Dreaming customers

M

mini1

New member
Do you all see the same thing I see? Lots and lots of dreamers? I service the moderate to top end of the market and generally seem to attract a lot of dreamers. People will call me up and tell me they have 2, or 3 or 5 really nice cars to do, they want full on paint correction, headlamp resto, they want that soft top sealed on the convert.....ect..... then they set up an appointment. They wait until the day before and call to cancel stating that they just can't "afford" to spend "that kind" of money.

It was all fine last week when you scheduled?? What changed? Now I have a no-income day. Thanks.



Then I get the types that call up and want me to give them free advice over the phone, waste 30-45 minutes of time, and then never want to schedule anything. Sometimes they keep calling over and over.



Then the last type are the dreamers who will actually hire me, have me come out, tell me "you are the best detailer I have ever had....well worth the price....we will recommend you to all our friends....we want you to come back on a regular basis say once per month and detail the car whether it needs it or not."

Then a month later I call them (they TOLD ME TO) and they won't return any VM, won't return 5 texts, they won't return 5 emails, and they will never ever answer the phone. They have fallen off the face of the earth. In some cases I have actually found out from one of their friends that they found someone else (a hack) who will do the job for less money, yet when I had asked them if they wanted to cut some options to get the price down....they said no. They wanted everything.



I just don't understand this, especially the people who want me back, tell me to call, then they refuse to even communicate with me ever again. These people are SO RUDE! I just don't understand! This is basic business manners. Answer the phone or return the call. Is honesty that hard?
 
People are funny like that sometimes.



I had a customer a couple of months back who was on point with every contact and email leading up to the detail. For every reply I sent, I'd get one back almost immediately. I did the work, he had nothing but nice things to say, called his neighbors and best friend to come see his car, etc. Then a couple of weeks later I send a follow-up email, ask if he has issues, questions, whatever. It takes him 2 weeks to reply. Still happy, still gushing, promises referrals, etc. Cool.



Fast forward to last week. I get an email from him asking if I could recommend a PDR guy to him. I reply that I'll ask a friend and fellow detailer if he has anyone he recommends. The customer replies right away, that he's looking forward to hearing from me, etc. I get back to him with a recommendation...no reply, no thank you, nothing. Been a week. He got what he wanted, and now he has no time to even say thanks.



It's rude and annoying, but it all boils down to people being self-centered and not giving a d*** about anyone else's time and effort. Sometimes being in the service industry can be a real eye-opener about how people really are.
 
My bit to you is this. If you get this a lot, there is a common denominator. If you're just venting because this last instance just erked you a lot, that's something else and everyone has been there. But as a whole, appointments tend to be kept when everything on your end is done really well. We operate a business in which most people want to call us and can't wait for the actual service. We work on men's favorite toys, their cars and they love to treat their toys to this stuff.



What I have to guess is that there is a misstep somewhere. It may be one small error or it could be a big blunder. It's probably something very small though. Put simply, if you're having these problems constantly, a small tweak in your closing may fix the problem. There are four reasons someone will do business with you. If they are comfortable with the company, like you, want the service and the price is right, they will buy. One of those four areas is falling short for you, they will move along. It's not mental warfare or trickery. It's how every single one of us decide to spend money on something.



For me, an outright cancellation is rare.



I have had one cancellation this year and it was some lady who had to wait 2 weeks for an opening and then the weather nailed us on that day and she ended up flaking out. It may be that you could build a bit more excitement in how you will treat the client's car before you end the call. Give them something to drool over and anticipate while waiting on you. Don't lie, just be candid about how you feel about the chance to really do their car right. I did not follow that rule when I rescheduled her and she ended up calling back with a cancellation.



There are literally countless things it could be. If you'd like to talk about it over the phone, give me a shout. I am happy to try to help you.



If someone is just not returning calls when they are the ones who requisted it, it may be their way of saying, "not now...I will call him back and make an appointment when I have time".....(then puts off like a lot of us do when something is not on our mind). That probably has nothing to do with you. It's just part of people living busy lives.
 
I find that when people call and tell me they have 3 or 4 cars they want to have done they are usually using that line to try and get a discounted rate on 1 car and you will never hear from them again. Most of the repeat/multi-car customers I have never mention anything about their fleet of cars at first...strange.



mikenap...doesnt it suck to break your back for 8 hours on a car without getting so much as a thank-you? For detailers that actually put their heart and soul into the job it is about more than the money, but I think most people think of it as a product/service like any other.
 
I won't go into some of the rude things people do. But I have experienced some of the things you guys have mentioned. Many people are simply ignorantly flabbergasted that a serious reconditioning, one that takes precision and skill(corrective stuff) and one that is permanent provided good aftercare can cost $600-$1000 and up.



I can give a tip to those who think their customers are concerned with "multicar" discounts: If you suspect they are about to waste your time on the close, simply let them know right off the bat that any discounts are typically give on the final vehicle - they are paid in full off the bat, then are applied to the final vehicle. This way they don't waste your time, you aren't burned for anything(I see you JC :)) and this way you don't have to worry about non-full payment.



This is one of the reasons pricing info is easily accessible. I don't want to waste anyone's time.
 
I am usually pretty forgiving when people have to cancel, as I sometimes have to reschedule due to weather or other issues. I rarely have a problem, but I have had to tell someone I would be charging them an additional $50 after they cancelled/rescheduled twice. He argued a little, but when I told him how much he had cost me due to lost income for the two days he cancelled. He paid the $50 willingly and gave a nice tip, but then I didn't hear from him again. I have considered requiring a deposit to hold a date for larger jobs, but I just haven't had that much of an issue yet.
 
Zing.

Wow, haha.



autoaesthetica said:
I won't go into some of the rude things people do. But I have experienced some of the things you guys have mentioned. Many people are simply ignorantly flabbergasted that a serious reconditioning, one that takes precision and skill(corrective stuff) and one that is permanent provided good aftercare can cost $600-$1000 and up.



I can give a tip to those who think their customers are concerned with "multicar" discounts: If you suspect they are about to waste your time on the close, simply let them know right off the bat that any discounts are typically give on the final vehicle - they are paid in full off the bat, then are applied to the final vehicle. This way they don't waste your time, you aren't burned for anything(I see you JC :)) and this way you don't have to worry about non-full payment.



This is one of the reasons pricing info is easily accessible. I don't want to waste anyone's time.
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I dont get all the type of customers you have. I do however get some customers that try to negoiate a deal because they can get my tons of referrals. Last year, I did a few cheaper jobs to land the guys friends/referrals and even though he was estatic with the job, no referrals ever came about. So I just lost money. Since then, I have figured out that a full paying dam good job will land you plenty of referrals if the customer is happy and at the end, just say, thanks for the business and dont forget to spread the word. Well it works. The Ford GT I posted just recently, within two days I have already landed a full correction and engine detail on another Ford GT that I will be doing next week and a Wash/Clay/Seal/Wax on another Ford GT and unknown work on the owners '57 Thunderbird.



For customers I get who want multi car discounts, I work them as a tree. Start base is full price, if you have me do the second car, price comes down alittle, then after that if you follow right back up with another car a little comes off again, so on and so fourth. That way you do not screw yourself on out money.
 
It's difficult @ times, but you CANNOT take it personal. Take the missed/canceled appointment as opprtunities to seek other clientele or tackle other task(s) you may have to do. This is a real "niche" market. Especially right now when the economy is not doing so well it puts a damper on none essential services, such as paint correction, etc....



You have to have the "glass half full" mentality.
 
michakaveli said:
It's difficult @ times, but you CANNOT take it personal. Take the missed/canceled appointment as opprtunities to seek other clientele or tackle other task(s) you may have to do. This is a real "niche" market. Especially right now when the economy is not doing so well it puts a damper on none essential services, such as paint correction, etc....



You have to have the "glass half full" mentality.
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I have to agree. I do more "volume" type work when compared to some of you guys, and I get the same thing every so often, people don't show up, or cancel last minute. Many times, people just won't show, but they'll book again in 6+ months and show up no problem. It's not personal at all, things come up and people feel that detailing is something that can be skipped and rebooked without much consequence. People don't know, don't think and (in SOME cases) just don't care about your lost revenue. However, if you explain it to them, in most cases, they will understand and will feel bad about their ignorance.
 
Well, I'm happy to see I'm not the only one seeing these problems.



The people that have been with me for YEARS, then all of a sudden....drop off the face of the earth..... secretly go find some hack who will do the job for half the price I did.... THEY are the ones that really get to me. How hard is it to pick up the phone, return a call and not outright lie to my face?



I run into the same big shots that you are all talking about who claim to know everyone and will get me X more cars, want a big discount, yet after I leave they never send me anyone else nor will they ever answer the phone or return a VM.



All the illegal hacks stealing my business..... really makes me think, should I just start offering the hack-n-swirl $50 "complete detail" to compete with them?
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
I think you're making a big assumption that they're all "illegal hacks"
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I'm not assuming anything. I've actually found out what their "business" name is and have looked it up, and guess what? They are not registered with the state, which means they do not collect sales tax (required) and they most likely don't pay income tax or SSI on what they make off the business.
 
mini1 said:
I'm not assuming anything. I've actually found out what their "business" name is and have looked it up, and guess what? They are not registered with the state, which means they do not collect sales tax (required) and they most likely don't pay income tax or SSI on what they make off the business.
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Probably don't pay WCB either.
 
I have people who have heard of me through forums and contact me about details. We will exchange a few e-mails, and then they say "well, it will be a few months before I can afford it". Sometimes I hear back, sometimes I don't. Just part of business. No different really than going to Best Buy to check out electronic equipment a month or two before you are actually going to buy it.
 
MachNU said:
For customers I get who want multi car discounts, I work them as a tree. Start base is full price, if you have me do the second car, price comes down alittle, then after that if you follow right back up with another car a little comes off again, so on and so fourth. That way you do not screw yourself on out money.
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I'll give a discount on multiple cars if I am doing them on the same day (or weekend if it is a particularly large job) because they are saving me drive time and the price of gas. But it someone starts hitting me up right away about discounts or "a good price" then they usually turn out to be a terrible customer who is both cheap and picky.
 
Scottwax said:
I have people who have heard of me through forums and contact me about details. We will exchange a few e-mails, and then they say "well, it will be a few months before I can afford it". Sometimes I hear back, sometimes I don't. Just part of business. No different really than going to Best Buy to check out electronic equipment a month or two before you are actually going to buy it.
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I get this too, and understand it, but its a lot different than the people who just outright lie to my face and go behind my back and find an under-cutter or drop off the face of the earth and refuse to return any calls or texts.
 
I experience a lot of calls where people ask "whats this cost" before an explanation of what they need is even approached. This is typically a quick tip to where I give them a short explanation of "corrective work" versus a basic detail and give them a couple of ranges and immediately, repeatedly direct them to the site. They will not schedule because a high number is not what they want to pay.



Example: This week

-27 year old "regular" car, painted 20 years ago (clue 1 - why repainted)

-sat in barn for 20 years(clue 2)

-guy notices something wrong in the paint(clue 3) but says its in good condition and that he wants the paint fixed and perfect[let's assuming 75% improvement] so he can enter it in shows[regular car]

-"how much will this cost"(clue 4)



To which I reply a general idea of corrective work with a $300-400 dollar extreme low end and open ended high end.

- Person then responds with "This is just rediculous[we hear this word alot] YOU HAVENT EVEN SEEN THE CAR AND YOURE TELLING ME 400 to 2000 DOLLARS??!? - just FORGET IT MIKE [he remembered my name at least].



and on he goes.



I think what tends to irk me is many people after passing the first "cost" test and express genuine interest in correction and the fact that it IS PERMANENT

repair provided good aftercare, giving a range of a high and low end, scheduling the booking for inspection to firm up price and getting out there.. only to hear "thats just too much for me"



..so I think to myself, when did this occur? The 30 minutes on the website when you were looking at every page, the 30 minutes on the phone, the week or so you had to think about it before the inspect? Or was it that our quality doesn't have exceptions nor does the pricing.



Thats the only problem I have, the thought that they HAVE a low range of a basic correction all the way up to a high number(making it all relative and reasonable at that) and them thinking in person during inspection that they can 'bend' my pricing..



We are fixing your car and the damage and providing appearance maintenance people. That costs a reasonable amount based on the precision required to correct damage.



As Scott said, the cost of business is just that.
 
I would say the few times I get the no reply treatment is when a customer asks for a free consultation on multiple vehicles. I tell them up front that payment for each vehicle is due upon completion of each vehicle. If the customer pays promptly and seems like they may be unit for the long term with me then I'll throw in a 10% discount on the 3rd vehicle or sometimes I tell them 10% on their next wash/wax.

However, I have done plenty of free consultations with customers who seemed gungho on the service and then never responded by email or phone. I usually call 2x and send one email. That's it then I move on.



I don't do much hard selling largely because this is a side business for me so the money, while coming in handy, isn't that imperative.
 
I do not deal with ppl like this. I never call anyone for business either. I figure they'll call me when they need something, or we get a divorce



Don't worry yourself to death with this type of stuff :hat:
 
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