Moving On To Other Cars?

[HealthyCivic]

I was going to post this in "Detailing for dollars" but I asked here because it doesn't necessarily have to be for dollars at first. Either way though, how did you professional detailers start off doing other vehicles? I have a DA now and I've been learning so much that just our cars alone doesn't feel like enough for me. I'd like to do some friends or co-workers cars but I'm not sure how to make that jump. I don't want to get myself in over my head by having someone bring me a filthy car because I don't have so much experience getting off off-roading dirt and stuff like that safely. I also don't have experience with EVERY type of surface (ie chrome wheels, aluminum wheels, etc...). Lastly, I don't have as much interior experience as I'd like because we keep our cars fairly clean inside (especially me). But how will I get that experience without trying? On the other hand, I seem to be doing most of the stuff correctly and I do enjoy it, especially the results.

Should I just bust out my extra towels and invite someone over to my garage to clean and work on their car or what? Thanks.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

Start with friends, family, or neighbors that have cars they don't really care about. Ya know, older cars, beaters, or generally neglected cars to start with. That way, you really can't go wrong.

Offer abnormally low prices for your services and be up front with them about wanting to practice.

[yalerd]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

I started by picking friends cars, I came clear that I was trying to learn my way so I offered to detail there cars for free. They really liked the results they told people about me, later on people started calling

[Nappers]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

I just worked on my own cars and people commented on how nice they look.

My local economy is low and a rural area to boot (Our county seat has 7,500 pop.), Siskiyou County has less than 50,000 people in it. Someone asked what I would charge and I sat down and figured it out and charged away, I have a Dodge p/u coming up and it will be my 3rd paying job My wife made business cards for me and someone else now wants a detail but can't afford the full detail price, I told my wife to tell them I could do the exterior only and cut it down (although I may vacuum and wash windows).

Good advice here though.

I'm going to get a license for business and a tax ID number and set up an account at the bank, to keep 'er legal and have some tax write offs to boot when I order products.

My recent on going detail of my step son's '66 Dodge D100 (S.S. paint) has gone great, people actually thought we had it painted.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

Decide if you want to do this as a legit business or just as a hobby. Sounds like you want to start out doing this just as a hobby which is how most Pro detailers start out.

If that's the case then get some business cards printed so you have something to give potential customers so they can contact you when they're ready to have their car detailed.

The business card should have the basics

Your name
Your phone number
The name of your business

Besides that, a business card should tell your potential customer what's in it for them. People think like this,

"What's in it for me?"


So your business card should answer this question. In your case you want to tell your customer what they will get for their money and that's a clean, shiny car.

So keep it simple but cover the basics. Then hand them out to people you meet that you think would like or could use your services. Like stated already in this thread, approach family and friends as they are warm territory. If you detail their cars at a low price, tell them that's the family discount. Give them a few extra cards and ask them for referrals.

Another simple idea that might help you get started is to have a sign you can display when you're detailing a car so anyone driving or walking by that sees you detailing the car will know you're a detailer looking for business.

Pro's like Joe at Superior Shine have signs painted on the side of their vans and there's no doubt in anyone's mind that when they see Joe at work and the sign on his van that he's a detailer and if they're looking for a detailer you've just increased your odds of getting at least an inquiry.

If you don't have a vehicle you can put a sign on then KISS - Keep it Simple Simon, get some wood and build what's called a Sidewalk Sandwich Board and use vinyl lettering to create the text. (Don't hand write your text it will look amateur and not professional).

Do a Google search on Sidewalk Sandwich Board and you can actually find companies that make and sell these so you don't have to build you're own in case you're not good at fabricating things out of wood and steel.

There's some poorboy techniques to get you started not that you're poor but when anyone is first starting out they usually don't have large start-up budgets.


Under promise, over deliver.


Also, if you haven't read this it's a good read whether you're starting a detailing business as a hobby or a going legit.

Getting your Mobile Detailing Business Started the Right Way

[gb387]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

I just do it as a hobby but I started with my vehicle.... this actually took a couple years, but I just detailed my vehicles 2-3 times a year different problems popped up during that time and I was able to take care of them on my vehicle once I was comfortable there. Then went to parents vehicles and then on to friends and 'customers'.

[sudsbyhubbs]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

I started out doing my own, some friends and family member's cars, then I sent out an email to all of my coworkers seeing if they wanted their cars done. That quickly turned in to good word-of-mouth and has kept me pretty busy ever since.

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Moving On To Other Cars?

Thanks a lot for all the great advice!