The "Competition"

[Cole Ziegler]

The other day I was driving to subway in the strip center closest to my house. I noticed something different about the self-service car wash that's across from the strip. Apparently they've decided to endorse Meg's products and have HUGE Meguiar's banners boasting their products.

I don't know how worried I really am because they're prices were a bit.... well something I'd expect a pro to charge, I don't even charge as much as they do. They were something like (in addition to a wash): wax $40-$70, polish: $70 an hour (appeared to have foam pads but I'm not sure if they were DA's or Rotaries, I hope DA's), clay and wax: $120, etc.

The guys that work there are not professionals by any means, and being in the Houston/general south Texas region they appeared to be cheap foreign labor who don't speak English.(I think that's the most polite way I can say they were of Hispanic dissent, sorry if I upset anyone.)

Now I know any SLIGHTLY car-minded person would think twice before dropping off their car for a "full detail", but that didn't seem to stop many, not even a new 7 series. The problem with being in a "master-planned community" is everyone has too much money and doesn't know what are and are not good, safe, and worthwhile purchases.

From my point of view, I'm glad that the local swirlcenter has upgraded themselves to good, quality products. But at the same time, if they don't know what they're doing, they'll end up hurting more than helping. Worst part is, they appear to drive the cars through the swirl-o-matic before the detail. Guess they want more work for themselves .

My business operates on a word of mouth basis. We advertise inside friends and will advertise in this year's school's yearbook. Right now, this shouldn't affect my business. But this summer, I could feel a crunch when we try to expand to a bigger customer base.

Any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns?

[Krzemienr]

Re: The "Competition"

I love those detailing places! lol, they keep me in business. Bottom line is going to be how personal your service is... like I stated in another thread, you have the opportunity to speak directly with your customers and get to know them a bit. You know their needs/expectations, where a place like that doesn't. You need to explain to your customers why your service is better. For example, explain to the them that the car wash might not know how to properly use the right products with the right machine, they do not cater to specific needs, explain the damaging effects this type of detail might have on their car. Maybe start including things like tire shine or metal polish for wheels/exhaust tips into your existing price, where that shop might charge extra for the little things. Again, I would stress the personal/intimate service, and the time you take to finish a job vs. trying to hurry to get the next one done. The only thing I wouldn't do, is put the other business down by being rude or saying they don't know ****, etc. A customer might look at your bashing the wrong way and figure you are scared of the competition for a reason (like not doing a good job, or taking the extra time). I personally never state that a local car wash doesn't have a clue about detailing, I just simply say that most of the time you get what you pay for, and I discuss my customer service vs. theirs.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: The "Competition"

The guys that work there are not professionals by any means, and being in the Houston/general south Texas region they appeared to be cheap foreign labor who don't speak English.(I think that's the most polite way I can say they were of Hispanic dissent, sorry if I pissed anyone off.)

I am of Hispanic descent and live in San Diego, next to the international border. I wonder if people automatically assume that that I'm not professional or "cheap foreign labor who don't speak English" because of where I live or how I look?

I work as a network administrator on a Navy base for a military LAN supporting the Navy and Marines. Many of the Marines with whom I speak and support on a daily basis are also Hispanic, so much so I wonder if we could have a Marines Corps without them? The same goes for our Navy, which has a great number of serviceman who claim Filipino (Pinoy) ancestry. On MOL we have many members who are Hispanic, and several of them are the most respected detailers on MOL. Should we discount them based upon their appearance?

I'm not "pissed off" with your comment, but I do find it disappointing coming from someone so young. Please don't make the mistake of judging someone's abilities to do a job based upon their appearance, or where you assume they are from.

[Krzemienr]

Re: The "Competition"

I'm not "pissed off" with your comment, but I do find it disappointing coming from someone so young. Please don't make the mistake of judging someone's abilities to do a job based upon their appearance, or where you assume they are from.

This is kind of what I mean when I said not bash on other detailing shops to your customer, some might get offended. Even through you don't mean any harm by it...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: The "Competition"

First off (and this goes for EVERYONE reading or responding to this thread) let's step completely away from any potential race issue here right now. Lack of skill or training is not a race related thing, period. End of discussion.


If the car wash in question is now displaying Meguiar's banners where they did not previously, it sounds as though they may well have just become a full on Meguiar's shop. And that also means they may very well be receiving, or soon to receive, professional instruction from a Meguiar's sales rep. And trust us when we say our pro sales guys who call on these end user accounts know their stuff inside and out. The guys working at the car wash might be novices now, but that may not last long.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: The "Competition"

Even with proper training. I am sure that meguiar's will provide. They will still be production based. Stick to your guns. Take the time to do it correctly and your customer base will continue to grow.

[Underdawg736]

Re: The "Competition"

Don't shrug off the compitition off as unprofessional and don't go bashing them to your customers or to the general public. That's a sure way to doom you biz. You have your whole career ahead of you, choose your words and actions WISELY!!

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: The "Competition"

I love those detailing places! lol, they keep me in business. Bottom line is going to be how personal your service is... like I stated in another thread, you have the opportunity to speak directly with your customers and get to know them a bit. You know their needs/expectations, where a place like that doesn't. You need to explain to your customers why your service is better. For example, explain to the them that the car wash might not know how to properly use the right products with the right machine, they do not cater to specific needs, explain the damaging effects this type of detail might have on their car. Maybe start including things like tire shine or metal polish for wheels/exhaust tips into your existing price, where that shop might charge extra for the little things. Again, I would stress the personal/intimate service, and the time you take to finish a job vs. trying to hurry to get the next one done. The only thing I wouldn't do, is put the other business down by being rude or saying they don't know ****, etc. A customer might look at your bashing the wrong way and figure you are scared of the competition for a reason (like not doing a good job, or taking the extra time). I personally never state that a local car wash doesn't have a clue about detailing, I just simply say that most of the time you get what you pay for, and I discuss my customer service vs. theirs.

A fantastic reply

Just to add tell them that there into production work where as your there to fix the problems, improve the appearance of their paint and help educate them on maintaining their finish as good as can be, not to hurry to get thier car done so they can start on another like in a assembly line!

[CieraSL]

Re: The "Competition"

If you have a hard time selling a customer on your services vs. the local car wash, a thought would be to have the customer take their car through the car wash, let them do their thing, and then bring the car back to you to see if there is any areas for improvement. You would have the ability to point out these areas (in other words give them a free inspection), then let the customer know what you would do to fix those problem areas and provide them with a better service. If there are no problem areas, then the customer is happy with the car wash. If there are problem areas, you might get a new customer. Just my two cents.

[Cole Ziegler]

Re: The "Competition"

Wow didn't mean to stir up any racial tension... Sorry that I offended you. What I meant is how are they to understand what you want and properly detail your car if they can't understand what your saying? Bottom line: didn't mean to offend you, Ill end that discussion here.

Thanks for all the responses, sorry to ruffle some feathers. I'll check them out this week and post some pics of the biz.

[William_F]

Re: The "Competition"

Cameraman, many businesses fall into the rule of 80/20. That is to say that 80% of their revenue comes form 20% of their customers. In the case of detailing, that would mean that that the core of your business would come from repeat customers who are happy with your service.

In business, competition isn't always a bad thing.It forces us to stay sharp and continue to improve our processes and run our businesses more efficiently to maximize our opportunities. As long as you are doing things the right way, you shouldn't fear competition.

One of the best things you can do for your self is under promise and over deliver. In other words, strive to exceed your customers expectations with every job, but don't set the customers expectations so high when selling that you fall short even when the job is well done.

Be professional at all times and be mindful of the competition but don't obsess over them and you'll be fine in the long run. Every minute you spend worrying about them is one less minute you have to grow your business.

[Cole Ziegler]

Re: The "Competition"

And that also means they may very well be receiving, or soon to receive, professional instruction from a Meguiar's sales rep. And trust us when we say our pro sales guys who call on these end user accounts know their stuff inside and out. The guys working at the car wash might be novices now, but that may not last long.

I hope they get there soon, they had an S550 and and RX something there tonight and they were wiping them down with dirty white trashed towels The lack of microfiber made me cry.

Thanks for the advice William and others!

[William_F]

Re: The "Competition"

Thanks for the advice William

Glad I could help. You're always welcome to make a payment on my student loan if you found that advice helpful :P

[Krzemienr]

Re: The "Competition"

some great points on here..... I just wanted to add from personal experience. In my area there are at least 10 different detailing places (some owners are actually on here as members) but the reason why customer keep coming back to me vs. them is my prices (or should I say how I explain my pricing and that's it's all custom quotes), my skill, and my ability to cater to each customer individually and cater my detail to THEIR needs (the fact that I'm mobile helps a bit as well).

Another point might be to actually bring your vehicle in to those places and see for yourself, first hand, how they handle the detailing aspect. That way you will know what you are up against personally and are not going off of assumptions.

Rafal

[Krzemienr]

Re: The "Competition"

It wouldn't let me edit my message anymore, but I was going to add, if you do take your car there, you will see their customer service, how friendly everyone is, how they handle special requests (tell them you really want your rims shined or something of that sort). You will also know if they actually do what you are paying for...

I did that a few times, and had an experience, lol. I paid $75 for an exterior wash/clay/wax and interior vaccum/wipe down. After they pulled by car out, I noticed it was not claybarred. Talked to the owner about it, he brought my car back in, did a claybar application, and brought it back out. I asked if they will rewax my car now, and the owner and one of the detailers explained there was no need to as the clay bar does not strip the wax... I drove off.