"But he's Cheaper!!!" What do you do?

[djrazr]

How do you guys deal with low ballers? The guys who use professional products or even otc products, do the same things you do, and they do it for half of what you charge?

How do you convince a client that your work is better at your price vs the low baller who does the exact same thing? If im charging someone say $150 for a full detail, and that one person has a friend who got a full detail done for $75, what do you do? There is a higher % i think, that you just lost a customer?

Anybody can really do the basics such as vacuum and wash, clean rims and tires, hand wax, wipe down interior, windows, and apply dressings to moldings and tires, polish chrome wheels, leather conditioner, air freshener etc.....

I ask, because i know of a guy on the other side of town that uses a honda civic hatchback and does alot of business. He has a few places where he details (previous paragraph) all the employees cars for half the price as the previous detailer, and took his job basically.

What do you do? Will you match his price to keep the business, or you work much better that you'll take it as a loss and move on? How do you compete

With how bad the economy is these days, people will always go cheaper.

[Meghan]

Thats when you say you get what you pay for, call me to fix whatever they mess up. When its that cheap its usually someone with out a lot of experience. Tell them you paid a lot for your car, I am sure you want the best service for it you can get.

[djrazr]

So do we always go for the top of the line products?
The only things i can see something be messed up, is if you use a product that it's not intended for, like using a degreaser as a wax etc..., I figure if someone waxes a car by hand, there is less room to screw up vs using a buffer etc..

The only thing that i see that separates a detailer from someone else, is if you offer like paint restoration, dent repair etc.... that actually require alot more skill and expertise

just thoughts

[Meghan]

I think the difference is when you have a buffer involved, or poor washing habits. I have witnessed some dirty washes!

[Ray in Kingwood]

Tell em " I bet you used reconditioned oil as well"

When they deny it...why??

Its STILL oil, and its cheeeeeper.

[Jrgs-r]

go with the cheaper one...when he mess up the car come back...then I charge double the price I gave in the first place.Im the MAN

[makdaddy626]

Well to try and give you question the attention it deserves...

I think you start by asking yourself, what is better about what I'm offering? Once you have the answer to that, then consider all the possibilities. I suspect one of the following will be true:

You are providing a better service in terms of quality (be as honest as you can). If so, try to demonstrate the difference to the customer - offer to come detail his car right after the cut-rate "detail" - that way he can see what he's missing.

or...

You're not providing any additional value, in which case one of two things will most likely be true

1) He's underpricing himself and won't be in business long... tell your customers that's what you think is going to happen and ask them to give you a call back when he's not around any more.

2) He's willing to make less of a profit or has a better (faster/more economical) process. If he's willing to do the same job for less (and can stay in business doing it), you either have to adjust or accept the loss of clients. If he has a better process, you have to adapt and grow, that's the nature of compitition.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - you really haven't given enough information to answer the question, "What would you say...?" When you say they are "doing the same thing with the same products" do you mean they "claim" to do the same thing or they really do? do they do it as well?

[DubinDE]

:whs: You have to do a serious comparison between yourself and this other detailer, and most of your other direct competition as well. If you want to be sucessful you have to know your competition, if you don't, you fail. The easiest thing to do is shop the competition by getting your car detailed by them and examine their work. What do they do that you can't or don't do? Is their work REALLY that much better than what you provide? Are they just hiding problems or actually correcting them? What are your target customers even expecting from a "full detail?" It's called market research. You have to know your competitions weakness' and be able to show your clients the $40/hr. you charge vs. the $20/hr. "they" charge is worth it. If you can't do this, you're no better than the competition in the eyes of the customer. If you have someone dead set on price shopping, let them. Give them your contact information, be professional about things, and let them know you're available if they change their mind. 9 times out of 10 you'll get a call asking you to "fix" what the other guy screwed up. It's also not a bad idea to start a portfolio of your work to show your prospective clients the kind of work you produce.

[AL417]

DubinDE - I agree with what you're saying here but I would NEVER let someone else detail my truck (unless it was Toto:D).
I don't even the the guys at the oil change place vacuum and do the windows.

[djrazr]

A portfolio is a good thing. That way, potential clients can see your proven work, and not just what you say. Actions speak louder than words

I'm still trying to figure it out here

Anybody can wash a car, vacuum a car, clean wheels and tires, clean windows, hand polish, chrome parts ie: wheels, hand wax, steam clean carpet, apply conditioners etc..

One big difference i see is, not everyone knows how to use a buffer, and that can truely screw someones car up and create a mess. That's probably the biggest difference, but if the competition does a hand wax job, he's pretty much safe.

I'm still trying to figure out the difference between detail shop quality vs over the counter, like how much better? When your done with someones car, they see the shine, the bling if they have it, dressed up tires, non streak windows, non swirl marks, non hard water spots, clean carpets, nice scent, and some over the counter products can produce great results? I'm sure there are plenty of detailers out there who just use over the counter products for years, as long as they stay within what they are capable of doing

[DubinDE]

DubinDE - I agree with what you're saying here but I would NEVER let someone else detail my truck (unless it was Toto:D).
I don't even the the guys at the oil change place vacuum and do the windows.

I don't trust my car in the hands of others either, unless I have seen their work and it meets my expectations. That being said, Toto can detail my car anytime as well Im the MAN! However, if it came to putting some coin in my pocket I'd do what was necessary, even if it meant having someone hack up my baby. That's the price of doing business. Being in Sales/Marketing I know the importance of knowing your competition and target clientele inside and out.

[DubinDE]

A portfolio is a good thing. That way, potential clients can see your proven work, and not just what you say. Actions speak louder than words

I'm still trying to figure it out here

Anybody can wash a car, vacuum a car, clean wheels and tires, clean windows, hand polish, chrome parts ie: wheels, hand wax, steam clean carpet, apply conditioners etc..

One big difference i see is, not everyone knows how to use a buffer, and that can truely screw someones car up and create a mess. That's probably the biggest difference, but if the competition does a hand wax job, he's pretty much safe.

I'm still trying to figure out the difference between detail shop quality vs over the counter, like how much better? When your done with someones car, they see the shine, the bling if they have it, dressed up tires, non streak windows, non swirl marks, non hard water spots, clean carpets, nice scent, and some over the counter products can produce great results? I'm sure there are plenty of detailers out there who just use over the counter products for years, as long as they stay within what they are capable of doing

It really sounds like you need to figure out your target clientele and focus on what they want then choose your products and process' from there. A customer who wants their minivan detailed is probably going to be looking for something different than the customer who's a real car buff with a couple high end cars in the garage. You may be able to get away with the results of OTC stuff like wax with fillers in it etc. on the minivan that just won't cut it for the high end customer who is looking for true correction.

OTC products are great, but more often than not you'll achieve better results, faster, with professional products. And the results will last longer! The results from some professional products however just don't provide that much of a difference vs. the OTC counterparts to warrant spending the extra money on. It's all trial and error. Forums like AutoGeekOnline are a great place to find out what's really worth buying and what's worth steering clear of. You also have to consider your customers expectations. Are you going to use your $50 Menzerna polish for a customer that would be just as happy with the results from the $17 Optimum polish? Also, what makes that $50 Menzerna so much better or worse than the $17 Optimum? Can you achieve the results you're looking for on a particular job with the Optimum polish vs. the Menzerna polish?

I encourage you to do more research about your prospective clients, competition, and products before diving into this.

[sparkie]

DubinDE - I agree with what you're saying here but I would NEVER let someone else detail my truck (unless it was Toto:D).
I don't even the the guys at the oil change place vacuum and do the windows.
What the?:eek: I thought you was my buddy, I'm upset know:mad:... I guess I need to take you off my buddy list....


Just going on with you Little Al....LOL....:D:buffing:

[joe.p]

guys like Jose and his video are why proffesional detailers have a hard time selling there services......

[ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=MS6LgQ-ArEw&feature=related] - Total Car Cleaning & Auto Detailing Tips : Auto Detail Products: Total Car Cleaning Tips[/video]

[joe.p]

here another good one..rather then removing the top he gets the wax from a crack on the side of the bottle...lol

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=nOJqntJjn9I]YouTube - Total Car Cleaning & Auto Detailing Tips : Waxing Your Car: Total Car Cleaning & Auto Detailing Tips[/video]