Career Change - Detailing Startup

[acsipres]

I've been in the professional services for years and looking to make a change. Years ago (20+) I was in a mobile car detailing business and prior to that carpet cleaning, both with my now retired father. Now, because I enjoy do this, I'm looking to dive back into the car detailing business, primarily exteriors on a mobile basis (go where the work is). I live in a very well-to-do area where everyone drives the expensive cars and SUV's (rather stuffy around here!!!). Anyway, I'm looking to get into the business and was wondering what you experienced folks would do for a pricing structure? Although there is always room for improvement, I know I care and do a much better job than the only drop-off detailing shop that is in the next town. My plan to to tip tow into this initially and already have most of the equipment I'll need. Now I want to establish a reasonable pricing structure. I am in the Northeast so this will be seasonal unless I obtain a shop for myself. Anyway, Thoughts???

[Mike Phillips]

My first suggestion will be that if you want to target the more affluent market and command a premium price you're going to have to include two thing in your approach,

1) Educate the customer
2) Separate yourself from the low quality detailers


1) Educate the Customer
This can be done with a one page flyer or a simple website. If you choose the website idea, then create the website before having any materials printed so that you can include your website on anything you print.

The education portion should be a few short bullet points outline features with a one of two sentence describing the benefits.

Example:

Services we offer

* Claying your car's finish using special detailing clay.
Detailing clay is used to remove above bonded contaminants to restore the factory gloss to your car's paint. Removing any above surface contaminants like overspray, tree sap, industrial fallout, etc., the paint protectant we apply to protect your car's finish will bond better to the paint.

* We use premium Meguiar's car care products for all our Customers Cars
Meguiar's is recognized as the worlds leader in creating show car finishes, we only use the best on our own cars and we only use the best on our customer's cars.



Something along those lines. Remember, most your customers won't be as educated as anyone that reads online detailing discussion forums such as yourself. On the other hand, the largest percentage of your customers while not knowing very much about detailing will recognize the Meguiar's brand as one that can be trusted to deliver Professional Results. You can use this to your benefit when going after the high-end market. I do.

Sure there are other products on the market that will produce professional results, but your customer will recognize and trust the Meguiar's name and and this will help you to gain their trust.

Of course it goes without saying you must provide professional quality service and results right off the bat because your best friend in this industry will be word-of-mouth-advertising.

Just a suggestion to get you started...


In order to command a premium price you'll be competing against low priced detailers and unless you can answer this question that will be going through your customer's mind, you will not win.

"What's in this for me?"


Your products and services must be the best and your argument must be compelling.

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Nicely done, Mike!

I have been detailing locally out of my garage for a couple years now as a "legit" side business (as opposed to the 5 or so previous years where I wasn't really doing things officially).

Now I will grant you that my pricing is rather low, but I find that in my area, the target market is a bit lower on the socioeconomic scale. I'm in the process of updating my website for the 2006 season, and I'm stepping the prices and services up a notch, and considering a few other different ways to be "movin' on up" to more affluent clientelle. This will give you a really basic idea of what I'm doing, though:

http://www.hahn-on-the.net/autocare/

Hopefully this helps -- and if you have any questions or need advice/help setting up something like this, let me know. I've been doing this web stuff for longer than I care to admit.

[SeabreezeDetailing]

Many automotive dealerships misinform their customers regarding today's clear coat paints and corrosion resistant components. While these parts inherently last longer than they did on the cars and trucks of 10 years ago, they still need extra attention to maintain that like-new appearance for a long lifetime of service. The "Miracle Paint Sealants" packages sold by these dealers do not last the lifetime of the vehicle, and are often overpriced. It is important to have such sealants applied and periodically re-applied by an experienced detailer. This is where I come in.

I took this from your website. I think this is a good idea to have in your information section of your flyer, sales pitch, website, etc. I cant count the amount of times Ive been told..."The BMW dealer told me it doesnt need to be waxed....Mercedes put a sealant on it...Cadillac tef lon coated it". The point is, these cars still have bonded contaminants on them, still need regular maintenance, and the owners have been misinformed and misguided. I always inform my clients and clients to be on all the misinformation. Good job Shiny Lil Detailer.

Mike also mentioned this, informing the customer, educating the customer. People appreciate this, you sound professional, and it will get you business. Ive found most people generally will admitt they have no clue on caring for their vehicle properly, and will be ineterested in what you have to say to them.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Joe,

What thread did you get the above information from?

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Originally posted by SeabreezeDetailing
I took this from your website. I think this is a good idea to have in your information section of your flyer, sales pitch, website, etc. I cant count the amount of times Ive been told..."The BMW dealer told me it doesnt need to be waxed....Mercedes put a sealant on it...Cadillac tef lon coated it". The point is, these cars still have bonded contaminants on them, still need regular maintenance, and the owners have been misinformed and misguided. I always inform my clients and clients to be on all the misinformation. Good job Shiny Lil Detailer.

Mike also mentioned this, informing the customer, educating the customer. People appreciate this, you sound professional, and it will get you business. Ive found most people generally will admitt they have no clue on caring for their vehicle properly, and will be ineterested in what you have to say to them.

Thanks! That's exactly what prompted me to put that in there, too... I've had more than one person tell me that their dealership claimed wax would actually destroy clear-coat paint, or that when the clearcoat fails, is when they should start using wax.

I think an equally big key is to not only inform the customer in a way that doesn't offend them, but also to make them feel like a part of the process. Which, in all reality, they are just as big a part of it as we are as detailers. If a person just comes in for a detail every 6 months or so, and never does anything else in between, the detailing isn't going to do them much good. They have to know that it's important for them to wash the vehicle weekly, wipe down the interior periodically, etc... which for the average vehicle owner is 2-3 hours per week, give or take.

That same "letter" is also printed on the back of the price list fliers I give clients to pass along. It seems to work well for me, going with the "protection" angle here in a northern climate and dealing with middle to upper-middle class people for whom a car is a huge investment of money. In some climates and/or with more affluent clients, however, it may not do so hot to take this approach. For them, the focus may be more about image, and wanting the car to "look" good, rather than making the car last a long time. Again, that comes down to knowing who, and what, you're selling to.

[SeabreezeDetailing]

Mike,

That info was quoted from the members website, not an actual post.

[acsipres]

**In some climates and/or with more affluent clients, however, it may not do so hot to take this approach. For them, the focus may be more about image, and wanting the car to "look" good, rather than making the car last a long time. Again, that comes down to knowing who, and what, you're selling to.**

I find this comment rather interesting, specifically the "look good" versus "last longer" comment. I've been doing quite a bit of research into the affects the babyboomers will have on business, what services make sense for them and what their concerns are. The majority of them (BTW,,, I'm one of them) may be doing financially well but the significant majority have not yet saved enough for retirement. There IS a major concern that what they have today lasts longer and is something they feel good about. Conveying to these customers as to how regular detailing has a positive affect on the "looks", "retained value", "longevity" and "feel good" becomes a very important factor, particularly for the babyboomers. Let's face it, the majority of our economy's money is in their hands.

Now, back to my original question which caused me to open this thread.... what have each of you seen in terms of realistic price range for exterior detailing?

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: Career Change - Detailing Startup

Originally posted by acsipres
I'm looking to get into the business and was wondering what you experienced folks would do for a pricing structure?

Before you decide on what price to charge for your services, you’ll want to have a better understanding of how your customers will measure the value of your service. For example, when you provide your services at the customers’ location, you provide a value by saving them time. Time that would have been wasted if they had to take their car to a detail shop. You allow them the freedom to go about their daily routine at their own home. You are providing a convenient, valuable, time saving service.

When your customers measure value, they’re looking at the entire experience. Of course they want a good quality job, but they are also interested in other things such as; ease of making an appointment, whether or not you arrive “on-time” and finish “on-time”, friendly yet professional explanation of services, etc. These are all factor that play a part in how a customer will measure the value of your service.

In most cases, a good customer is one that is interested in a high level of quality, not necessarily a low price. One that will understand the value of your service. Maintain a high level of quality and you’ll be able to charge a profitable price for your services. Lower your prices and you’ll begin to lower your standards. Not a good thing!

Always provide your customers with a level of quality that they will not normally get from other detailing businesses.

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Originally posted by acsipres
The majority of them (BTW,,, I'm one of them) may be doing financially well but the significant majority have not yet saved enough for retirement. There IS a major concern that what they have today lasts longer and is something they feel good about. Conveying to these customers as to how regular detailing has a positive affect on the "looks", "retained value", "longevity" and "feel good" becomes a very important factor, particularly for the babyboomers. Let's face it, the majority of our economy's money is in their hands.

Well, I can see where you're comming from, and that certainly is the type of people I deal with (hence my approach in my existing marketing). However I was referring to higher income individuals, regardless if they're babyboomers or not. You know the type -- get a new mercedes, bimmer, or porsche on lease every couple years, maybe a ferrari in the garage, etc. and want to keep them looking constantly great, and can afford the latest and greatest all the time.

I would agree that middle, to upper-middle class folks, for whom anything higher than, say, a Deville or Aurora (or sometimes a 3-series bimmer, or lower-end mercedes) is the top of their limit, and they need it to last 7-10 years for them, you can't market them on looks alone. The durability certainly comes into it because they're concerned with that.

So again, just to clarify, that comment was referring to two DRASTICALLY different tax brackets and lifestyles.

Now, back to my original question which caused me to open this thread.... what have each of you seen in terms of realistic price range for exterior detailing?

Again, it really depends on what you're looking to do for an exterior detailing, and what cars/conditions you're working with. The kinds of vehicles I see regularly, I can't easily price my work too high; but if I were dealing with all relatively new, well cared for, expensive cars, I could and would charge a bit more and have to do less work.

Also it depends what you're including in your packages. Again, I'd refer you to my website.

[showtime]

I started out of my driveway 11 years ago doing 5 cars a year. I went on my own last year and exploded. Now I have a detailing business, Xpel dealership, and Meguiar's distributorship. I'm actually looking to spin off my detailing business because it's just getting to be too much. All you need is quality work and the right connections. I've only placed ONE ad ever. I'm not even listed in the phone book.
Don't plan on doing nice shiney BMW's and MB's all the time. 95% of what I do are average daily drivers. Don't plan on making a lot of money or even being busy your first year or so. You need time to get the word out to expand. It took me 11 years to get to where I am now. I've seen a lot of people jump into this business thinking they're going to make it big just to fail in less than a year. Take it slow and build a good client base and you'll do fine.

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Originally posted by showtime
I started out of my driveway 11 years ago doing 5 cars a year. I went on my own last year and exploded. Now I have a detailing business, Xpel dealership, and Meguiar's distributorship. I'm actually looking to spin off my detailing business because it's just getting to be too much. All you need is quality work and the right connections. I've only placed ONE ad ever. I'm not even listed in the phone book.
Don't plan on doing nice shiney BMW's and MB's all the time. 95% of what I do are average daily drivers. Don't plan on making a lot of money or even being busy your first year or so. You need time to get the word out to expand. It took me 11 years to get to where I am now. I've seen a lot of people jump into this business thinking they're going to make it big just to fail in less than a year. Take it slow and build a good client base and you'll do fine.

[inthedetails]

youse guys is the best!

Having just jumped into detailing for money, I started by offering a "winter" package at a reasonable price based on small/medium/large cars. So far most of my work is from friends and co-workers (real job), but it is getting my name out there, also my work.

My plan is to "kick it up a notch" come spring.

As far as pricing, I try to stick by an hourly rate that I want to make. MY overhead is minor as I am working out of my garage, but you have to factor all your costs into that rate too.

Thanks for the info folks.

Dave

[Five Star]

Re: Re: Career Change - Detailing Startup

Always provide your customers with a level of quality that they will not normally get from other detailing businesses.

Mirror hangers thanking them for their business and including maintenance tips

bottles of car scents with your label on them

set yourself apart from everyone else

sorry cant give away all my secrets

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Re: Re: Re: Career Change - Detailing Startup

Originally posted by Five Star
sorry cant give away all my secrets

It isn't like we're your direct competitor(s)....





Oh, and FWIW I just updated my site with 2006 pricing and package information