Be careful what you pray for...

[jwgreen6]

I've been detailing part-time for the past two years and I've been praying/asking for more detail work so I can quit my "real job".

A month ago, I posted an ad on craigslist hawking my detailing business. Less than a week later I received a call from a gentleman in FL asking me to detail "a few cars" for him in Indiana. I thought he meant 2-3 cars for a friend or family member as a gift or something along those lines.

Boy was I WRONG.

He is a classic car dealer and wanted me to detail the 75+ (!!!) cars he's bringing to the annual Labor Day Auto Auction in Auburn IN.

In case you are not familiar with the Auburn Labor Day auto auction, it's one, if not the biggest, auto auctions in the USA. There are cars ranging from total junk/wrecks to stunning examples of Duesenburgs and everything in between. Most of the cars I'm working on are US made classic cars from Model A's to 1959 fuel-injected Corvette to a late model Cadillac. Nothing exotic like a Ferrari or Lamborghini.

After a little research and discussion with the client, it was determined the level of effort is simply washing the exterior, vacuuming the interior and cleaning windows but nothing advanced like wet sanding and compounding cars or extracting carpets. For those jobs, he hired a detailer from FL he's worked with before.

It never dawned on me to approach dealers at this auction for work. I've been struggling to increase business and, well boys and girls, here it is. One other thing I don't know is if anyone is selling pro detailing supplies at the auction. This is an option I'm considering for next year.

I was going to have 3 other people help me with this effort, but my customer said only one person is needed (or willing to pay for) this time.

Today was my first day of detailing cars at the auction site. It's been a long day and a lot of hard work for not much money but the experience makes it worth it. The detailer I'm working with has been pushing me to do better and I know that is making me a better detailer. I never had the benefit of detailing with somebody else and learning from them, so it's encouraging to have someone who is willing to work with me.

The things I've learned so far from this experience: 1. Craigslist pays. The ad I used came from Robert Keppel of Applied Colors. I also got another full detail from another client because he liked my ad over the other "low-ball" detailers on CL. 2. Be open to alternatives. I almost turned this project down due to the size and scope of effort. 3. Don't take criticism of work from another detailer as a bad thing. You might learn something that you can apply to future details. 4. Be careful what you pray for.

[MajinAl]

Very good read. I enjoyed it. And I completely agree sometimes we gotta oay our dues even though we feel at times we're worth more.
Great that you have a positive attitude and receiving "criticism" from other detailers is a way of learning and not getting upset over it.
Congrats and wish you extra energy for the rest of the auction.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using AG Online

[jwgreen6]

MajinAl,

Thanks for the kind words. You're right about not getting emotional or taking criticism personally.

One thing my customer told me when we first discussed my involvement is he has over $2 million worth of cars on "the line" along with his business partner and their collective reputation. That put this job into proper perspective for me.

[FullAttn2Detail]

I love stories like these! I like yourself believe that constructive criticism is just as important as all the pats on the back for doing great work. The only way we grow and improve upon the skills we already hone. And to get it from another person in the industry means loads seeing its a small group that are detached from the big commercial "carwashes."

Big kudos and ace the job!