Starting a part time production detailing business

**SON1C** · 04-10-2012, 08:47 AM

Wash clay wax vacuum interior protectant tire shine glass cleaner leather conditioner

Which ones should be up sell, what would you charge/ any other input; I'm mobile as well

I'm thinking 100 for all, leather conditioning is 10-15 upsell

**Hunter09** · 04-10-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by SON1C

Wash clay wax vacuum interior protectant tire shine glass cleaner leather conditioner

Which ones should be up sell, what would you charge/ any other input; I'm mobile as well

I'm thinking 100 for all, leather conditioning is 10-15 upsell

I get 89 to 149 so I think your price is good

**dwlinc23** · 04-10-2012, 09:58 AM

I'm in Cincinnati, Oh (I hear price depends on location), I charge $125 for that, in shop, not mobile. If I did mobile, maye $10-$15 more for convenience of going to client.

**shoeless89** · 04-10-2012, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by dwlinc23

I'm in Cincinnati, Oh (I hear price depends on location), I charge $125 for that, in shop, not mobile. If I did mobile, maye $10-$15 more for convenience of going to client.

Where are you at in Cincy? I live in NKY like 10 min from downtown. I'll send you a PM!

**CASH XRS** · 04-10-2012, 10:27 AM

I think it also depends on the size of the vehicle. Make sure you charge accordingly for that. Everyone is different, but I upsell the claying process. Most people don't care, but the ones that do care would more than likely pay the extra $ to have their paint feelin purrdy.

**SON1C** · 04-10-2012, 05:10 PM

doesn't claying however add a lot to the final gloss, because the 'shiny" comes from smoothness? so its sort of necessary (assuming many clients will have never clayed) and yeah for larger vehicles prices would vary, I'm just worried I'll have trouble getting clients, but I don't want to sell myself short

**ForceField** · 04-10-2012, 05:35 PM

Check out some of the detail shops around you. Check out their prices and then check out the quality of their work.

There was a poster on here that did that and noticed this "pro detail shop" used dirty terry cloth towels to wash and an old dirty rotary buffer to instill some new holograms and swirl marks into a black BMW 3 series.

They are probably charging $150 as well. I'll bet their customers are real happy with their dirty dingy car being all new and clean now. They probably don't even know a swirl from a squirrel as someone else on here put it. That shop likely has no trouble finding victi....ummm customers too.

Unlike them, you, like me, have learned a lot from sites like this. It's time to price your higher skill set accordingly.

If you charge lower prices you give off the impression you don't value your own work highly.

If you don't judge yourself highly, who will?
If you don't value your work, no one else will either.

**ForceField** · 04-10-2012, 07:32 PM

Just to add to that:

If you're like me you love what you do and you love the cars you're working on. You treat them as if they were you're own. Some people out there just do it for the money and see every car as just another car and every customer as just someone to scam out of their money. It's a different mindset and it's worth a lot. There is a trust factor there that is priceless. Especially for vehicles the owner really cares about.

It's not a bad idea to also educate your customers a bit so they know what they are getting. Even if it's just close up before and after photos on your website or ad showing paint correction.

**CASH XRS** · 04-11-2012, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by SON1C

doesn't claying however add a lot to the final gloss, because the 'shiny" comes from smoothness? so its sort of necessary (assuming many clients will have never clayed) and yeah for larger vehicles prices would vary, I'm just worried I'll have trouble getting clients, but I don't want to sell myself short

Well, this is why I upsell claying. You talk to your customers and just explain that you are washing and waxing the vehicle and it will come out looking great. But right after that, mention to them that if you add on a claying, it will bring out a deeper shine and "it's only $X more to clay the vehcile as well." I need to adjust my prices still, but I think I am adjusting mine to add $25 to a detail for a claying.

And don't ever sell yourself short. Keep your prices where YOU feel comfortable and what you believe to be in the range of the clientele. I've been told this as well since this is my first full season of detailing part time, be confident in your abilities and explain whatever services you offer that your customer may not know about or understand and you'll be fine!!