How to approach strangers...

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: How to approach strangers...

Your goal is to introduce yourself, not sell something. You want to network with potential customers by offering something in return. Someone will ask you why you are here and you will tell them you detail cars and are looking for new equipment or new marketing ideas. If they are interested, they will ask you to look at their car. Go from there. Don't just hand out business cards.

Just a thought, but one that would require some financial commitment. Maybe the detailer could rent a space and set up shop? Scavenge some hoods from the junkyard (I'm thinking black, deep blue, and fire engine red) and set up a demonstration to show how swirls and scratches happen, then polish them out. Seeing is believing...

[Nick Chapman]

Re: How to approach strangers...

Hey Rasky,

Here's an approach that has worked very well for me. When I first started this business, all I wanted to do were high end show vehicles. I soon realized that you can NOT make much money only doing show vehicles, so I had to branch out. But I still do quite a bit of show quality jobs.

Instead of you approaching the car owner, let the car owner approach you. I'm sure there are many ways of doing this, but this is the way that I did it.
Step one, head to the car show and find a vehicle that attracts the most attention.
Step two, offer them a free detail in exchange for letting you advertise in their booth with their car.
Step three, do your absolute BEST work on that car! Remove every scratch, swirl, spec of dirt, everything!
Step four, Have a sign made up explaining who made that cat look the way it does. And place that sign next to that vehicle at the next car show. Next to that sign, place some business cards.

This isn't an exact science yet, but it has attracted many many new customers for myself. And for every new car show vehicle that I do, I give them a sign also. Can you see where this is going? So far I think I have a little over 70 signs out there. And as it stands right now you can not go to a local car show in the Dallas area without seeing my company name, and all it cost me was that first initial free detail that I gave away to get the ball rolling.

Here are the signs that I had made up. They are metal, and cost me about $4 each at a local wrap company(the vinyl vehicle wrap guys).



And here are how I place the signs next to the cars at the car shows...







There are many ways to attract new customers, this is just the way that I do it. You(and anyone else) are free to use this idea if you wish.

Nick

[sudsbyhubbs]

Re: How to approach strangers...

That's an excellent idea!

[Tuck91]

Re: How to approach strangers...

cool ideas, cool thread

[RaskyR1]

Re: How to approach strangers...

That's a great idea Nick! Thanks!

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: How to approach strangers...

Step one, head to the car show and find a vehicle that attracts the most attention.
Step two, offer them a free detail in exchange for letting you advertise in their booth with their car.
Step three, do your absolute BEST work on that car! Remove every scratch, swirl, spec of dirt, everything!
Step four, Have a sign made up explaining who made that cat look the way it does. And place that sign next to that vehicle at the next car show. Next to that sign, place some business cards. seeing my company name, and all it cost me was that first initial free detail that I gave away to get the ball rolling.

Great suggestion, Nick! Do you detail the car at night after you find a good candidate, or do you polish it during the show? If it's done during the show, how long does it take you to finish the job? My first thought is that the owner of the car is there to show off his vehicle, and he might balk at the car being polished during the show?

[Nick Chapman]

Re: How to approach strangers...

No no, I'll find a car, then approach the owner. Car would be buffed and detailed before the next show. No way I'm spending that much time working on a car at the show. If you want it done right(which you do), then it'll have to be done at my place or theirs. Only thing I do at the show is some touch up detail work.

[dnoraker]

Re: How to approach strangers...

I think the key is to create relationships first; ladder-building, if you will. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Do you genuinely care about people and want to help them? Or are you just trying to sell them on your services? People get sick of being sold to. Help them get what they want, and if they don't know what they want, help them understand what is possible. You can't sell a detail job to someone who isn't looking to improve their car. I've tried!

My favorite way to approach strangers is not to approach them. I "plant the seed" by turning a friend's daily driver into a show car, and when people ask them when they got a new car, well, you get the idea. I've gotten a few jobs like that.

I do a lot of dealing on Craigslist and meet people at their homes to buy something. Often, I see a car that I can tell is their "pride and joy", even if it's not that great of a car. I compliment them on their vehicle and how good it looks for its age or whatever. People love to talk about their cars- they sometimes will even tell me they've thought about getting it buffed out or that they're not happy with the finish before they even know I detail cars for a side business. I just did this a couple days ago with a guy that had a black '97 Eclipse convertible. He took a card and is serious about getting it like new when the snow melts.

1. Make a friend; be genuine
2. Talk about their ride and find out if they're happy with the finish
3. Tell them you'd like to help them meet their goals for the finish quality

[Bunky]

Re: How to approach strangers...

I think a lot of people just need to be educated on what detailing involves (correction, restoration, headlight fixing, interior makeovers, etc) so I would think an educational flyer on services with some before and after pics of defects customers can really understand. Poor wash techniques do not show up immediately. A new car can look nice for quite some time -- several years depending on how often it gets washed.

The initial job of selling is to show why they may need detailing services. Business cards only introduce a name but really do not do any education. I would think this is less intrusive. For the average person, a headlight job would be a good introduction service to get your foot in the door rather than discount basic services or could offer "new customer" discount. They really need to see they are getting something back (increased resell value, better headlights, habitable interior, etc).

[Dentless Dave]

Re: How to approach strangers...

I think the key is to create relationships first; ladder-building, if you will. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Do you genuinely care about people and want to help them? Or are you just trying to sell them on your services? People get sick of being sold to. Help them get what they want, and if they don't know what they want, help them understand what is possible. You can't sell a detail job to someone who isn't looking to improve their car. I've tried!

My favorite way to approach strangers is not to approach them. I "plant the seed" by turning a friend's daily driver into a show car, and when people ask them when they got a new car, well, you get the idea. I've gotten a few jobs like that.

I do a lot of dealing on Craigslist and meet people at their homes to buy something. Often, I see a car that I can tell is their "pride and joy", even if it's not that great of a car. I compliment them on their vehicle and how good it looks for its age or whatever. People love to talk about their cars- they sometimes will even tell me they've thought about getting it buffed out or that they're not happy with the finish before they even know I detail cars for a side business. I just did this a couple days ago with a guy that had a black '97 Eclipse convertible. He took a card and is serious about getting it like new when the snow melts.

1. Make a friend; be genuine
2. Talk about their ride and find out if they're happy with the finish
3. Tell them you'd like to help them meet their goals for the finish quality

Someone's been reading Dale Carnegie

dave.

[Robby144]

Re: How to approach strangers...

Allow me to express a thought, I so rarely get one LOL!!! When I lived in NorCal, my dad and I were avid members of a big car club and I would get permission to set up a detailing booth and use a family member's car as a demonstrator. I would just show up with a bunch of business cards and just hand them out to those who came over. It was very worth it!