How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
I use BLACKFIRE One Step for a lot of one-step details I do and also in all my classes when I teach what I call,
Production Detailing
Production detailing is basically when you only do ONE STEP to the paint besides the normal things like washing, drying and claying. With other detail packages you're doing 2, 3, and 4 steps. More step means more time means you charge more money. A lot of customers just want their car detailed at a economy price point and that's where you need a good one-step cleaner/wax or AIO to use in this package you offer your customers.
Here's the product I'm talking about. It works great on any paint, Piano Plastic and even clear bras.
BLACKFIRE One Step 32 oz
I get asked a lot about which pads to use with BLACKFIRE One Step. For most people and most cars, you want to stick with foam polishing pads. Foam CUTTING pads can cause Pad Haze, (depending upon how soft the paint is), and foam FINISHING pads are too soft to work with the abrasive technology in the BLACKFIRE One Step to offer much correction. So in most case, the sweet spot is a simple foam POLISING pad.
Under promise and over deliver
If you want to WOW your customer that has chosen your one-step package, here's what I do. First I make sure they understand with a one-step package they are NOT going to get a 100% swirl and scratch-free finish. This type of work usually requires COMPOUDING.
If you compound, then usually you follow with polishing. Add the waxing step and now your at 3 STEPS. More steps, more time = more money. IF the customer does not want to pay MO MONEY then it's your job to explain to them that's why your one-step package costs less and that's the time and labor factor. Thus not as great of defect removal.
Make sense?
Let's go a little further... if a customer wants a swirl-free, show car finish and they want a ceramic coating, that's 4 steps NOT including the normal washing, drying and claying. That looks like,
- Compounding
- Polishing
- Chemically stripping the paint
- Installing the coating
More steps - more money
I'm not trying to explain to you that more steps means charging more money - I'm actually trying to show you how to explain to your customer that if they want to keep costs down, perhaps it's just their daily driver, grocery getter that they want washed and waxed, that you have a Detail Package for them but it doesn't remove 100% of the defects. And that's because you're only going to do ONE STEP and it's YOUR JOB to educate your customer.
It's not their job to know this stuff. And my experience is if you don't explain they will often times have UNREAL EXPECTATIONS and they will expect you to create a show car finish fo cheap. :laughing:
So have a one step detailing package to cater to the needs of your customers as well as up scale packages for people that want more and are willing to pay more for higher quality results but also be sure to educate your customer what this means.
SET YOUR CUSTOMERS EXPECTATIONS.
Under Promise and Over Deliver
Here's how to under promise, (set their expectations), and then over deliver.
Really do a great job on the hood and trunk lid.
Why?
Because these are the major panels people look at. These are also the panels that are the easiest to look at and inspect and reality is, this is about as deep as most people will go. Plus it's harder to see and inspect verticle panels.
So how do you do a GREAT job on the hood and trunk lid?
2 methods
1: Use a foam CUTTING pad with your one step cleaner/wax followed by re-polishing with a foam polishing pad to make sure there's no pad haze.
2: Compound the hood and trunk lid and then go over it with your cleaner/wax and a foam polishing pad. The second step of using a product like BLACKFIRE One Step over the compounded panels will ensure no pad haze while polishing and sealing the paint at the same time.
It only takes a few extra minutes to do a stellar job on the primary panels your customer will look at. This will impress them and set you above the competition.
Bonus tip
If you really want to under promise and over deliver - after using BLACKFIRE One Step on the hood and trunk lid, apply BLACKFIRE SiO2 Spray Sealant of SONAX Polymer Net Shield to these panels. This will dramatically last longer than any cleaner/wax results plus amp up the water beading that we know the masses love.
Pads I recommend as I use them myself and show them in my classes....
For the Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher - The yellow foam pads in this line.
6 Inch Buff & Shine Uro-Tec Foam Pads
For the FLEX BEAST - The white foam pad in this pad line
Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish 6.5 Inch Pads
For RUPES tools the YELLOW foam pads in 4", 6" and 7" in this pad line.
RUPES Pads
And if you're going to go above and beyond on the hood and trunk lid, then get the foam cutting pads in the above lines.
Really simple stuff that makes a huge impact.
:)
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Great write up Mike. :props:
There are a few Detailers down here in NZ that kind of turn their nose up at AIO style work with that “it’s not proper detailing” attitude. For me I find it a profitable service, at times even more profitable than correction/coating services as far as $$$ per hour is concerned. The customer is happy, the vehicle is being looked after, it’s happy days. :buffing:
I haven’t tried the Blackfire AIO & admittedly I should’ve grabbed some at Detail Fest but feared I’d lose it via customs/boarder control etc going home. Perhaps I need to put some in the basket in my next Autogeek order.
My AIO go to combo is Flex 3401 or Flex Cordless XFE with Lake Country Orange SDO Pads or White Lake Country CCS Pads & 3D HD Speed or 3D 505 for a touch more bite.
Great tips about a little extra fizz on the visual impact areas too Mike. :props:
Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Aaryn NZ
Great write up Mike. :props:
There are a few Detailers down here in NZ that kind of turn their nose up at AIO style work with that “it’s not proper detailing” attitude.
For me I find it a profitable service, at times even more profitable than correction/coating services as far as $$$ per hour is concerned.
The customer is happy, the vehicle is being looked after, it’s happy days.
Completely agree.
Fast. Easy. Profitable.
For some cars and some people it’s the perfect match.
:)
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
I would estimate that 60-70% of my business is AIO or cleaner/sealant work. My customer base is predominantly DD's, kid haulers and grocery getters. The majority simply are happy paying for a "wash and wax". Once this category of products arrived (cleaner wax/sealants) it changed my operation significantly, made me more money quicker and impressed customers with even better results!
I love the idea of concentrating a doubled effort on the hood and trunk (bootlid, Aaryn). It doesn't take me much extra time to effectively 2 step those areas to maximize the results. The Beast is my weapon of choice and LC orange and white flat pads do the trick!
The other 30-40% of my customers have various levels of paint correction and defect removal knowledge and pay for my higher end services. I still get to play with the full cut, buff, polish and "jewel" techniques I truly enjoy.
Both categories of customers get a full explanation of the methods of why I'm suggesting a certain package or level of service. I strongly agree that a knowledgable customer is better for business.
Thanks Mike for helping me refine my services.
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Pad question for you Mike.....I've used the Griots BOSS yellow pad with the BF AIO...how does that compare to the yellow B&S pad you mentioned in your first post?
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
This is a good read....
Need to step back and rethink things over here at Muscle car world...
Tom
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TMQ
This is a good read....
Need to step back and rethink things over here at Muscle car world...
Tom
I myself must learn to temper my excitement and passion to always do all I can to practice the ideas in this article.
:)
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Good article! I'm not in production, but doing this to my daily drivers. Love BF and their One Step and SiO2 Spray Sealant have really impressed me.
Re: How to Under Promise and Over Deliver with BLACKFIRE One Step - Your One Step Detailing Package
Hey Mike.
I’ve nearly used up the bottle of BF one step you sent me to try. Thank you! As a long time HD speed user, I was a little hesitant to try something new. I was pleasantly surprised by this stuff. I use P&S orange pads on my flex 3401 polishers for one step jobs. Good cut, and finish great on most paint. The biggest difference I found between the two products, was the lack of dusting. It seems no matter how well I wash my pads with speed, when I pull out a clean, dry pad that has been used for speed, it dusts horribly until it gets fully saturated with product. Not the case with BF. No dusting, whatsoever!
I will say, I feel speed has a bit more cut on hard paint, but for most of my production jobs, BF is my new go to.
Thanks for showing me a great product that is now a permanent part of my detailing arsenal!
Bobby
