How long did it take you and how well did it start off?

[RMarkJr]

Hello! So I am wondering about a few things. I started a detailing place about the start of march this year. I expected it to be slow at first before it really took off. I however thought it would be going a little bit better than what it is so far.

I have been using google Adwords for awhile now and typically on the first page on the top. That started off ok, but has recently slowed down on phone calls. I have recently found something that works really well on Facebook. However it's just a lot of people who ask how much and either say they will get back to me, flat no, or just stop responding all together lol.

I can get a few cars here and there and then like nothing for a week or two. I am really trying to get this going somewhat steady. For around here I guess the main thing is interior. I dont wash many cars and havent polished but a couple of them, but that just seems to be by demand here. Which by the way I start polishing for 250 to 300 on cars, decon, tape, polish, and sealant.

So I am wondering when you started out doing this ... was it this slow? IF it was this slow were you advertising a lot like I am? If it was not this slow and you could get a couple cars a week or so what did you do?

My prices are just under the big guys in detailing. I did this week a SUV interior for 350 (complete inside with UV protection and leather condition, and fabric guard), I did a F250 truck for 250 wash and interior... admittedly that should have been more as it turned into a 9 hour detail (two for wash and the rest on the interior).

not bad .. but when I pay for the advertising .. which is a lot .. car payment, ins .. etc there isnt a lot left by any means.

I really dont think that lowering prices is the way to go, as they say in business never compete by price.

I do really good. No complaints yet .. have a few 5 star reviews on google and Facebook.

lol I am thinking here now about making a new ad on google with a line in there that says cheaper than the others! .. probably wont do it .. but it's tempting at this point.


so if anyone has anything about this I would appreciate it. Thanks!!

[RSW]

I canceled my advertising years ago, because I got tired of people calling me to ask how much and wasting my time trying to low ball me. It was a waste, because I didn't know how to talk to them. I still don't advertise but some of my clients have put me on yelp and shared my info other ways, so now, I get those phone calls again. Now, I answer them differently.

Potential client - "How much do you charge for a detail?"

Me - "OK, since the word detail means different things to different people, what do you mean?"

Then, I go from there depending on what they say. If they mean a wash and wax, I give them a price for that. I'll point out that my wash and wax also includes decontamination (clay) and what that means, the wheels done right, etc. Also, I'll explain that wash and wax doesn't include polishing - oxidation comes off with cleaner wax but scratches are different.

If they say they want the paint corrected and sealed I explain what that means when I do it.

I also mention that I'm a one man shop so I take a different level of concern/responsibility with their car than someone working for someone else - usually for minimum wage - probably will. I tell them how I check my vacuum for valuables after every car to make sure if they lost something under the seat or whatever, they'll get it back. I stress that while my prices aren't the lowest, I do my best to be good value for money.

When I give them a price, that's the price.

Robert

[RMarkJr]

I canceled my advertising years ago, because I got tired of people calling me to ask how much and wasting my time trying to low ball me. It was a waste, because I didn't know how to talk to them. I still don't advertise but some of my clients have put me on yelp and shared my info other ways, so now, I get those phone calls again. Now, I answer them differently.

Potential client - "How much do you charge for a detail?"

Me - "OK, since the word detail means different things to different people, what do you mean?"

Then, I go from there depending on what they say. If they mean a wash and wax, I give them a price for that. I'll point out that my wash and wax also includes decontamination (clay) and what that means, the wheels done right, etc. Also, I'll explain that wash and wax doesn't include polishing - oxidation comes off with cleaner wax but scratches are different.

If they say they want the paint corrected and sealed I explain what that means when I do it.

I also mention that I'm a one man shop so I take a different level of concern/responsibility with their car than someone working for someone else - usually for minimum wage - probably will. I tell them how I check my vacuum for valuables after every car to make sure if they lost something under the seat or whatever, they'll get it back. I stress that while my prices aren't the lowest, I do my best to be good value for money.

When I give them a price, that's the price.

Robert

Ya i have been asking what are you wanting to get done to the vehicle or what are you looking to get done. I try to ask questions about it if its over the phone or online. I then tell them what I do and the price. It's at that point that they usually stop responding or something. I mean I know I am going to get a lot of no responses, but I kinda thought it would be a little bit more yes than what it is at this point. I have great before and after pictures in the ads and on my page... which I need to update with more. I guess I was thinking with car washes around here doing details at almost 200 that I could get them for just a bit more and not be the car wash quality, also at that price point that puts me under the other deatialers here by a bit. I clearly see car washes busy, I know other detailers here are two weeks booked out one is a month out. So i just kinda figured it wouldnt be quite this slow. I dont mind working it ..but it really needs to pick up to be beneficial


so thats what I am doing here .. trying to get an idea of what to expect by how others went when they started off. Was it slow like a couple in one week and then nothing for two weeks? Did it take awhile for it to pick up and how long? Was there something that someone did to get more customers? just stuff I am wondering about.

[SKorch630]

Don't ever lower your prices if you feel that your quality of work is on par or better than anyone else around you. I did that once to drive traffic and all people did was take advantage of it. One and done customers as I say. Sure, a lot of that was my fault for not following up with them, but they were the type of people who wanted everything for the price of nothing. I don't do that type of work.

Long story short, it's going to take some time to figure out your demographic and get them on board. There's a TON of people on this board who run their own business and each will tell you something about it. Your goal at this point is to get busy, get customers, retain those customers, and have them refer people to you. I'd be happy to go into this in more detail tonight when I get home.

[RMarkJr]

Don't ever lower your prices if you feel that your quality of work is on par or better than anyone else around you. I did that once to drive traffic and all people did was take advantage of it. One and done customers as I say. Sure, a lot of that was my fault for not following up with them, but they were the type of people who wanted everything for the price of nothing. I don't do that type of work.

Long story short, it's going to take some time to figure out your demographic and get them on board. There's a TON of people on this board who run their own business and each will tell you something about it. Your goal at this point is to get busy, get customers, retain those customers, and have them refer people to you. I'd be happy to go into this in more detail tonight when I get home.

Ya if you would that would be great! I am open for anything right now. Price is something that I am not really wanting to lower to compete. I have heard many times that is something that you dont want to do in a business is compete by price. Also I think that I do really good and it does take awhile to get good results. So price really isnt something I want to lower to compete. Actually its something that I wouldnt mind raising a little bit later on after I can get it really going.

[GSKR]

Hello! So I am wondering about a few things. I started a detailing place about the start of march this year. I expected it to be slow at first before it really took off. I however thought it would be going a little bit better than what it is so far.

I have been using google Adwords for awhile now and typically on the first page on the top. That started off ok, but has recently slowed down on phone calls. I have recently found something that works really well on Facebook. However it's just a lot of people who ask how much and either say they will get back to me, flat no, or just stop responding all together lol.

I can get a few cars here and there and then like nothing for a week or two. I am really trying to get this going somewhat steady. For around here I guess the main thing is interior. I dont wash many cars and havent polished but a couple of them, but that just seems to be by demand here. Which by the way I start polishing for 250 to 300 on cars, decon, tape, polish, and sealant.

So I am wondering when you started out doing this ... was it this slow? IF it was this slow were you advertising a lot like I am? If it was not this slow and you could get a couple cars a week or so what did you do?

My prices are just under the big guys in detailing. I did this week a SUV interior for 350 (complete inside with UV protection and leather condition, and fabric guard), I did a F250 truck for 250 wash and interior... admittedly that should have been more as it turned into a 9 hour detail (two for wash and the rest on the interior).

not bad .. but when I pay for the advertising .. which is a lot .. car payment, ins .. etc there isnt a lot left by any means.

I really dont think that lowering prices is the way to go, as they say in business never compete by price.

I do really good. No complaints yet .. have a few 5 star reviews on google and Facebook.

lol I am thinking here now about making a new ad on google with a line in there that says cheaper than the others! .. probably wont do it .. but it's tempting at this point.


so if anyone has anything about this I would appreciate it. Thanks!!

Im mobile so in 3 weeks right out of the gate I was making 1400.00 a week low end 950.00.Mobile has many advantages than brick and mortar.Customers come to you free exposure everyday.

[RMarkJr]

Im mobile so in 3 weeks right out of the gate I was making 1400.00 a week low end 950.00.Mobile has many advantages than brick and mortar.Customers come to you free exposure everyday.

Thats interesting. I havent had but like two ask me if I am mobile. Do you use the customers power and water? or do you have a water tank and generator?

[SKorch630]

Gonna paste a few good forum articles for you to read by Mike.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ness-name.html
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...tion-form.html

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-phillips.html (go down to the business and promotion section and read those)

I've been in business about 3 years now. Part time only as I work full time, but I've been in the building stage since I started all of this. My first year I honestly just tried to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could, work on my own cars using the learned techniques and information, and then started with family vehicles. It's really two fold with this route as I gain experience first hand, and I can continue to learn. Assuming you've done this, just keep learning and keep pushing.

My first TWO YEARS were slow. I mean slowwwwwwww. I'd post on facebook, instagram, hand out business cards, give referral bonuses, etc. At that point I was just trying to drive business and get my name out there. That being said, I was doing anything and everything I could to do so. And that meant giving out "summer deals" and "fall specials" (I wouldn't recommend doing this, as I lost a lot of money, and REALLY brought in those who were looking for the world for little to no money) You're going to have people who call in and ask for a price. The best thing you can do is bypass the price objection and divert their attention to the service that they're interested in.

Customer "A" calls up: Hi, can you tell me the cost for a simple detail?
You: Absolutely, by the way, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with? And your number in case we get disconnected? (*Key here is that you just got his/her name and number. Now put that into your book of business regardless if they have business with you or not.) Joe, I have 3 different detailing packages for an all around detail, or I can do al a carte options if you're looking for something in particular.
Customer "A": I'm just looking for an exterior wash, and maybe a clean up in the interior.
You: PERFECT! I have the "blue" package which includes XXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX. This would be perfect for your needs because of "YYYYYYYY and YYYYYYYY".

We've gotten him off of price for the time being, introduced him into our package that fits his need, and then we can hit him with the "feature/benefit" and then finally we can give him a price. Engaging with your customer, finding out his/her needs, and providing a solution is key. You've done just that. Now we can hit them with "This package starts at $XXX and if you want any additional extras, we can talk about that when you drop the vehicle off. Which day works best for you?"

Your pricing is never an issue unless you make it one. Don't be ashamed of charging "X" amount if your skill set and ability matches that. You know your own skill level, and you should be proud to charge that amount if your abilities prove that you can provide that level of work. Your goal isn't to be "cheaper than the others" as you said in your post, but to be "BETTER THAN THE OTHERS". Always try to provide the best possible outcome you can. Under promise, and over deliver.

People will tell you that word of mouth is everything, and honestly, it really is... HOWEVER. You will NEVER lose from promoting, advertising, and providing top notch service. Youtube, IG, Twitter, FB, Adwords, Newspaper, etc. will cost you money up front, but once you prove to people that you're the real deal, you'll benefit from it. Business will be slow in the beginning because you're branding yourself. You're essentially starting from the bottom and working your way up. Think about any business really... Let's take Facebook for instance. Zuck took a platform that he created, no one knew what it was about, published it, branded it, advertised it, and look where it is now. Sure, there was a TON more that went into it, but he started from ground zero. Hard work, dedication, TIME and HUSTLE turned it into what it is today.

You can absolutely do this... It's just going to take time. It's going to take the effort and the hustle to get yourself up and going. Look at guys on IG like SeminoleDetailing, ClarityHouston, AmmoNYC, highenddetail, luxeautospa, etc. They're all over social media. It was slow at one point for them as well, but they kept going because they knew what they wanted long term. Just keep at it man.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've been in business for a few years now, I've learned what to do, and what not to do, and I've just kept going. You're going to learn things along the way. It won't be easy, but any failure is a success because you'll learn from it. Others will chime in here eventually and provide better information and knowledge that I can, but just do everything you can to learn and develop a sales process. Any other questions feel free to PM me.

[RMarkJr]

Gonna paste a few good forum articles for you to read by Mike.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ness-name.html
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...tion-form.html

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-phillips.html (go down to the business and promotion section and read those)

I've been in business about 3 years now. Part time only as I work full time, but I've been in the building stage since I started all of this. My first year I honestly just tried to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could, work on my own cars using the learned techniques and information, and then started with family vehicles. It's really two fold with this route as I gain experience first hand, and I can continue to learn. Assuming you've done this, just keep learning and keep pushing.

My first TWO YEARS were slow. I mean slowwwwwwww. I'd post on facebook, instagram, hand out business cards, give referral bonuses, etc. At that point I was just trying to drive business and get my name out there. That being said, I was doing anything and everything I could to do so. And that meant giving out "summer deals" and "fall specials" (I wouldn't recommend doing this, as I lost a lot of money, and REALLY brought in those who were looking for the world for little to no money) You're going to have people who call in and ask for a price. The best thing you can do is bypass the price objection and divert their attention to the service that they're interested in.

Customer "A" calls up: Hi, can you tell me the cost for a simple detail?
You: Absolutely, by the way, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with? And your number in case we get disconnected? (*Key here is that you just got his/her name and number. Now put that into your book of business regardless if they have business with you or not.) Joe, I have 3 different detailing packages for an all around detail, or I can do al a carte options if you're looking for something in particular.
Customer "A": I'm just looking for an exterior wash, and maybe a clean up in the interior.
You: PERFECT! I have the "blue" package which includes XXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX. This would be perfect for your needs because of "YYYYYYYY and YYYYYYYY".

We've gotten him off of price for the time being, introduced him into our package that fits his need, and then we can hit him with the "feature/benefit" and then finally we can give him a price. Engaging with your customer, finding out his/her needs, and providing a solution is key. You've done just that. Now we can hit them with "This package starts at $XXX and if you want any additional extras, we can talk about that when you drop the vehicle off. Which day works best for you?"

Your pricing is never an issue unless you make it one. Don't be ashamed of charging "X" amount if your skill set and ability matches that. You know your own skill level, and you should be proud to charge that amount if your abilities prove that you can provide that level of work. Your goal isn't to be "cheaper than the others" as you said in your post, but to be "BETTER THAN THE OTHERS". Always try to provide the best possible outcome you can. Under promise, and over deliver.

People will tell you that word of mouth is everything, and honestly, it really is... HOWEVER. You will NEVER lose from promoting, advertising, and providing top notch service. Youtube, IG, Twitter, FB, Adwords, Newspaper, etc. will cost you money up front, but once you prove to people that you're the real deal, you'll benefit from it. Business will be slow in the beginning because you're branding yourself. You're essentially starting from the bottom and working your way up. Think about any business really... Let's take Facebook for instance. Zuck took a platform that he created, no one knew what it was about, published it, branded it, advertised it, and look where it is now. Sure, there was a TON more that went into it, but he started from ground zero. Hard work, dedication, TIME and HUSTLE turned it into what it is today.

You can absolutely do this... It's just going to take time. It's going to take the effort and the hustle to get yourself up and going. Look at guys on IG like SeminoleDetailing, ClarityHouston, AmmoNYC, highenddetail, luxeautospa, etc. They're all over social media. It was slow at one point for them as well, but they kept going because they knew what they wanted long term. Just keep at it man.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've been in business for a few years now, I've learned what to do, and what not to do, and I've just kept going. You're going to learn things along the way. It won't be easy, but any failure is a success because you'll learn from it. Others will chime in here eventually and provide better information and knowledge that I can, but just do everything you can to learn and develop a sales process. Any other questions feel free to PM me.

Thanks a lot for the information! I dont know why I didnt get a notification about this when you posted it. It seems like your pitch is a bit more sales based than what I do. It is something I have been thinking about doing lately instead of the more normal conversation. It is interesting that when I ask someone on Facebook what they are needing done .. every single one is wanting a full interior done. Not one has said they dont need carpets or seats deep cleaned, and thats about 60 people from one post.

What do you think about me telling them about the car wash prices or me being cheaper than the other main detailers? I ask because I know that a lot stop talking due to the price. So for me interiors on cars will be about 200 to 250 depending on how bad it is. Another detailer here starts at 299 for cars. The car wash place around here starts at about 180 for whatever their interior package is.

Reason why I ask is to try and get around that price hesitation that they have and I bet they havent shopped around because I think I would be getting more of the oh that sounds good .. so and so was going to charge this much more.


My typical response is something like this for a full interior detail on a car.

Ok, so I can absolutely help out! My process is this. Air purge under seats and crevices, pretreat carpet and seats, scrub carpets and seats, hot water extract carpets and seats, scrub all panels and crevices with brushes and steamer, UV protection on all panels, Glass inside and out, and door jambs wiped down. I start these at 200 to 250 range, depending on how much attention it needs. It's a very thorough clean that you wont get from a car wash place. If you do this I would need it for about half a day to make sure everything gets as clean as possible.


annnnd this is usually where they stop responding lol .. that is why I am wondering if I should bring up prices of other places in that response somewhere in hopes that they would get that I am not the most expensive place and might be a good option to go to for a good job.

[DETAILROOKIE]

How are you marketing and attracting customers? I am doing my business part time and I have been partnering with local mechanics shops around town and they have kept me busy with referrals. I am also setting up a car show with a new local restaurant so we can get our names out there. Most recenlty, I started asking my doctors and dentists, during my own appointment, if they were interested. Ive landed my doctor, but still working on my dentist.

Over all, like in any business, there will be slow times. Dont get discouraged!

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