Limit of a customer's understanding.

T

Tassadar

Car Detailing Whore
I have been running into a constant problem lately. I have been offering my services to people, and by all means they are impressed with my previous work, and my recommendations from other clients are downright stellar. However, these same clients are also noticing work by other people. In order for understanding, I will now explain my process, and the process of my main competition (exterior alone).

Me:

1. Wash
2. Clay (if necessary)
3. Wash
4. Polish/Compound as necessary (SSRs)
5. Sealant (EX)
6. QD

Opposition:

1. Wash
2. Clay only if surface is in dire need (To quote him, "Im only going to do it if your car feels so bad that I can't bear to touch it.")
3. Wax (P21S)

Now my problem lies in explaining the differences between my work and this man's. My method for telling if a car needs clay work is to run a clay bar down the panel nearest the brakes and the hood. Usually if I get signigant contamination in these areas, I do the whole car (though I have been known to do the whole car regardless because ive allready got the bar and lube out and in my hands).

When I explain to my customers that I spend a signifigant ammount of time going over the panels, examining them under different lighting perspectives and attending to each panel's needs with the proper products...they are impressed. However, the kicker is in the following. My competition's work ends up looking like mine. Anyone that has used P21S knows that it will hide inperfections in the paint, and this is the method that my competition uses. When I inform my clients that his work will cover up those mistakes in the paint, thats all it does, it covers them up for a short ammount of time. Once the wax breaks down and wears away, the inperfections in the paint are still there. Instead of doing that, I spend the time necessary to remove those inperfections from the paint.

My average response from clients is similar to this: "Well its nice to know that you are able to do that, but the car is just going to look bad again once it gets dirty. So why should I pay more to have you do all of that extra stuff that I don't need, when he can make it look just as good for less?"

I really am stumped. My prices are reasnoble ($150 for an average car that is not downright filthy, more for a Van, SUV, or truck) and my work has never received even one complaint.

For reference, I give a picture of my own work:

8.JPG


Competition:

03cob.jpg


Now in all fairness he is a good guy, and I respect him quite a bit. It just irritates me that I am unable to give a good case for why someone should want their paint properly taken care of, rather than just having the problems masked.
 
Offer two services: Take him on at his own game, this removes him as competition and the only competition for your prospective to choose from is your two products: the 'Cosmetic' or the 'Repair & Revitalize'. When your ship is sinking do you keep bailing out the water or do you plug the hole?
 
Forgot to mention:
Offer the comparative service as a "Budget" or "Cheapies" service, name it and refer to it accordingly. Keep a panel cut out in your boot with a clayed and full paint detail, then a section that hasn't been clayed. Let the customer FEEL the difference. The problem with detailing is that we need our clients to have imagination when we are selling our services verbally when most clients are struggling to remember to breathe and keep their heart beating.

When selling to a client remember they believe that they have choice and will become withdrawn and defensive when their is no choice. It is very hard to sell 1 solution to someone's complex (to them anyway) problem even if your product is perfect for the task. Show the client your two most suitable products, say: "Do you prefer the Full Detail or the Budget Detail", They will presumably make a selection, then ask: "Is Friday morning or afternoon better for you?" These types of closed questions will get you nearly everywhere you need to be in life - also handy on the singles scene if you don't have a mullet drawcard ;). Also effective are questions that lead the client to answer "Yes". Keep the sales process and diallect positive at ALL TIMES. Enjoy the money made!
 
Well ..your customer is sort of right:( ...first most people don't feel their cars ...it's not a pet :nono it's a vehicle to get from point A to point B.... skipping the clay , the second wash and just doing a quick SSR1 or 2 will be more than enough followed by EX/ EX-P .....you will save loads of time and effort, can charge the same or a little less and then offer a "Paint Restoration" package that could include more steps , for those who want perfection. Remember these customers are usually not as anal as you are and you will still have great results in their eyes, just not in yours...:dunno 2 cents
 
another way to deal with those type of clients is to point out that in a few weeks or after a few car washes, the cars your competition did will need the service again, they will look just as bad if not worse than when he started. Point out that in your process you not only remove the foreign material he ignores, but when you polish it so it will look that much better, longer. Ask them "would you like to pay me once every 6 months for this service or once every 2 months for his?" Oughtta add up over time.......
 
I agree with Max, Your process has much more longevity. Explain to your customer that 1 month from now if they wash your car vs. your competitions, yours will look much better. Also, I'm sure that the comps car looks good as P21S is a great wax, but yours has to look better. He doesn't even use some type of paint cleaner, he only puts on a pure wax right after washing. THATS HORRIBLE!!!
 
I'm not surprised that a car in good condition ends up looking good from the competition. However, I don't see how an oxidized ss red daily driver will turn out well. Shiney oxidation!! Woo Hoo!! If you do go the route of "fighting fire with fire" I'd go with an All-In-One such as PWC. That way, you'll get a good shine, but will also get rid of some oxidation.
 
Tassadar,
You have a problem that is inherant in our business. That problem is that most people don't know about detailing. What is involved, what the difference is between proceedures, etc.

It's a difficult thing dealing with competition because you don't ever want to bad mouth them. It just makes you look bad.

I think the solution to your problem is education. Sounds like you do this already, but doing it better just might be the answer to your problem. You need to find more creative ways to educate your customers about detailing, maybe pamphlets, or emails, or cool demonstrations. If you can share your knowledge, you're customers will respect you and see that you are a professional and take your job seriously. Until your customers know why what you do is better, they will have no reason to think its better.

Another tough thing is that many people don't care to know about what you want to teach them. If you're dealing with these people, do the same thing as your competition for just a fraction cheaper. Then over time, use the raport you've built with the client to eductate them better. They'll be much more likely to listen to you if you have a good raport built.
 
Rather than focusing on what the competition is doing, or not doing, and telling them their processes, I focus only on my processes -- what I will do to their vehicle for $X. I personally don't give a rats :moon: what they (competitors) are doing or not doing nor how they are doing or not doing it, I know what I'm doing and the proof is in the puddin'. Swirls are an exception -- I will educate about the process of buffing and how these occur, and what it will take to remove them. I have even sometimes suggested they take it back to the last detailer and see how much to fix it. There are many though who don't know, nor care what's involved with the process just as long as their vehicles are clean and shiney when it's done -- for those, I just make sure I check and re-check the quality of the work before final delivery for they are the ones that tend to nit pick work to death. If asked "what separates me from Joe Schmoe Detailer" -- I focus on my experience. As for "why bother, it's just gonna get dirty again..." -- why bother brushing your teeth, taking a shower, mowing your lawn, or washing your dishes... why bother changing the oil in your car, or the spark plugs... maybe offer these people the opportunity of having you maintain their vehicle on a weekly basis, or just move on. For those who try to play me off of a competitor and price shop -- it's been my experience many times either they can't really afford it anyway; or their car is well neglected. A car is the second largest investment most people will make (house #1) you'd think they would want to take care of it :)
 
Would anyone mind going to my website, and checking out the "Pricing" section. Tell me if you think that sounds good.

I would appreciate it.
 
Your pricing sounds right. How about offering the same deal as stated above with a one-stpper, BUT maybe do a panel or so full blown and have him inspect that as time passes. Especially if the paint has flakes, hr will opt for the polish next time.
 
I'd be wary of doing 1 panel "full blown" as the customer may get upset at their car not looking consistent. It may even look like a part had been re-painted. You might offer to the customer before starting, that you'd be willing to do 1 panel as an example, then let the customer decide. It is their car, after all (even if they may not take care of it as well as we'd expect them to).
 
Tassadar
Great thread!! I'm having similar issues about different levels of service. Thanks for starting this thread.

Nice touch adding times to prices.
 
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I looked at your site and have just a few questions to start:
  • how long have you been detailing vehicles professionally
  • what is the cost of a carwash at the local carwash
  • what exactly is a "Budget Paint Package"
  • if the process you use are "industry standard," why should I expect to pay more for you to do it
  • are you working out of a shop, or your garage (if a shop, It might be nice to post a picture of it on your site)
  • what is the medium family income of Moore, Oklahoma and the surrounding area
I also ad that as a prospective consumer, and after reading through your site, I am a little intimidated at, what appears to me to be, allot of arrogance and self riotousness... are you truly "God's gift to the detailing world..." for after reading through the information within your site, it comes across to me that way.
 
dr_detail said:
I looked at your site and have just a few questions to start:
  • how long have you been detailing vehicles professionally
  • what is the cost of a carwash at the local carwash
  • what exactly is a "Budget Paint Package"
  • if the process you use are "industry standard," why should I expect to pay more for you to do it
  • are you working out of a shop, or your garage (if a shop, It might be nice to post a picture of it on your site)
  • what is the medium family income of Moore, Oklahoma and the surrounding area
I also ad that as a prospective consumer, and after reading through your site, I am a little intimidated at, what appears to me to be, allot of arrogance and self riotousness... are you truly "God's gift to the detailing world..." for after reading through the information within your site, it comes across to me that way.
Click to expand...

1. Well I have been doing this for 2 years. I am only 18, and am actually a full time student.

2. Those average cost to go through a "Pay-and-Spray" car wash and vaccum an average car runs me roughly $10-15. However, I have found through asking others, that they tend to go closer to $15-20

3. That part I modfied on the website

4. The reason is due to the ammount of minute attention I give to each car. I have had customers go to a local detailer who does about 6 cars a day, all throughly hourly-paid labor. The results of this is a car that looks like its covered in silicone. The charge by that company is a flat $100 charge.

5. I am working out of my garage. Being only 18, I am still living at home.

6. Average income of a family in this area for a family with both parents working will be in the $50-60k range. However, I have never received (except from on 16 year old teenager) a complaint about having my prices too high.

As for the arrogance, I think it comes across naturally. Its difficult for me to speak the way I do, without coming across arrogant. I simply speak in which the way I was raised and the method in which I was educated. I have always been a well-spoken person. Really if I am coming across arrogant anywhere, I need it explained. Because I am simply unable to see it, this is jsut the way I am.
 
I checked out your website, and I have 2 comments.

1. On the front page, there are 2 parts of the screen. On the left side, is the navigation for your site, which is fine. But on the right side, it is very difficult to read your front page. The picture takes up 2/3 of the page (left to right) and the text is in the margin on the right. It would be much easier to read, and look more professional, if you had the picture in the center at the top and the text below it.

2. Being a full time student, you may want to check your grammar. It does not read professional to me. There are a few instances of mixing up "we" and "I" in the same sentence. "We simply try to take life one car at a time, with my primary goal to have a happy customer each and every time". Also, on your front page, "Thank you for considering Dan’s Auto Detailing for you car detailing needs." You probably should change that "you" to a "your". Proof read you whole site, there are more examples than that.

Aside from that nitpicking, I do like the gallery and pricing seems in line with expectations.
 
My first recommendation for the site may seem minute but it is highly distracting to a reader. The royal usage of "We" (ie. plural pronouns for singular) is often used by businesses to come across as professional. Since your business is clearly a smaller operation I would drop it because it is superfluous and grammatically confusing because you repeatedly switch between 'I' and 'We'.

ex. Which basically translates into, we have no secrets. All of my processes are industry standard...

Small note on the "What if I need to cancel? FAQ

"Cancellation is possible at any time; however, we ask that you cancel your appointment at least 24 hours before it is scheduled."

You need to reconcile these two statements because they are contradictory. A more understandable sentence may be:
"If you must cancel an appointment please do so at least 24 hours in advance." Saying you prefer they do so but will still cancel with no charge opens you up for customers to feel that they don't need to tell you in advance because you'll understand anyways. Try to make it an exception and not a rule.

I would also just make one page of for work/customer satisfaction/ etc. Having it broken into the mustang/corvette/integra parses it up too much and I think discourages someone who wants to take their 1994 Explorer to you because it seems you are specifically highlighting upper echelon vehicles.

Besides that the website is constructed fine, prices are fair (perhaps elaborate more on the services for customers though), etc. I agree with Dr. Detail I myself believe that a customer may be intimidated. This doesn't mean you are arrogant but a customer who is wary of a new service needs to feel 100% secure. Here are some examples (in my opinion) of statements that may come across differently than you intend:

Anyone seeking high-end professional detailing, and knows exactly what they want done, and how they want it done, are encouraged to call us

No special effects have been added, this is only the work showing itself. The glazed effect is not a short term effect; it actually tends to last for weeks. And remember, this is possible on your own personal car.

This is what happens when you treat a paintjob right. Remember, the paint you are looking at is nearly 14 years old
 
1. As for the spacing, I just left that how it is. Try increasing your monitor resolution a bit, it will look right then.

2. The grammar has been fixed, I had known about the "I" and "We" conflict for quite a bit of time. I have been too lazy to go back and fix it, but I went in and took care of that.

3. I did not want to make just one page showing pictures of all different kinds of cars for reasons of bandwidth. If I haev someone coming from a dial-up connection, I don't want to choke them; because the individual pages alone do that job rather well. As for seeming like I only do high-end cars, thats not an idea I want to give. A 1990 Mustang is far from high-end, and I do not really see a 2001 Mustang GT as high-end either. I am assuming I see things from a diferent perspective perhaps? Can you elaborate a bit more?
 
To alleviate the bandwidth issue I would put the work on one page but utilize thumbnails. By showing 'detailed cars' and sublists it comes across as either one of two things to a prospective customer in my opinion: a) These are the only vehicles you have done b)These are the only vehicles you have decided for whatever reason to show. Of course you don't want to give the impression that you target only a certain class of vehicles, because the majority of your business will encompass average vehicles. The three vehicles you have listed do not ostend this. I would endeavor to place in addition to those three vehicles some less than spectacular vehicles to demonstrate that you can turn any vehicle into a show car.
 
I don't see how a Mustang or Acura Integra are high end. Sure, they are not a 4dr. beater...but I don't see them as high end at all.
 
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