Please Help With My Pricelist..Again

**ThirdgenTa** · 05-25-2011, 10:49 PM

just a quick question. Do you get a lot of clients? I do your bronze +clay package for $100 and I have people trying to talk me down on price. I just might be around a lot of cheap people. Also a lot of people want me to come to them.
And as far as charging per hour, that's a hard thing to estimate. Some cars I do have never been detailed and need extensive claying or shampooing. so some things I think to take an hour might take 2 or 3.

**maximus20895** · 05-25-2011, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Kristopher1129

Take pictures of your work! Not for us...for yourself. Your pictures will help sell yourself to other customers. Make yourself a little portfolio to keep on hand. That would be really helpful being that you're just starting out. Without a reputation, pictures help a LOT.

Yea, good idea. I also need some pictures to put in my website as well. I got some more products today!

Originally Posted by ThirdgenTa

just a quick question. Do you get a lot of clients? I do your bronze +clay package for $100 and I have people trying to talk me down on price. I just might be around a lot of cheap people. Also a lot of people want me to come to them.
And as far as charging per hour, that's a hard thing to estimate. Some cars I do have never been detailed and need extensive claying or shampooing. so some things I think to take an hour might take 2 or 3.

I am just starting out so I don't have any clients other than my cousin. I think I am going to make flyers and put them in my neighborhood to get things going.

Wouldn't it be better to charge per hour. If you have a set price at $100 then you have to do that work regardless if it take 4 hours or 44 hours. At least with charging the client hourly you can adjust your prices accordingly.

**john b** · 05-25-2011, 11:23 PM

i would put the offer out there for correction work for ahourly fee,but keep the one step in the package

**ThirdgenTa** · 05-25-2011, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by maximus20895

Yea, good idea. I also need some pictures to put in my website as well. I got some more products today!

I am just starting out so I don't have any clients other than my cousin. I think I am going to make flyers and put them in my neighborhood to get things going.

Wouldn't it be better to charge per hour. If you have a set price at $100 then you have to do that work regardless if it take 4 hours or 44 hours. At least with charging the client hourly you can adjust your prices accordingly.

I can understand for correction but most people want to know up front how much they are being charged. I've had some pretty easy cars that have taken me 4 hours and some that are just trashed that have taken me 10.

**Kristopher1129** · 05-25-2011, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by ThirdgenTa

I can understand for correction but most people want to know up front how much they are being charged. I've had some pretty easy cars that have taken me 4 hours and some that are just trashed that have taken me 10.

I agree. Trying to give people hourly rates would be a HUGE headache. It's much easier to have set rates. If I end up getting a vehicle that has lots of dog hair, nicotine, or any other type of excessive quality...I just make a call and let the customer know about the price adjustment for the extended service time.

It's never been a problem for me to do it that way. Customers are usually understanding about it. They typically know their vehicle is in sad shape.

The problem with hourly rates is that you're just going to get a lot of people not willing to take the risk of a $100 detail turning into a $200 or $300 service. I find when it comes to detailing...people don't like uncertainty in price. But like Third said...correction is accepted with hourly rates. Although I have charges for that as well. Not an hourly rate fan.

**maximus20895** · 05-26-2011, 12:09 AM

Well, the base price is set on an hourly rate, if the car is in horrible shape then I would probably charge more. Does that seem reasonable?

I just set my prices on hourly rate, it's just how I got those prices. I don't know how to explain. How else would you calculate your base prices?

**ThirdgenTa** · 05-26-2011, 03:44 AM

Originally Posted by maximus20895

Well, the base price is set on an hourly rate, if the car is in horrible shape then I would probably charge more. Does that seem reasonable?

I just set my prices on hourly rate, it's just how I got those prices. I don't know how to explain. How else would you calculate your base prices?

I have seen some shops say for "excessively dirty cars add $20 or excessive pet hair add $20."
And as far as calculating prices goes I would take a look around at other good quality detail shops and see what they are charging. Then I would set my prices lower than what they charge. Just don't use any express chain detailers where they run the car through a car wash and spray wax on the car and call it a detail. Some of those places only charge $50 and only get the wow factor for the first day it was "detailed".
You basically have to sell yourself a little bit on your flyer as well. I don't have flyers but I tell my customers that I do use professional, long lasting products. That way they know whatever it is I use wasn't bought at the local conveniant store and is going to wash right off. I also put in parenthesis what a paint cleanser is and what a clay bar is. If I just write "clay" people are going to say "what is that"? And a lot of times people say they don't need it, when in fact they do.
Make sure you have competitive prices before you send your flyers out too. Once they are out that's pretty much it. You can't really go back and say just kidding I'm doing it for $150 and then a couple weeks lower it because you aren't getting customers.
I know you want to be payed a certain amount hourly for your time, but unfortunately it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes I end up making $8 an hour and sometimes $15.
Once you get the experience, knowledge, good products and equipment you will be able to better estimate how much you will be making avg per hour.

**Kristopher1129** · 05-26-2011, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by maximus20895

Well, the base price is set on an hourly rate, if the car is in horrible shape then I would probably charge more. Does that seem reasonable?

I just set my prices on hourly rate, it's just how I got those prices. I don't know how to explain. How else would you calculate your base prices?

Yeah, I guess my prices are kind of set to hourly rates when you put it that way. I just didn't set it up like that intentionally. I'm more or less the type of person that will just spend the amount of time needed to get a vehicle done. I try to stick to my base prices as much as possible. People don't like that surcharge phone call.