Marketing yourself with good before and after pictures by Mike Phillips

[Mike Phillips]

Marketing yourself with good before and after pictures by Mike Phillips



There's an old saying that is as true today as it was when the first person said it,


A picture is worth a thousand words


It's possible that this old saying is even more true and helpful for you when it comes to marketing your business, because you can use pictures to market your skills. One of the most popular ways to demonstrate your skills is with a great before and after pictures that shows how bad the paint was before "you" fixed it. This shows future potential customers that you know what your doing and they can trust you with their car to give them the results they're looking for from a pro detailer.

Most smart phones have the ability to take very good pictures and then you can instantly share those pictures via TapaTalk to a forum or to Facebook when you're logged into your FB account. The other thing you need is a good light. A light that reveals both the before and the after but also works well with cameras. Over the years I've used a lot of swirl finder lights, everything from the xenon bulb Brinkmann Swirl Finder light starting in 2006 to all the LED lights found everywhere including gas stations. But what impresses me the most and the swirl finder I trust for my photography work are the lights made by SCANGRIP.


If you detail cars for money, besides detailing the car you also have to market yourself and like the saying goes,

A picture is worth a thousand words



Here's some pictures I took recently showing before and after using the SCANGRIP Sunmatch light after compounding with a new compound on the market called Jescar Correction Compound. You can read the review here,

Jescar Correcting Compound and Micro Finishing Polish - Top Shelf Abrasive Technology


Besides sharing the new Jescar compound and polish I also was able to capture some pictures that show dramatic before and after and it's these types of pictures that do more than words, they show future potential customers that you know your stuff.


SCANGRIP Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light





Here's before





Here's after






And this light works great for doing photography work so you can have great pictures as well as working great when you have customer in person.


Quality tools don't cost money... they make money....




On Autogeek.com


SCANGRIP Sunmatch - $149.95

All SCANGRIP LIGHTS

[Mike Phillips]

If you want more information about the specific light I used in the pictures above, here's my review of this tool.


SCANGRIP Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light - Product Review by Mike Phillips



The SCANGRIP Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light - Model 03.4561US






You'll also see my co-host AJ and me using this tool on our TV show...


Here we are inspecting for swirls on Bruce Meyer's 1929 Bentley





Here's the swirls...






Here's AJ doing a Test Spot by machine polishing with only a light cut finishing polish and a very soft Buff and Shine foam finishing pad...





Now we re-inspect to see the results from our Test Spot





And here's the results. Not perfect but pretty darn good considering we're only using a fine cut polish with a super soft finishing pad. And remember, this was our Test Spot where we test the least aggressive pad and product to see what we can do before getting more aggressive.





Without a great swirl finder light you can end up spinning your wheels and getting nowhere...


Here's the link to this episode...

Competition Ready - Season 2 - Episode 4 - Bruce Meyer's 1929 Bentley - Classic Auto Show

(Nice work AJ)

[k20trick]

One of the greatest tools you can't live without. I also use it to snap onto the chassis while doing oil changes, brake changes, and under the hood to light up the work area. Such a versatile tool that I have grown accustomed to.

Cant forget about the I-view, I would never do interiors without it again

[Mike Phillips]

One of the greatest tools you can't live without. I also use it to snap onto the chassis while doing oil changes, brake changes, and under the hood to light up the work area. Such a versatile tool that I have grown accustomed to.

Completely agree.

Right now I have the engine out of my truck and I've been using the SCANGRIP Sunmatch like a flashlight only a POWERFUL flashlight so I can see what the heck I'm working under the truck and in the engine compartment.

Cant forget about the I-view, I would never do interiors without it again

A review and some projects are still in the works for the I-view.

[BadgerRivFan]

Cant forget about the I-view, I would never do interiors without it again

100% agree! Very helpful tool.

SCANGRIP I-View, headlamp, motion sensor detail light

[Aaryn NZ]

. . . A supplier stopped in at the shop today, & what did he have in his truck . . . a Scangrip Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light.

Now he doesn't. I agree Mike, good before & after pictures are worth the time & effort to capture, & it was only the start of last week I was cursing myself for not taking pictures of a severely hologramed Mitsubishi Outlander while the sun was shining, & yeah, you guessed it - cloudy the next day. I done my best with LEDs in the shop but deep down I knew there was more to see. Now that I have my own Scangrip Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light, I am good to go no matter what the weather.

A nice bit of kit indeed. Like you say Mike - Quality tools don't cost money . . . they make money.


Just like these kinds of pictures, these make me money.








I look forward to putting my Scangrip Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light to work.

Aaryn NZ.

[damaged442]

I know I have been guilty of not posting the before pictures. I have attempted at times, but with inferior lighting conditions and my phone, sometimes it makes it difficult. Time can be a factor too, as we all know. I could spend 30 minutes on pictures, or I can spend 30 minutes working and getting finished faster! LOL.

Trust me, I do like seeing some nasty before shots, to truly appreciate the after shots!

[Mike Phillips]

One of the greatest tools you can't live without.

I also use it to snap onto the chassis while doing oil changes, brake changes, and under the hood to light up the work area.

Such a versatile tool that I have grown accustomed to.

I agree. I'm in the process of getting a crack in the frame of my truck welded up. To light up the crack for a picture I used my SCANGRIP Sunmatch.




One of my all-time favorite tools.

[Mike Phillips]

. . . A supplier stopped in at the shop today, & what did he have in his truck . . . a Scangrip Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light.

Now he doesn't.

I agree Mike, good before & after pictures are worth the time & effort to capture, & it was only the start of last week I was cursing myself for not taking pictures of a severely hologramed Mitsubishi Outlander while the sun was shining, & yeah, you guessed it - cloudy the next day.

I done my best with LEDs in the shop but deep down I knew there was more to see. Now that I have my own Scangrip Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light, I am good to go no matter what the weather.

A nice bit of kit indeed. Like you say Mike -

Quality tools don't cost money . . . they make money.

Cool story, thanks for sharing!

Just like these kinds of pictures, these make me money.

Now that picture tells a thousand words!

Amazing work my friend...