Lingor]

Hey Mark,

Congrats! You will do great!! The best advice I can give you is to treat the car as if you yourself owned it. That way, you will cover the little details (pun not intended) that separates a "good" detailer from an OK detailer.


Be sure to tape off any trim, and do not forget to clean the glass at the end really well.

A $100 is pretty cheap, but considering it is your first paid job, then others will follow.

Otherwise, go to it!!

Good Luck!!

Tim

[gb387]

You know there is a couple people at work that want me to do their cars. I would like to but I hope they understand the PC isn't going to do everything. I am not skilled enough on the rotary to try it on their cars. One has been cared for but its on big "spider web" not to sure if the pc will be up to the challenge! I guess if it didn't work well I could always not charge him. Its one of the worst I have seen... there have been some bad photos on MOL but I would think this is one of the worst! Wish I could snap some photos!

Good Luck MM, Let us know how it turns out! Might give me the courage to try it!

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Mark,

Here's my advice...

First, start early. Wash the car and get it as clean as possible, this will make everything else faster and easier, pay attention to the little things. Have some brushes on hand for wheels, grills, bumpers, etc. Have a nice wash mitt for the paint, and use a tatty one for fender lips, wheels, bumpers etc.


Get the car as clean as you possibly can.

If you want, after washing the car and rinsing it, if the sun isn’t a problem, you could clay the car real quick and then rinse again. A lot of pro detailers do it like this to save a step.

At this point, you should evaluate the finish and determine what products you’ll need to restore the finish. However, if your going to do the interior, then you should start there after the washing, claying and drying procedures so that if you use a carpet cleaner, the carpets will have the rest of the day to dry while you’re working on the outside.

Do you have carpet cleaner, a vinyl cleaner and conditioner and anything for leather in case the car has leather?

Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner Plus in the old Detailer line and All Purpose Cleaner in the new Detailer line are great all purpose cleaners that will go a long way towards helping you clean a multitude of surfaces.

Mike

[2000]

remember, everyone that has helped you on this forum gets a percentage! you'll do fine. most people who allow their cars to get in that bad of shape would see any improvment as GREAT. if they were in search of a swirl free look, they'd probably of done a better job of taking care of it. what I'm trying to say is ANY improvement you make will be a bigger improvment to the owner than to you, so your all ready half way there!

[Mike Phillips]

Also, don't forget to tell your customer and even show your customer how they can take care of your hard work after you go, or if your interested in continuing, offer him a maintenance program.

Be careful though, you might end up owning your own detailing business at the end of the day...

If you want to start a detailing business, then I'm sure Joe and Brian can give you some tips on getting your customers on a maintenance program.

Mike

[Mark McGuire]

2hotford,
Thanks, that's just what I will do.

gb387
I plan to take before and after pictures so everyone can see.

Mike

Thanks to you too. I will be doing interior so I will use that plan. I have been planning on getting one of the deals from Meguiar's. I think I have decieded on the concours package. I got the NXT package, and the removal package 2 weeks ago, I also have, 83,9,39,40,DC1,2,&3, PC, GC wax, pads, glass cleaner, resovle for the carpet, I think I have the product, you guys are giving me the confidance. I got it made. Just wish I had ordered the concours with the NXT, then I would have got free shipping.

2000

100 div. by 1000 that would be 10 cents, not a bad return on your .02 cents. It is a hand-me-down car. Maybe 5yrs old or so, I would say washed but never wax. Your right ANY improvement is GOOD improvement. Also it is a company car.

Oh and thanks again!

[TwoTooBlack]

Fantastic Mark! This is one hobby that can actually pay for itself!

[6318]

Fantastic Mark! This is one hobby that can actually pay for itself!

I don't know...I keep finding fancier toys and more advanced details I wanna try...lol

"Can I do a good enough job" "will he like my work" "will I ruin his car"

I remember my first paying job...had those same fears...probably spent twice as long on it as I needed to 'just to make sure.'
Treated it like it was my own and they were blown away (though it was funny that some of the stuff I worked hardest on they didn't appreciate as much as some of the more 'simple' fixes...oh well).

I'm sure this job will get you lots more...nothing beats word of mouth!

[scrub]

I'm still in the same boat 7 full details later. Your questioning of yourself will keep you looking for something that's not there. Which will keep you striving for perfection. That will show the client they're not paying just for a detail but paying you for your thoughtful and hard work.

The downside is the client WILL find one thing you missed. You probably even saw it but just forgot to go back and get it. Or maybe that just happens to me!!

Good luck. With this forum and members you can't go wrong! You're one step ahead of the game with the product you've chosen.

Look for steps to give you efficiency. Start a routine as you learn. You get more clean and miss less. For instance I do wheel wells first because they need time to dry so I can se what I missed first time through and can go back while the car is still wet. Stuff like that. Use what works on your car. If you like it so will most people.

I also ask the customer about the tire and dash. Some like bling and some don't.

Sorry about the lengthy post. I'm an addict to learning this trade!