The Mindset of a Professional Detailer

[Aaryn NZ]

And this mindset is my dilemma.

I know that in order to make money, you can't treat every beat-up daily driver as a show car, but I always tend to anyhow. I don't mean I do a 3+ step to every car I detail, but I do spend more time on certain areas than I should. It just hurts so bad to see something you know you can fix and really make look better, but you "can't" because that's not what the customer ordered.

DLB

I hear that. Sometimes wonder if i am making any money at all.

[Mike Phillips]

I hear that. Sometimes wonder if i am making any money at all.

Check out this thread... it's about matching your services to your customer so you don't do too much work so you do make a profit.

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer

[VGA No.1]

beautiful post..... spot on mike! now Im inspired

[Mike Phillips]

beautiful post..... spot on mike! now Im inspired

Thank you sir... just something I wrote back in 2005 and I pretty much still feel the same way and practice working on cars the same way...

[Calendyr]

What made me want to become a Professional detailer was the videos I watched of Larry from Ammo products. The guy is so passionate about his work, his clients and their cars. You can feel he wants to do a perfect job everytime he approaches a car. I know that for production work, that is actually something that will prevent you from earning a decent living, you can't do a perfect job for 40$. But it's something to aspire to if you eventually get the clients that will want that kind of service and are gonna be able and willing to pay for it.

It's nice to see that this passion is present with other high level detailers. Really liked to read that post Mike.

[Mike Phillips]

It's nice to see that this passion is present with other high level detailers. Really liked to read that post Mike.

Glad you liked it...

I wonder if Larry has ever read it? I posted it to the Internet back in 2005, that's over 8 years ago. I don't remember when I wrote it off hand but could have been even further back than 2005.


I remember Larry attended all of my classes at this year's "Mobil Tech Expo" and took notes throughout each entire presentation. I spoke with him a number of times at both MTE and also at SEMA, he kind of reminds me of me...

The below is from this last January,

Autogeek Class Schedule at Mobil Tech Expo 2013


Here's a list of my classes, location and times...


Thursday January 17th, 2013 – Education Day

How to detail a car – Order of steps - 9:30am to 10:15am Oleander Room
The order in which you tackle a detailing project can either help you or slow you down. When detailing cars for dollars time is money. You will learn which areas of the car to detail first to reduce the total time invested in any detailing job to maximize profits while reducing overall time per detailing project. One of the most common problems detailers make is duplicating steps, which wastes valuable time.


Detail Faster with the Flex XC3401 - 11:45am 12:30pm Sawgrass Room
There are a lot of tool options available for making money detailing cars. Each type or category of tool has its strong points and its short comings. You will learn how to turn the Flex 3401 Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher into your own money making machine when doing production detailing and even show car detailing.


How to properly use the Rotary Buffer - 12:45pm to 1:30pm Sawgrass Room
The rotary buffer is without a doubt, the most powerful tool there is for machine polishing cars, trucks, boats and Motorhomes. It’s the tool of choice for removing sanding marks after wetsanding an entire car or an isolated repair. The rotary buffer is also to blame for the majority of all the holograms you see all too often in a car freshly detailed by Dealerships, Body Shops and “yes” even supposedly Professional Detailers. You will learn tips and techniques gained over a lifetime from using the rotary buffer including compounding with wool pads, polishing with foam pads and jewelling paint for a hologram-free finish.


Isolated Scratch Removal - 3:30pm to 4:15pm – Sawgrass Room
With the introduction of high quality, ultra fine grit sanding discs, you can now remove isolated defects by safely sanding them out and then safely removing your sanding marks. Performed correctly, no one will ever know there was a defect or that the area was sanded and buffed. You will learn tips and techniques for dampsanding using 3M and Meguiar’s #3000 and #5000 finishing discs and then how to quickly remove all traces of the sanding procedure.



Microfiber Pads - 4:30pm to 5:15pm - Sawgrass Room
Microfiber pad technology is the new hot trend for machine polishing paint and in this class you will learn how to match the right pad to the right tool to get the best performance out of microfiber pads. You'll also learn product selection to match the right chemicals with your microfiber pads for specific paint polishing procedures. Plus how to clean your microfiber pads on the fly to keep them working at maximum efficiency throughout your detailing project.



Renewing Exterior Trim - 5:30pm – 6:15pm Sawgrass Room
So many new cars, trucks and sports utility vehicles utilize plastic, rubber and vinyl trim to reduce both weight and costs when manufacturing new vehicles. The problem with exterior trim material like this is it fades, oxidizes and turns ugly gray with repeated exposure to outdoor environments, UV rays from direct sunlight, and the drying out effect from repeated car washing and inclement weather. In the past most dressings were topical and would easily wash off. Advances in technology has introduced a new selection of exterior trim dressings that last longer and look better for customer pleasing results.



Friday

No Classes on Friday Saturday, January 19th, 2013


Saturday


How to detail a car – Order of steps - 11:30am to 12:15am Oleander Room
The order in which you tackle a detailing project can either help you or slow you down. When detailing cars for dollars time is money. Learn which areas of the car to detail first to reduce the total time invested in any detailing job to maximize profits while reducing overall time per detailing project. One of the most common problems detailers make is duplicating steps, which wastes valuable time.

[sudhir]

Very good article!!

The Mindset of a Professional Detailer

The Mindset of the Professional Detailer

Originally posted on ShowCarGarage on 11-08-2005, 11:45 PM

When it comes to detailing cars for profit there are three general camps,

• Production work
• High-end work
• Show Car Detailing

A lot of detailers start out doing production work and as their skill level increases and they begin to establish their reputation, they are able to move up to high-end detailing where they are able to offer higher quality work which usually includes a multi-step paint polishing process and thus a higher price. In some cases doing production work can be more profitable because you an work faster, do less to the car and your customers expectations are not going to be as high because of the price you're charging.

Generally speaking, (but not always), the people doing production work are either just starting out, or working for someone else and often times both. Because they are paid by the hour or by the car, they often times don't have the monetary incentive to pour their heart and soul into their work, nor are they able to experience the self-satisfaction and pride that comes from a job well done. For this reason, over time every car becomes just another car. There is no connection, there is no reason to give it their all, every car becomes an exercise in speed, as in how fast can they get the job done, not how well can they do the job.

Another category of detailing is what you would call Show Car Detailing. This would involve doing your best work for typically special interest vehicles where the owner wants and expects a show car finish and understands that to achieve this kind of finish, it requires the person doing the work to have a high skill level and a excellent working knowledge of what I call the 3 P's, Paint, Products & Procedures.

Of course the owners of special interest cars understand that professional quality work also comes at a premium price. At the end of the day, the value is in the results achieved, but if you want to drill down a little deeper, then what the customer is really paying for, (and in other words, the real value), is the peace of mind the owner obtains knowing that their car is in the hands of a skilled professional. It is this confidence the detailer provides the owner, that enables the owners to hand them the keys and walk away without fear.


Besides confidence, a professional detailer also brings to the table their soul, by this I mean a true craftsman of the art of polishing paint brings to his craft the human elements of care and passion.

The human elements of caring about the quality of your work, and having a true passion for the craft, is a mindset. This mindset is a way of thinking that is an unconscious reflex similar to breathing. By this we mean, just like none of us ever have to think about breathing because it's an automatic reflex that is a part of our physiology, for the craftsman, doing their very best work for every car they touch is an unavoidable reflex... it's in their blood.

For myself, when I work on another person's car, I mentally adopt the car as if it were my own. After making this intellectual commitment and emotional attachment towards both the vehicle and the owner of the vehicle, everything else, (the work to be performed), becomes second-nature, I simply treat their car exactly like I would treat my own car, because at some level, it is now my car.

This is the mindset of any true professional no matter what their profession. It's never about the money… it's always about the passion.

When it comes to polishing the paint on special interest vehicles, there is no room for error. This is because automotive paints are a thin, delicate film coating; they are easily dulled and easily swirled and scratched, once they are dulled down or instilled with scratches, it requires the right products and techniques to remove the defects and restore a show car shine. You are limited to what you can do by how thick the working film-build of the paint is, this is why we always say,"It's all about the paint".

There is a point of no return when working on paint. Once you've gone past this point, the only true solution is to apply more paint and this can be quite expensive, especially when it's someone else's car we're talking about and not your own!


If you're reading this and you're looking to learn more about the art of polishing paint, then you have come to the right place. Autogeek Online isn't just another detailing discussion forum… (there's plenty of these to choose from), no… Autogeek Online is a place you can learn more about the art of polishing paint.

Hang around, read the forum, assimilate the information… adopt the mindset of a professional…


"It's all about the paint"

[joebrez]

Awesome Article!

Any chance of purchasing this book? I know you said it's out of print.

I'm just getting going on a side Detailing Business and plan to offer 3 premium services. I know it'll be a low volume gig, but that's my intention.

Detailing cars has been my stress reliever for years! The ability the unplug my brain is just awesome!

I already have communication open with a 3M Rep, as I've been very impressed with their product line.

[Evan.J]

Awesome Article!

Any chance of purchasing this book? I know you said it's out of print.

I'm just getting going on a side Detailing Business and plan to offer 3 premium services. I know it'll be a low volume gig, but that's my intention.

Detailing cars has been my stress reliever for years! The ability the unplug my brain is just awesome!

I already have communication open with a 3M Rep, as I've been very impressed with their product line.

This combo will greatly help you
Show Car Shine Detailing Book Combo

[Mike Phillips]

Awesome Article!

Any chance of purchasing this book? I know you said it's out of print.

Thank you, I think it speaks for a lot of us.

As for my first how-to book, there are no copies to purchase and by now the material would be too dated. A better option is to get a copy of Renny Doyle's book and the second edition of my first book. See the link above that Evan shared.

Detailing cars has been my stress reliever for years! The ability the unplug my brain is just awesome!

I agree and I talk about this in the introduction to my how-to book.

I already have communication open with a 3M Rep, as I've been very impressed with their product line.

3M makes great products but be careful that you get products matched to the type of tools you use. I just wrote this article today, check it out...

For Use with Rotary Buffer Only - Read the Directions