South Florida Autogeek Noob needing some help!

[HearingEarHuman]

Hey Mike and all other AG friends!

Long time creeper, first time posting here. Any insight to my current issues would be greatly appreciated!

First and foremost, a very considerate landscaping truck left me with the attached gift. I can clearly see the "valley" of this gash, and can even feel a crater if you will - The edges feel raised, not flush to the body. Is there a simple way to smooth it down, and then fill or protect this damage? I'm hesitant to any type of wet sanding and prefer working by hand vs. mechanical.

The information on this site is so overwhelming - looking for a good routine or combination of products that I can use to properly protect my vehicle while budgeting my money. I'm currently just washing, claybar with spray detailer and a simple meguiars wax (the stuff you can get at walmart) but feel like im missing a step. Is this the step that can "smooth out" those imperfections like the one below prior to waxing?