The simple question!!

[Dr Oldz]

For the pros and aspiring professionals:

Years of detailing has taught me one of the simplest questions to ask when detailing someone’s vehicle
“what is your main concern?”


Simple question, but answers will vary so widely that you couldn’t imagine. I have answers from
the typical swirls, chrome exhaust pipes, dirty glass, sticky streering wheels, carpet cleaning....and so on.

What this simple question does is give you an area to pay extra attention to that the customer notices. Once you focus on their area of interest, the rest is cake.

I have already spent over 20 hours buffing a vehicle to hear that the wheels look amazing and not a word about the show car finish on the paintwork, when the wheels took 40 min.

Its all about exceeding what what the customer wants and this gives you an area to focus on.

[Firehouse Mike]

I don't really get the high end show cars that need 40 hrs of correction. I seem to get the daily drivers and the soccer mom minivans. Of course I'll ask what their concerns are, but I really just try to make the biggest difference. Example, I did this truck the other day Firehouse Mobile Detail added a new photo. - Firehouse Mobile Detail | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FirehouseMobileDetail/photos/pcb.1535399669894464/1535397393228025/?type=3&theater)

It had terrible drag marks down the sides. When I was done, there were still ALOT of swirls and scratches, but there were blown away by the difference. That's what I'm going for most of the time.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

I have a slide in my Power Point Presentation for my 3-day detailing classes that teaches people to ask this question.


The BIG PICTURE - it's not about you.... it's about your customer. Most detailers are all about the paint. Nothing wrong with that but it's not about you, it's about what your customer is all about and some customers are more concerned with streak-free glass or getting a stain out of the seat.

Good thread Jim.


:)

[Paul A.]

EXCELLENT thread!

This is the main question I ask with EVERY new customer. Like Firehouse said, unfortunately I don't get a lot of specific answers but do get an idea of what will make them happiest. Occassionally i do get specifics from a few customers who understand detailing a little more than the average Joe (and Joanne).

My work is always customer centric!

[sudsmobile]

People always call and want a "detail." What kind? Interior? Exterior? Both? 75% of people answer both. When you start to ask probing questions, it's usually one or the other. You need to find out what the customer wants on the phone, not throw them a quote that may be for more work than they need or start selling them on paint correction when what they really want is the stains removed from the seats and all the dog hair vacuumed up or start talking up one service when they really want the other. Because as mentioned above, that's about your wants not theirs.

Sell people what they need and there will always be more opportunities to sell them additional work in the future.

[LEDetailing]

Clean interior.

I actually don’t mind cleaning interiors. I’m surprised by how many people don’t vacuum their interiors. If people just used some interior detailer, glass cleaner and a shop vac that would take car of 80% of their problem.

Next to interior would be wheels. If you are using touchless car washes. Your wheels aren’t getting clean. I always finish my wheel cleaning with a dedicated wheel wash mitt. The mitt and car soap seems to get that last bit of road film of the wheels and neutralizes the remaining wheel cleaner. Most people seem to like the matte water based tire dressing that I apply. Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing is my go to.

[Eldorado2k]

@Dr. Oldz. Great point, I definitely agree.

I forget who I 1st learned this from, but it’s a question I always make sure to ask a customer prior to detailing their vehicle.. Sometimes I don’t like the answers I get, [i.e. they’ve got really dirty headliner, or they mention how a previous detailer left a bunch of polish/wax residue in nearly all the cracks & seams of the vehicle and now it’s my job to clean it up] but it helps make for a happy customer once I’m done with their vehicle.

I’ve also noticed that some customers draw a blank when you stop and ask them such a direct question... That’s why it’s best to stay keyed in at all times to everything they say because they’ll spill the beans on their own if you’re good at reading between the lines. If you can do that then you’ll really knock it out of the park as far as pleasing them.[emoji4]

[UncleDavy]

I am not a pro by any means but I am getting better. I did a detail a few weeks ago for a guy who works for my wife. His only request was that he wanted his tires to look as black and shiny as the tires on my wife's Buick. He didn't care much about swirl free paint, clear glass, interior leather treatments, spotless dash or clean floor mats. Of course I provided all of those things and he was so amazed and pleased that he was practically in tears. The point I am trying to make is that the customer will probably never be displeased with better than expected services or results.

[PaulMys]

For the pros and aspiring professionals:

Years of detailing has taught me one of the simplest questions to ask when detailing someone’s vehicle
“what is your main concern?”


Simple question, but answers will vary so widely that you couldn’t imagine. I have answers from
the typical swirls, chrome exhaust pipes, dirty glass, sticky streering wheels, carpet cleaning....and so on.

What this simple question does is give you an area to pay extra attention to that the customer notices. Once you focus on their area of interest, the rest is cake.

I have already spent over 20 hours buffing a vehicle to hear that the wheels look amazing and not a word about the show car finish on the paintwork, when the wheels took 40 min.

Its all about exceeding what what the customer wants and this gives you an area to focus on.


This is an incredibly smart thing to do. :props:

[Farmallluvr]

Very good points ,when I do a complete detail for a customer I ask them this as well,,it can actually save you time as well.
Sometimes you find they aren't that concerend about certain aspects of a detail so you can cut it out,,most people I have done cars for usually want the interior clean and aren't so worried about the exterior.

So we end up settling on a price for the interior and then I'll clean that and probably wash the car good just to seal the comeback deal,they always notice and it doesn't take that long to throw it in.

the Same with exterior buffs,,do they want scratch removal or just want it to shine??
and then Ill throw a vacuum and clean the windows on top of that,to me it's just good business ,,if you under promise the customer will remember that you over delivered very fondly and come back or recommend you to others,

how ever over promising and under delivering can have just the opposite effect.

[sudsmobile]

I had a lady today stop and ask me how much for an interior detail. I gave her a quote. She kind of looked like it was too much. Then she says "and you get all the dog hair out of the carpet?" I said "I do, but I have a excessive pet hair charge that ranges from $15-60." She said "Who determines what is excessive?" I said "I do and it's solely up to me to decide. If it will just vacuum up normally, it's no charge. If it takes me an extra hour, it's $45." She says "well it won't just vacuum up. If you vacuum over it it will still be there." I said "Hey, you kind of answered your own question."

[Coach Steve]

I had a lady today stop and ask me how much for an interior detail. I gave her a quote. She kind of looked like it was too much. Then she says "and you get all the dog hair out of the carpet?" I said "I do, but I have a excessive pet hair charge that ranges from $15-60." She said "Who determines what is excessive?" I said "I do and it's solely up to me to decide. If it will just vacuum up normally, it's no charge. If it takes me an extra hour, it's $45." She says "well it won't just vacuum up. If you vacuum over it it will still be there." I said "Hey, you kind of answered your own question."
This is an excellent point. I have a flat rate charge for "Excessive/Difficult Pet Hair Removal". This covers the problem even if it's not what a reasonable person would deem excessive. There are just as many times when the pet hair isn't excessive but is ridiculously difficult to remove - short, coarse, white hair anyone?! Grrrrr.......
There are just some combinations of dog hair and some carpet types that are damn near impossible to remove hair from. And, as a result, a lot of extra time is spent on that task. Not only are we talking about the amount of time it takes but also the toll it takes on your sanity via the frustration and stress created.
I know I'm not alone here. Pet hair and vehicle interiors don't play well together!
And why is it there always seems to be a huge amount of it in the driver's footwell?

But, back to the topic of the thread, when you do pull off a miracle and are able to get every last white hair out of black carpet and the carpet looks brand new as a result, it always exceeds their expectations because, believe me, they've tried removing it themselves at least once and failed.

[sudsmobile]

They track it into the car on their person. I have a lady that I do her BMW and it always has cat hair only in the driver's area. She's never had a cat in her car.

[Eldorado2k]

They track it into the car on their person. I have a lady that I do her BMW and it always has cat hair only in the driver's area. She's never had a cat in her car.

Wow her house must be a real mess... I have a cat and I’ve never tracked cat hair into my car. There isn’t even any visible cat hair inside my house. Lol.

[sudsmobile]

Wow her house must be a real mess... I have a cat and I’ve never tracked cat hair into my car. There isn’t even any visible cat hair inside my house. Lol.

That's quite a generalization. I'll tell you this, my house is a pretty expensive house for where I live in Temecula. I'd guess her house is worth 3x what mine is. She's lives in Bear Creek in Murrieta. Google it. I've only been a few steps into the kitchen, but from what I saw her house was immaculate. Now, she does have five cats. Maybe they all congregate in one room, I really don't know. I do know that people who live in $2.5m houses tend not to live like hoarders.