How do you keep your customers coming back on a schedule?

[Showtime]

Ok, let me start off by saying that I have never received less than a 5-star review. I damaged a front bumper on an Acura ILX that was repainted (very thin, poor paint) and still have maintained this families vehicles as repeat customers. I like to think that I do exceptional work and I am OCD beyond belief with my customers cars.

That being said, how do you go about reminding your customers they're do for a re-wax, or to detail again?

I recommend when I leave each customer that they re-wax in 2-3 months (Florida sun and salt air is brutal on wax). And maybe 4-5 months if I use a paint sealant. That being said, the few customers I have called, texted, or emailed don't seem to respond well. I get plenty of people who call me back on their own, but most these customers don't own top of the line vehicles nor care about them the way I think they should.

So yea, how do y'all go about reminding them? Do you offer incentive? I tell customers for a wash and wax price of $75, I will keep your car looking like it was just detailed as long as you do it within 3 months of service and there is nothing extreme to take care of (ie they spilled coffee, or drove through a paint booth, etc).

[ArtFoodBMW]

Id say that price is a little steep, but that's just me. I usually just inform the customer that it's important for regular maintenance and if they really care about their car, they call you in a few months.
You could always get them to like your Facebook page or get their email so you can keep them updated and give them a reminder every so often

[Flash Gordon]

I don't bother calling folks unless they have asked me to call them in __ months. I don't like people calling me trying to sell something, so I don't do it to others

$75 sounds cheap IMO

[EVOlved]

I would send them thank you cards in the mail after a week or so. Then when that time comes a little in advance send them a reminder card. Maybe with a slight discount if they bring in the card?? Just an idea.

[Niko Molina]

Perhaps offer a 'maintenance plan' for 3-months or 6-months where you just do very basic details to 'maintain' their cars for a cheaper/discounted price than if they were to pay for the basic detail individually.

[TurboToys]

im not a pro, but you would probably benefit from the same sort of selling points that other companies do. you sell them a package, and you make it affordable. you should base it off of how much time you spend on the vehicle for a "maintenance wash" type service, whether or not you do any spot correcting, or additional coatings, which can always be selected as optional whenever the vehicle is detailed.

you may charge 75 for a repeat once every 3 months. or you can sell them a yearly charge of 200 for the 4 times a year you will be wash/wax/recoat the car.

a person who buys a detail with an average car may only get it waxed twice a year, especially if they live in certain places where summer only lasts 6 months of the year, once before summer, and once before winter. the in between is not on their mind.


offering a package that brings them back 4 times in a year and on a regular schedule can ensure that they not only will get used to your services, but they feel like they saved money (which they did, but repeat business can be a boon even if its a discounted price). the competitor is charging 100 for a single detail, but if they buy a years worth of repeats, they save 100 and you essentially get more business.

a maintenance wash shouldn't take very long, and as long as it's scheduled for the inbetweens times and downtimes between larger jobs, i don't see how snagging 10-12 people on a yearly maintenance program could hurt anyones business. besides, once they finish that year out, they are going to be hurting when they realize how dirty their car gets without you taking care of it. which is what gets more repeat business, and more referrals once people start asking how come so and so's car is so dirty compared to the last few months when they show up to the work functions.

[brondondolon]

I just started this but hopefully it will work. After I do a detail I wait a week and a half or so and send them a thank you card. I figure by the time they get the card their car is dirty again so this reminds them.

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[Hazcat]

Would it be wrong to hook a small subliminal message into their stereo that reminds them to get their car detailed?