Getting commercial clients.

[Usmc0311]

I have owned my detailing business for over a year now, I just do it part-time but I do enough business to stay busy. A friend told me to try and get involved in commercial trucks and vehicles to get guaranteed work every month. I am just looking for tips on how to approach businesses and maybe some pricing ideas.

[rddmxmeth10]

First, Welcome to AG and Semper Fi!




On to your question...I know nothing. But, I would approach them if you see that their vehicles are atleast maintained somewhat. If they are all dirty and disgusting, you will waste your breath because they probably don't care how they look. I have heard from others that if your doing a fleet, go by an hourly rate instead of a flat rate. Others will chime in, but thats my opinion!

[rustytruck]

It sounds like you and I have a similar business. If you are staying busy then whats the problem? I think retail detailing is where the decent money is at. I have talked with some places that have small fleets. I know a guy who owns a funeral home with 6 cars, a guy who owns a karate school with an after school program 5 vans and a guy who owns 2 driving schools 10 cars. What They are interested in is just having a clean car. I could pick these up as customers but right now they are running them thru the car wash for 5 bucks but I don't see how to make any money from this type of work. even If i could get them to spend $20 for a wash and vac it would still be 1 hr of work. I would rather do an express detail with leather cleaning $125 for 3 hrs work. Good luck. If you can make some decent money doing commercial accounts please share your success story.

[A-train]

Welcome to AGO. Semper Fi!

[tuscarora dave]

Welcome to AG. It can be pretty tough to price such things. You'd pretty much need to know what you're working with and what process you'd be doing on these fleet vehicles, what level of cleaning these fleet companies would be interested in, what chemicals you'll need to get the work done and the list could go on and on. You'll most likely take a beating on these types of situations until you get it all figured out.

A few questions for you... Have you ever cleaned or detailed any big trucks or really cruddy vans? If so do you have good, cheap but effective cleaners polishes etc.? One step paint work is almost always the only thing that can be sold to commercial accounts and most won't even want that. Have you ever worked with any acids for cleaning really cruddy aluminum or extreme amounts of brake dust imbedded in paint? Have you ever worked with Imron paint and or gel coated fiberglass? These are just a few things off the top of my head that you run into while working on neglected fleet vehicles.

A few thoughts...Do you have any friends in the trucking or construction industry? It might be a good idea to keep your eyes open for some really neglected vehicles that you could clean up as practice if you don't already have experience with cleaning commercial vehicles.

Nursing homes and elderly care facilities often times have the school of thought that their buses and vans are their billboards but, they don't always know who to call to care for their vehicles so they just have a wash crew come in from time to time to spray the mud off etc.

You'd want to arrange a meeting with the transportation coordinator at such places and tell them what you have in mind and that you're just starting out in the commercial venture. Show them some examples of your work up until now and tell them what you feel your per hour time is worth and work out a price to clean up a few of their vehicles.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that you won't get anything if you don't ask for it. If you come to an agreement with them and do start to do some work for them, they'll have you fill out a W-9 form so they can send you a Form-1099 ( of course you'll have to pay your own taxes) at the end of the year and you'll be in. It's a pretty straight forward proposition other than the growing pains that you'll most definitely experience as you begin to realize that the approach you thought would work turns out to not work. Then you'll have to do the best you can with what you have on hand and next time you come out, come with some different chemicals or tools to be more efficient.

Commercial work is all about efficiency. Do you have a place where you can get 5 gallon pails or better yet 55 gallon drums of chemicals for cheap (less than $300) and can you store them? Do you have the money to buy different chemicals if the ones you first try aren't working? You'll need to steer away from expensive boutique products and start looking at more commercially geared products. If you'll be doing anything more than just cleaning these vehicles you'll have to get handy with a rotary or a Flex 3401 because their budget (if it covers buffing at all) won't cover the time for DA polishing. You'll be forced to use methods and techniques that would seem unethical on a detailing discussion forum in order to make the vehicle look great in one forth the time it takes you now. Commercial is a whole different world than the level of detailing that you see on detailing discussion forums.

Can you use their water and electricity is something that you'll want to ask. If you can't, do you have a water tank and good pressure washer? You won't likely be doing commercial work for very long with a Husky brand pressure washer. You'll want a belt driven pump type of washer because you'll be using it hard. Can you wash without recovering the dirty wash water? What if not? What about ladders? Got ladders? What vehicle do you have to carry all your equipment in? What about insurance coverage? You'll need to know what the expected coverage needs to be and obtain it before getting started.

There's really so many things that I didn't know, expect or consider before getting into doing commercial work. It's a requires a complete remolding of the way you think as a detailer.

Sorry that this reply is all over the place and it may seem a bit extreme to some but these are exactly the changes I have been going through in the last year and as I type this. I still offer anal retentive show car detailing but the steady flow of money is definitely in commercial work and I do not work for any car dealerships so I am talking commercial vehicles and not wholesale dealership work.

[tuscarora dave]

I forgot to mention the obvious, that all the drivers, trans. coordinators, business owners, CEOs, Vice Presidents, nurses, doctors, owner operators, general laborers etc. etc. at these commercial ventures all have personal vehicles and families with cars and trucks too. So you get your foot in the door and place your services directly in front of most of these folks too so it's not all doom and gloom. Since getting involved with these types of places I often have the need for help because I'm getting so busy. There's all sorts of other opportunities revolving around commercial facilities/campuses too that can provide additional income if you keep your eyes peeled and an open mind about you, that is if you're interested and/or qualified to do it when you see it. Never know.

[rustytruck]

Dave after reading that post I'm glad that I don't detail for a living. I thought my little side business can be a pain in the a** sometimes. Like when I get a convertible owner that never washed his car because the sign at the car wash says no ragtopps. Most of the time I'm working on decent cars in nice neighborhoods for really nice people. That's the advantage of doing it as a side business and having any money you earn after expenses as play money. Sounds like commercial accounts are the no fun side of detailing. USMC you may want to be thankful for what you have and just skip commercial accounts. I know I do.

[tuscarora dave]

I actually like it because it really is easier to sell and the money is coming in a lot faster than before. Problem is that it's taking a lot of money to get started and the work load can be overbearing and stressful but it gets easier as time goes by and I develop new techniques to getting stuff done cheaper and easier.

The days of the occasional detail ended for me when I quit my day job. Now it's do or die with winter just a few months in the future. I am actually getting farther and farther away from detailing all together as time goes on but I have this client base that I have earned over the past few years so the detailing is the icing on the cake now. Good stuff.

I've taken $100 out of the business account for my pocket since I quit my day job. I'm getting used to not having a paycheck too..forgot to mention that part in my above posts.

[dwlinc23]

Good luck! I'd just like to get clients, much less business clients.

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[Vegas Transplant]

Welcome to AG. It can be pretty tough to price such things. You'd pretty much need to know what you're working with and what process you'd be doing on these fleet vehicles, what level of cleaning these fleet companies would be interested in, what chemicals you'll need to get the work done and the list could go on and on. You'll most likely take a beating on these types of situations until you get it all figured out.

A few questions for you... Have you ever cleaned or detailed any big trucks or really cruddy vans? If so do you have good, cheap but effective cleaners polishes etc.? One step paint work is almost always the only thing that can be sold to commercial accounts and most won't even want that. Have you ever worked with any acids for cleaning really cruddy aluminum or extreme amounts of brake dust imbedded in paint? Have you ever worked with Imron paint and or gel coated fiberglass? These are just a few things off the top of my head that you run into while working on neglected fleet vehicles....

DAAAYYYUUUMMM td.
You broke this one off proper hand!!!
Sage advice indeed.