Need help starting

[slickooz]

Since I'm very new to detailing. I wanted to know this was a good idea or I'm selling myself short. I'm going charge people now 75 dollar for full exterior detailing. Which includes wash,clay, compound, polish and wax, clean wheels and dress tires. I will be telling them I'm giving a huge discount and the price will go up. Just trying to build a client list. Any advise will be appreciated. Thanks guys!

[longdx]

Just do not sell yourself short. (keep in mind how many hours it takes to do this service $75/#hours = hourly wage). Another idea is to have them go get a " $30 detail" at a drive through wash and then do a test area on their car to show the difference between them and your service.

[ROMEO]

What is your time worth? I think you should go a head and charge fair price. $75 should be for something that will take you a lot less time, maybe something like wash, clay, quick wax and tire dressing?

When you start to do work for cheap, people will be expecting that all the time, I'm a contractor, and I never give my work for less than what it should be, and if people don't want to pay the price, just let them go a head fine someone else.

I'm guessing that you want to do this to get customers and practice, on set of giving your work for cheap, I would just do a few of my friends and/or family members and take lots of pictures of the process, show them what you can do.

How do you thing people will react when the second time they come to you and you ask them for $250-$300 for something you did for $75 before? If you want to give them a discount, give it to them on the second, or third visit, (If they come back with in less than 30 days), that way the worse is already done (the correction).

Just my 2 cents...

[Mike McDonald]

Whenever I do details outside of the family driveway, I tell them up front that on their 3rd detail I will do a complete in and out for the price of the exterior. Then, the offer repeats every 3 details. This keeps them coming back, and builds respect for my work.

You might not be interested in losing time and money, but where I only detail part time when I have time from school and work, it makes no difference to me because I just love seeing the result, and that makes up for the loss of product.

But like others above, just remember people dont want to spend more on their 2nd visit for the same thing. That will just cause them to run. Decide what you think your time is worth, and figure out what products cost you on that car, and then offer a price. Thats how I do it.

[slickooz]

Thanks guys. I'm just afraid that next time they won't pay the full price. Going do a few for 75, just to get my name out and I will tell them that this is only because I'm starting and trying to build a client base. Will also inform them that this would cost over 250 if done outside. I only did a few cars so far. Did about 3 for free and helped my cousin out a bit and got paid 85 yesterday for wash,clay and wax, vacuum inside, clean wheels and dress tires.

I also like to see the result as I never got to do a car with mad swirls on it. So the job I'm doing tom will be a treat. This friend I know has a heavy swirl car. I told him over the phone I would do it for him for 75. He has a 350z and last time I saw it, it looked like crap.

[Cosmin]

get yourself a website , post your work there , so people have an idea of what they pay for.

if u sell yourself short , they will know u as 75 $ detail guy , good luck to beat that later!

time is money so ... if takes u 5 hours to do a job u charge for 6 :dblthumb2:

[tuscarora dave]

I tried that in the beginning and the folks who knew something about detailing and what a professional charges to do it passed and said that I didn't seem to be charging enough and that they feared that I wouldn't do a good job. Most of the folks who took my $75 deal are no longer customers, as my skill level and pricing increased they went back to the local car wash detailing center. Truth be known, they helped me a lot by providing cars for me to practice on but they came to me because they wanted a $75 detail. I say go ahead and do the $75 deal but don't expect them to stick with you once your skill level and prices increase.

A little advice would be that if you see a prospective client that has very nice cars, they are likely that nice because he pays someone $300 to detail them from time to time. I personally would hold off on trying to sell a guy like that a detail until my skill level matched a worthy price. If bridges must be burnt it might as well be the folks who aren't willing to pay top dollar.

[slickooz]

Yeah I'm thinking about charging 75 for now work about 6-8 hour. I get money for materials and little bit for my time. But I get to practice, as I get better and more client I guess I can charge what I want.

[tuscarora dave]

I've done a boatload of absolutely free details just to get the practice, I would have liked to have gotten $75 for them. It is part of the learning curve. Realistically, knowing very little about detailing I don't think you could charge top dollar anyway. I would just be honest about it all and tell them that you need the practice and they get a good deal.

[slickooz]

The thing is right now I havent really tried 95/205 combo yet. Going be doing a 350z tom with heavy swirl. I want to practice on it tomorrow too see if I will be able to remove all of it. I got huge shipment from AG today. So I get to use my 5.5 inch pad everyone raving about.

I'm not advertising 75 deal for paint correction for everyone, just family and friends to get me started.

[tuscarora dave]

work about 6-8 hour.
Don't get too upset if that turns into 10 - 15 hours at first.

[tuscarora dave]

The thing is right now I havent really tried 95/205 combo yet. Going be doing a 350z tom with heavy swirl. I want to practice on it tomorrow too see if I will be able to remove all of it. I got huge shipment from AG today. So I get to use my 5.5 inch pad everyone raving about.

I'm not advertising 75 deal for paint correction for everyone, just family and friends to get me started.
Sounds like a good plan to me.:xyxthumbs: I hope that 350-Z doesn't have the self healing paint. Then again if you can work through self healing paint correction on your first job it would make most other cars seem easy.

[slickooz]

Should I do my try my best with his car? He is very cheap, first time I talked to him. I was asking 85 for wash,clay, wax, and dress tires. He kept on saying he had a friend who does detailing for 50. He was just bsing to low ball me. He is not a good friend but I do need the pratice. Should I go all out and see good results, or just do enough for 75 bucks?

[slickooz]

Yeah what is this self healing paint? I read something about it but didn't read the whole thread.
I read the fine scratches will heal itself? Does it also fix swirls? If they do they will put us out of business!

[tuscarora dave]

Should I do my try my best with his car? He is very cheap, first time I talked to him. I was asking 85 for wash,clay, wax, and dress tires. He kept on saying he had a friend who does detailing for 50. He was just bsing to low ball me. He is not a good friend but I do need the pratice. Should I go all out and see good results, or just do enough for 75 bucks?
I suggest that you at first concentrate on getting the hood corrected by doing a 18 inch squared section to see what it is going to take from start to finish. Then just work on finishing the hood before you make that decision. If it is taking way too long then just go over the rest of the car with the 205 and make an overall improvement to the finish.


Yeah what is this self healing paint? I read something about it but didn't read the whole thread.
Self healing paints as I understand it came mostly on infinitys and higher end Nissans and it was discontinued at some point a few years ago as it really didn't work too well. It was supposed to correct itself when the heat of the sun would get the paint real hot. So in essence if it got scratched, the scratch was supposed to disappear on it's own. The stuff supposedly was rather resistant to polishing.