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Pay-per-click exposes small shops to big audiences. Detailers hate advertising because they operate on such thin budgets, but you’ll notice one thing: the shops that stay in business–year after year–advertise the most. The “old way” favored the big shops: $4500 phone book ad kept you front and...

The dirty work. Completely dismantle the interior. In many cases, the headliner, seats, carpet, trunk liner, carpet, and carpet padding were removed. Door panels often get removed. Open all windows and let the car air out until completely dry or use an air mover to speed things up. Now find...

4 ways to put your smartphone to use: 1. Photos. Ever had a customer call with the job that was “borderline”? it’s too risky to throw out a quote over the phone, so you quote a wide range on the job. The customer says he’ll think about it. But you never hear from him again. Now, if the...

The question of whether or not to service car dealers can be a difficult one. On one hand, they do keep you busy, which can be critical for detail shots that keep a small staff. You just can't lose those employees during the slow times because you're going to need them come summer or spring...

It seems there's 4 ways of "going pro": 1. Attend a school (RightLook, TotalPros, Detail King, Detailing Success, etc.). 2. Self-taught: trial and error, research online, etc. 3. Work at a car dealership. 4. Work at a detail shop. Where did the pros here get their training?

Wrote this one myself. See if any of these ring a bell. "Websites are possibly the perfect marketing tool for reconditioners. First, you offer a niche service that their customers won’t necessarily ask a friend about for a referral. Second, your job is VISUAL, and a website gives you...

Another beauty from Scotty: "Harvard grads aren’t lining up to work at my detail shop, so I’ve been through my share of clock milkers, late-shows, no-shows, and those with an “eye for detail” like a cave bat. And though I still draft an occasional dud, I’ve greatly improved my hiring process...

Found this online today: Home | DetailBiz Could be useful for a big shop. Let's you know when each car is due, what work is being performed, and any specific requests from customers. Your shop manager would also have the app on his phone and start checking off each task as he finished...

Another gem from Scotty. The art of saying "no" to a customer: One of the most difficult lessons of the detailing business is that you're better of turning some jobs away. It's a skill you learn in the transition from busy to profitable. Here's 3 memorable examples. 1. Wholesale car...

Most of us work of referrals, but some customers are complete strangers. I wrote this one myself. How to build trust quickly: You damage paint, leave carpets wet, and blast the customer's stereo... These are stereotypes of reconditioners, and things customers ASSUME ABOUT YOU until you...

By Scott Perkin of Scotty's Shine Shop. London, Ontario Canada. Most calls to my detail shop start with this question. My success converting these “feeler” calls into appointments–we’ll call it “batting average”–might be the most important skill I have as a detailing business owner. Here’s...

Got about 100 replies from BMW enthusiasts about their detailing habits in these threads: Survey: What do you pay for car detailing? - Page 2 - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com) Survey: What do you pay for car detailing? - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com The full...

Admin: I will be posting useful articles here from time to time. If it's against forum rules, let me know and I'll take them down. So you want to shave off some time while detailing your car…well, here are some tips to help you do that without sacrificing quality (there are other ways, but...

If I'm not allowed to ask here, I understand if this post gets taken down. Just need detailers to write 400 - 600 word articles for my blog about: equipment, marketing, how-tos, and more. $35 per article. PM if interested. Thanks!

This guy has sold over 560 full (yes, full) details for $69: Pro Detail PDX Deal of the Day | Groupon Portland His cut: $34.50 for a full, onsite detail. The coupons expire in 1 year. Therefore, this 1 man show (according to his website) has 365 days to complete over 560+ full onsite...

I know this paint was pain in the dong for pro detailers, but I have to say the video does impress me. From Does self-healing car paint really exist? - The Globe and Mail :

This is an article I recently wrote on the value of email marketing. Culling more business from your existing customers used to mean quarterly postcards (expensive). Email marketing has really improved the cost and difficulty of "staying in touch." Most of your customers don't remember...

Barry Theal of Presidential Details is one of the country's better detailers, but his neighbors in Lancaster, PA don't know this because his site is invisible on Google. In the next few weeks, I'll be making some changes to his site (Presidential Detail Detailing) and building some inbound...

You're probably contacted more than once a week from a company promising you the first page of Google. Don't ever sign up. They will either: 1. Create a pay-per-click Adwords campaign for you (you can do a better job yourself for half what the "brokers" charge). 2. Place you in a...

Edit 1/3/09 The new site is live and has been launched: Greenville SC Auto Detailing by Bright Dynamics Compare to the old site: Bright Dynamics Auto Detailing of Greenville SC In this thread we are going to make over Jake of Bright Dynamics Detailing's website: bddetailing.com...