Detailing Q&A regarding money!

Mr. Slick

Mr. Slick

New member
Finally! someone comes out from the shadows and has a discussion about money. This is some rare info you typically never find on forums.

here`s some really helpful questions answered by seasoned detailers that is extremely helpful for the new guys! I have asked some questions on different forums and the answers are really helpful! Thanks everyone who has ever answered these questions, helped me a lot when I was new, and will continue to help people getting into detailing!


Question: Hey a customer brought in this car to get detailed. How much should I charge (pictures included, along with a bunch of useful information)


Answer: I can`t tell you. look at the car and calculate in your mind how long this will take also how much product you use, then charge what you feel is the correct price. Hopefully if you didn`t screw up and charge too much they`ll come back but if you didn`t charge enough you are selling yourself short. like I said, I can`t say a price


(so the real answer is, I guess do about 10 details then calculate it out, but NEVER tell anyone your price, just keep it between you and the customer.


Question: So I got sealant and wax. should I charge more for sealant as it cost me more? what should I charge for a basic cleaner wax, and how much more to clay it and compound?


Answer: You charge what you feel is the right price, I can`t tell you more than that as any conversation is controversial as soon as money is mentioned.


Question: Im thinking about going full time detailing! How much can you make in a year? should I quit my day job and become a full time detailer?


Answer: I`ve been detailing for most of my life... over 30 years! how much can a person make? Sorry, can`t help you here.


Question: WOW, that thing was Trashed! old French fries? Spilled coffee? pet hair build up? that`s nasty! If I got a customer with that I would charge extra! How much did you charge?


Answer: With all the experience I have..... Sorry can`t tell you that, nor can I even say a price range. you charge what you charge. After you become really good never tell ANYONE what you charge for a detail.


Q: hey I was just curious what others charge! that could help me build a price sheet so I can make enough but not charge too much!!!


A: Shhhh shhhhh NEVER ask money questions. Do a bunch of details and then you`ll learn to make your own price sheet I`m not going to tell you and nobody will!




There you have it! the most useful questions answered. hope you can use this to help your career.


I hope you all get that this is a joke, seriously. People have asked me questions about detailing regarding money and I always reply like this as a joke before helping them out. across multiple forums people have had no problem sharing what products they use and such, but as soon as money is in the question, you don`t get to know. I actually used to undercharge by a longshot when I was new, my first wax job I charged $30 for wash, clay bar, compound and I also did a wheel detail. Now I charge $75 for that. Anyway if your new and have been "helped out" by the detailing masters, I hope you got a good laugh because this is pretty common.
 
I explain everything involved, time, quality, product and skill. I then explain prices and the risks of going to a cheaper alternative, if they want to go to someone else they are more then welcome to. Human nature always has a bias towards wanting the best, if they go somewhere else they will always know in the back of their mind their settling. You`d be very surprised how many people that gets through to.
 
I like the " After you become really good never tell ANYONE what you charge for a detail." So i guess this person does not tell his customers either? does he have a "mystery price" policy to where the client drops off and then after the work is done he tells them how much? hah ok.
 
if you want to know what someone charges for a detail

call them or have a friend call them posing as a customer

you`ll get a lot of the same answers

I offer a BASE price, and clearly advise them that is if their car is in Fantastic condition already- once I see it I give them another price (higher) and once they agree I start the work

I`m pretty cheap though, but with all this work I`ve been doing this year, I am finally comfortable raising my prices up to where I feel they should be at

Will I tell you that?

Not unless you PM me, lol

My sacred info, haha


NEVER EVER AGREE TO A PRICE SIGHT UNSEEN- you`re just playing with matches next to an open flame that way
 
Migue said:
I like the " After you become really good never tell ANYONE what you charge for a detail." So i guess this person does not tell his customers either? does he have a "mystery price" policy to where the client drops off and then after the work is done he tells them how much? hah ok.
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fixed. meant anyone who is asking what you charge the customer.
 
Every market is different. Every car is different. Every price should be different. Would you charge the same to do a Porche as you charge to do a trashed out VW Beetle? I completely understand why detailers are hard to pin down on price.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Every market is different. Every car is different. Every price should be different. Would you charge the same to do a Porche as you charge to do a trashed out VW Beetle? I completely understand why detailers are hard to pin down on price.
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This is absolutely correct ! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And then how do we know how much real - Experience - the person asking the prices question has ??

I mean real experience doing this every day for a few years, not just occasional "clean my cars up" projects..

Then, how - Good - is that person - what kind of - Quality - are we talking here ?? Just a quick go over with a damp cloth, or really getting all the Details done???

That`s why I always preface my questions with - How many years have you been doing this, and how many hours do you have behind the machine/s, etc...

What machines do you have?? What products do you use?? Have any pictures ?? Client references/referrals ???

All of this and more really has an impact on what the pricing should be...

And the real biggie in terms of the best pricing after all the prerequisites are good --- What/Where/Who is your Target Market ???
That will always have a huge impact on what you will be able to set for your pricing...
Dan F
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Every market is different. Every car is different. Every price should be different. Would you charge the same to do a Porche as you charge to do a trashed out VW Beetle? I completely understand why detailers are hard to pin down on price.
Click to expand...

Yeah I see the point you guys are making. it`s really hard when you`re starting out because nobody really wants to share a price range. A new guy asked me a few months ago how much I charged for the BMW wash I posted about and I told him I charged $20 bucks. I just seems a thing to not share info about pricing and money. I`ve been on a lot of forums and this happened many times. sometimes people do a special coating or multi step polishing job. As soon as a new guy comes and asks how much you can make, and he doesn`t want to just copy their price, maybe get a price range, say $175 - $250 for a smaller sedan. I dunno maybe I`m missing something here but nobody minds sharing their secret techniques and product combos but as soon as someone wants a price range it`s a secret. I even called this thread Q&A regarding money because as far as I know in any detailing forum, nobody discussed money or even financing.(such as when is it a good time to spend hundreds of dollars on a polisher)
 
What a person should be doing before asking questions is doing homework -- Find all the Detail Shops in the area that you plan to Target, and personally visit each one..

Look over everything, their bays, what machines do you see, what products do you see, how clean are they, what does everyone look like, etc..

What does their Work look like ?

Then, talk to the front desk person, get a brochure of their Packages and Pricing..

Ask THEM a lot of questions... How long does it take, what products do they use, how many years experience does everyone have, etc..

Hit all the shops, look at all their pricing, average their pricing, look at yourself, your accomplishments, your real experience, your Inventory, Equipment, Shop space, Garage space, etc.,

Then you should be able to get a better idea of what You are worth in Your Market Area, and see how it fits your Clientele base..

Here is what I have learned from just moving from an incredibly wealthy "silky shorts" "yacht club" neighborhood on Lake Washington, in the best part of outside of Seattle, WA., to an off the map California neighborhood that went through the real estate bubble burst of 2007 and every house was foreclosed on when the owners walked away --- My pricing up there is nowhere close what people down here will ever pay for..
They don`t even care to wash their cars around here..

My freshly corrected and Optimum 2.0 coated Black Grand Cherokee is easily the cleanest, shiniest, best looking car in all the 2,000 houses garages out here.. :)

It was all of that even before I Optimum Finished off the 4+ year Optimum Opti-Guard of late 2011, and started over..

I think everyone is too busy looking down at their little screens playing social media drama to care for or notice clean vehicles.. :)
Dan F
 
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