I need help is 80 dollars good for exterior detail ?

[BradsDetailing]

Just wanted to bring this up, someone posted a thread on how customers WANT to pay us more....this is a perfect example of this

[PingPong]

I believe it could depend a lot in location to. Just like all other things bigger cities higher prices. Example what is the price of gas or a pack of cigarettes in a place like ny? Last i heard gas was over $4 and cigarettes were around $10 a pack. I live in a tiny town gas now is $3.09 a pack of cigarettes are under $4.
I'm the highest price detailer any where near here. The next to highest place is almost half of what i charge.

For a full detail and aio on a mid sized car I get $100 to $150 depending on how dirty it is.
For a car like yours to do just the out side and remove light swirl marks I've done similar for as little as $75 and it usually takes me 4 to 5 hours depending on if my wife is helping me like she does a lot.

$25 to $30 an hour here! That's crazy! My dad's cousin has owned a mechanic shop for 15+ years now and he don't charge that.
I feel if i made $10 an hour I did pretty good considering people around here working at corporations retire any where from $10 to $12 an hour if they are lucky.

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That's pretty eye opening how big of a difference areas make. My buddy's small time mechanic shop still charges about 75+ an hour for labor with the more well known shops charging way more than that!

[c8n]

I believe it could depend a lot in location to. Just like all other things bigger cities higher prices. Example what is the price of gas or a pack of cigarettes in a place like ny? Last i heard gas was over $4 and cigarettes were around $10 a pack. I live in a tiny town gas now is $3.09 a pack of cigarettes are under $4.

umm... wow
Cigs in NY is about $13
I fill up gas in NJ so I have no idea on gas.

[akj]

umm... wow
Cigs in NY is about $13
I fill up gas in NJ so I have no idea on gas.

See its really all about location. And the cost of living. Here my rent for one of the nicer apartments in town and the rent is one of the highest at $700 after living all over I've realized that in some places you'd be lucky to get a tiny crappy studio apt in a lower class neighborhood.
I have seen some in ny tiny studios for $2k a month and up.
So if it cost more to live there work pay must justify.
Offshore is the highest passing job around here I've year I made $45k after taxes. And that's the midst I've ever made in a year I realized that's extremely good money for a man with like 4 kids. Most families that size here is averaging $32k and less.

So when my competition is charging $35 to at most for their "3 step" $100 to me that's cheap even for here, but I know what a real detail is they just wash cars.

So when my customers come ask me, (I get this alot to) how much for everything? I want the whole 9 yards on their full size pickup. It blows their minds when I say at least $300 I know that's cheap to alot of you but even for a while day that's some good money for a day. They always say the other guys do it for $75.
My response is go watch them detail a car, pay attention to what they use to apply soap which buckets if any are used only to rinse or do tires, see if you recognize any name brands they have, ask.
Then come watch me. They will have you ready to go in an hour tops for me it's gonna take An hour just on the inside at least. I show them my products show them my tools towels wash rinse and tires only buckets. Explain to them why and how you can not properly do "the whole 9 yards" in anything less than half a day by yourself.
I offer test spots to be done for free and explain how and why I'm doing what I'm doing.
I find 99% off the time after explaining customers usually comment on the amount of knowledge I have vs what the competition says and how I don't seem to be in such a rush that I hardly have time to give prices our details.
I explain to them I charge more because I'm not trying to do as many as I can a day. If I can do 3 full details a day I'm doin ok.

Customers like to know their car is in good hands if not they'd run it through the automatic wash. So when I have a chance to explain why I cost more let them know I'm insured and all. I come across alot more professional than the other guys.
I miss alot of jobs due to my prices.But that's ok I don't want cheap customers any way. My target market it's the customer who cares alot about their car who likes it to stay looking nice and doesn't mind paying extra for it.or paying extra for the high dollar waxes like pinnacle and fuzion.

But I must say if it wasn't for u guys here I wouldn't have the knowledge I have to explain the things I do to customers.so a big thanks to all of you. With out you I'd actually be competing with the guys I don't even consider competition.
THANK YOU!


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[Theo_Auto_Fines]

See its really all about location. And the cost of living. Here my rent for one of the nicer apartments in town and the rent is one of the highest at $700 after living all over I've realized that in some places you'd be lucky to get a tiny crappy studio apt in a lower class neighborhood.
I have seen some in ny tiny studios for $2k a month and up.
So if it cost more to live there work pay must justify.
Offshore is the highest passing job around here I've year I made $45k after taxes. And that's the midst I've ever made in a year I realized that's extremely good money for a man with like 4 kids. Most families that size here is averaging $32k and less.

So when my competition is charging $35 to at most for their "3 step" $100 to me that's cheap even for here, but I know what a real detail is they just wash cars.

So when my customers come ask me, (I get this alot to) how much for everything? I want the whole 9 yards on their full size pickup. It blows their minds when I say at least $300 I know that's cheap to alot of you but even for a while day that's some good money for a day. They always say the other guys do it for $75.
My response is go watch them detail a car, pay attention to what they use to apply soap which buckets if any are used only to rinse or do tires, see if you recognize any name brands they have, ask.
Then come watch me. They will have you ready to go in an hour tops for me it's gonna take An hour just on the inside at least. I show them my products show them my tools towels wash rinse and tires only buckets. Explain to them why and how you can not properly do "the whole 9 yards" in anything less than half a day by yourself.
I offer test spots to be done for free and explain how and why I'm doing what I'm doing.
I find 99% off the time after explaining customers usually comment on the amount of knowledge I have vs what the competition says and how I don't seem to be in such a rush that I hardly have time to give prices our details.
I explain to them I charge more because I'm not trying to do as many as I can a day. If I can do 3 full details a day I'm doin ok.

Customers like to know their car is in good hands if not they'd run it through the automatic wash. So when I have a chance to explain why I cost more let them know I'm insured and all. I come across alot more professional than the other guys.
I miss alot of jobs due to my prices.But that's ok I don't want cheap customers any way. My target market it's the customer who cares alot about their car who likes it to stay looking nice and doesn't mind paying extra for it.or paying extra for the high dollar waxes like pinnacle and fuzion.

But I must say if it wasn't for u guys here I wouldn't have the knowledge I have to explain the things I do to customers.so a big thanks to all of you. With out you I'd actually be competing with the guys I don't even consider competition.
THANK YOU!


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Cmon, what client has the time to do that?? They bring you a car to clean because they just dont have the time to do it. At the end of the day they really do not care how and what you do as long as they are satisfied with a finished product. Now if they are satisfied with the $35 detail then thats fine but dont expect them to get giddy because "Your Methods" are much more elite..


At the end of the day us detailers are just "Glorified"shoe shine boys and thats fine with me. Dont expect customers to treat you like you are an expert like Mr Mike P. because you use Pinnacle and Wolfgang products.

[akj]

Cmon, what client has the time to do that?? They bring you a car to clean because they just dont have the time to do it. At the end of the day they really do not care how and what you do as long as they are satisfied with a finished product. Now if they are satisfied with the $35 detail then thats fine but dont expect them to get giddy because "Your Methods" are much more elite..


At the end of the day us detailers are just "Glorified"shoe shine boys and thats fine with me. Dont expect customers to treat you like you are an expert like Mr Mike P. because you use Pinnacle and Wolfgang products.

I don't expect to be or claim to be anything but better than the competition around here. I'm sure I'd look like a fool next to most of work done by others here.

Like I said my target market other than the dealer work I'm beginning to not need any more.So the customers I've gotten so far about 80% or more of them can detail their own car and actually have almost all the tools and some of the products I have. But they want some one else to do it for them. (#1 reason I hear is I'm just getting to old and don't have the energy anymore. Or after working I never feel like it) And have referred me to other regulars now because I took the time to show them what I do. So they know my service is the best in this small town.
I don't want nor am I looking for the customer who is just in a hurry and wants their car washed.

Like I said I don't even consider the other guys around here competition my prices are much are my time on jobs much longer and my customers are much more cautious about who they let clean their cars.
I started out with the idea the more I do = the more I make. Then realized after speaking with one customer there is no where in town you can take your car if you want them to use grade a products and take the time to do it right like you would or would want
I saw a niche so I took advantage of it. And I do about 3 cars a day if I'm busy I don't over work my self it's my only source of income and its working out nicely.
You gotta do what works for u in your area.if this isn't it that's ok.But it's paying off big time here



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[akj]

Sorry OP. Hope we didn't hijack your thread.

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