Detailing venture dried

[daniel clark]

up...back in the day I had a fully self contained mobile service doing mostly car washes at local business office parks,I simply had clients choose services from services offered on a month to month weekly maintenance wash programs!

I soon had the opportunity to sublease auto bays from an auto wholesaler located in an office park off to main highly driven roads so I gave it a shot...opened a shop I thought I had it going on...nice truck lettered up,nice flyers,and two nice a-frame signs out on the blvds...I hoped to get a couple cars a day!

Well I did get a couple a week...from the auto broker I subleased the bays from!

But nothing from my signs on the blvd wtf no traffic,walk-ins,no steady work!

well anyways I ended up doing construction,still havnt got a trade down cause of the state of the economy I got laid offed!

Where did I go wrong,should I have built a web site and some seo,got some insurance and targeted the dealers or?

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Detailing venture dried

Sounds like where you went wrong was maybe changing your business model from "I come to you" to "You come to me". The best part of your mobile business was the convenience it provided to your client base. Nobody had to use their lunch hour to drop their car off or ask a co-worker to give them a lift to your auto bays to pick up their car. People are often willing to forgo a luxury service like car detailing if it inconveniences them in the slightest way. Even if you provided a pick up and drop off service, a lot of folks might not be comfortable allowing someone else to drive their car.

[Fischer]

Re: Detailing venture dried

I agree with the post above, there are alot of drop off services and not that many mobile services, atleast in my area. Now I don't have an official business or a business to operate out of since detailing at the moment is a hobby rather than a job but I do get more requests to travel than I do drop offs just because its more convenient for a customer.

I have noticed though, when I started to do drop off's during the night and detail them that night and finish them that morning for pick up, I did get a bit more customers out of it.

To me it's all about convenience...some people have to work all day and cant go without a vehicle. Try to work around a customers work schedule rather than them working around yours.

Just my 2 cents

[Superior Shine]

Re: Detailing venture dried

Two little signs out front and there wasn't a line around the block waiting to been seen by you!!!?? Sounds like you planned to fail without planning at all. 1st, determine who your target market is. What do the drive, how much do they spend, what services do they want, etc... 2nd, How do you reach them, what do they want to hear, how will you motivate them to give you their hard earned money? 3rd, Once you answer 1 and 2, market relentlessly, post cards, flyers, face to face, promotions, facebook, web site, etc..........

Remember the buck stops at YOU. Get educated, get motivated, go out and spank the economy and bring in the $$$$$$$$ Good luck to you.

[mpm]

Re: Detailing venture dried

ClearlyCoated is right. When you refocused from mobile to shop location you lost your customer base. Do you have a business plan that you are trying to follow with your shop location? I've been working my mobile only business for the last year and every three months I re-evaluate my business plan and change the focus of it if necessary. Those small adjustments helped me refocus on differnt demographics for different customers and as such I have recently hired my first employee to keep up with demand. Word of mouth advertising from very happy customers helps also. Don't wait for it to happen, make it happen with good planning.

[Need4racin]

Re: Detailing venture dried

I hope you were selling full details and not car washes. Car washes don't make a livable income. It's either a full detail or nothing.

[Superior Shine]

Re: Detailing venture dried

I hope you were selling full details and not car washes. Car washes don't make a livable income. It's either a full detail or nothing.

My Fridays are car wash days. Two of my guys bring in roughly $600 in eight hours only washing cars. That's liveable to me.

[daniel clark]

Re: Detailing venture dried

What do you get for a wash (In & out) I see some guys are charging $25.00 yet I cannot see one staying busy all day charging $25.00 car washes I mean like a car on the wash mat non stop all day how??

My Fridays are car wash days. Two of my guys bring in roughly $600 in eight hours only washing cars. That's liveable to me.

[Superior Shine]

Re: Detailing venture dried

We wash only for those that will commit to our wash route which is either weekly or bi-monthly. Examples of our prices are; $55 average size car , $65 large SUV.

[daniel clark]

Re: Detailing venture dried

I see your sites on the first page with google auto detailing LA,do you do your own seo...any tips for us starting out big boy?

Two little signs out front and there wasn't a line around the block waiting to been seen by you!!!?? Sounds like you planned to fail without planning at all. 1st, determine who your target market is. What do the drive, how much do they spend, what services do they want, etc... 2nd, How do you reach them, what do they want to hear, how will you motivate them to give you their hard earned money? 3rd, Once you answer 1 and 2, market relentlessly, post cards, flyers, face to face, promotions, facebook, web site, etc..........

Remember the buck stops at YOU. Get educated, get motivated, go out and spank the economy and bring in the $$$$$$$$ Good luck to you.

[Superior Shine]

Re: Detailing venture dried

I'm not sure what seo is. My home page?

[daniel clark]

Re: Detailing venture dried

Seo=search engine optimization,its what got you on the first page with google search,so fess up how do you do it?

I'm not sure what seo is. My home page?

[MaxImage]

Re: Detailing venture dried

Echoing what Joe (Superior Shine) has already said, I've had clients tell me that they've used my company vs the competitors in an otherwise pretty saturated detail market because of the very fact that we're mobile. Most of the detailing operations in my area are static with a brick-and-mortar shop, but there are a very small handful of mobile operations, and of that handful or mobile operations, are an even smaller cohort of "quality" detailers.

Case in point, there have been first time customers that have used our services despite holding gift certificates for the competitors for the very reason that we're mobile. Which allows the customer to do the things they need to do in their day without having to pickup and drop off their vehicles. This information is in no way solicited, but rather offered up freely in conversation. Having said that though, if you do quality work and in turn build a rapport with your existing client base (from your mobile days), the likelihood that that said client base will stick with you despite changes in your business model is greater. However, in the given situation it does appear that the downturn in business was a direct result of the now lack of convenience. But perhaps the more importantly, is the need to cater your business to the needs of the marketplace/clientele you desire to reach.

[AndrewBigA]

Re: Detailing venture dried

good luck with whatever you do. i think you should start up the mobile wash business again & see how that goes.
do the work alone & then as you get more busy you can hire a helper. start with the washes & then include clay & wax packages.
in order to make good money you need to polish some cars though. that type of work is difficult because you have to move fast but also do a great job at the same time.
good luck again, hope things work out for you.
working for somebody else stinks.