Gaining those high end customers!!

A

ADetailedFinish

New member
I have had my business license for a year now. But have been detailing cars for 6 years on the side. I have some repeat customers, but they are just the basic wash/wax style customers. Every 6 months gets a new coat of sealant put on. The only downfall on them is that they drive a basic car nothing to flashy or nothing to extravegant. When I advertise and talk to people with the expensive cars they just look at me and not really believe what I tell them. Now I've been working in sales for my entire career and I know how to upsell to a customer. But granted I'm only 22 and I do know what I'm doing and I am insured. But I just want to know how you guys get the really nice cars?
 
I've found that it just depends on the area you're in. If you're in an area where your main customer is middle class, chances are not many people own high end cars. Most of the high end owners are car enthusiast and you meet them at race events, shows, or car clubs. You connect to them through networking with people who have like interests for collecting and appreciating rare/high end cars. The owners of the high end cars that I work on are people I consider friends. Getting on the personal level leads to a bond of trust, because you converse how much care is taken when in possession of this class of car. Just ask yourself how you would feel about dropping off a $100k+ car to a 22yo. I'm only 23 and deal with the age issue a lot. I express all concerns up front with the car and note any taboo features that should be avoided. I constantly call the owner with questions and progress, even when I know the solution, I double check my thinking which means a lot to the owners and builds that trust. On these cars, I have the mentality of "any mistake is unacceptable" and is dealt with zero tolerance on my part. Doing outstanding and error free work is the key to getting your name around the high end community. Also, knowing the car in question inside and out goes a long way in showing the owner you know what you're talking about and no novice mistakes will be made. Hope that helps; I too, am also curious how others reach the upper car class.
 
I live in a middle class area, but there are some higher end places here. I venture out to those places and talk with people. I mainly focus my marketing towards corvettes, bmw's, mercedes, range rovers and all those cars. And I know what I'm talking about when I talk to customers because I've been working on cars since I was 13 and my passion is cars... But lets get some other input!!
 
If you have a website already, it's important to showcase your work. Take lots of pictures of the work that you do, and customers will see it. If you don't have a website already, get one today. Nothing else brings in more customers than a good website.





John
 
that's one thing i lack is a website. I myself wonder just as the others in this thread how to gain a few more customers. Business has been slow out here but maybe it is just my area. I find that a lot of people out here don't even want paint correction. They just want a clean car and in the end i find myself not as happy as i would be seeing a flawless or semi flawless finish from a good correction job.



Not sure if i would need to charge less and do more or if it's just the people around here that just don't give a rats . . . . about their cars.
 
I am not a professional detailer and never will be. What I am is part of the market you are trying to reach. My daily driver is a 7 series BMW and I own/owned a number of other classis/custom cars.



Please don't take my candor in offense, it is not that meant that way, just trying to give my advise from some one in your target market group.



Nothing wrong with a Corvette, but I don't consider them to be a 'high end' car. For that matter, many BMW's. Merc's, Rovers etc. When I think high end, I am thinking classics, bentleys, maserati, etc, etc. But, that really makes no difference here.



Your age is working against you. Sorry, but it is. I have been working on cars both as an enthusiast and even semi-pro in racing teams since I was 13 as well and those 33 years does not mean I am an expert. Citing repeatedly that you know what you are talking about and have been working on them since you where 13 is of detriment. Combined with the repeated "I know what I am talking/doing" for me underlies the age issue that already exists and quite frankly, sound a bit arrogant.



I don't know what your shop is like. If it is a personal residence, that is a negative for me. I do use detailers that do the work at there homes but for reasons that are to come.



High end car owners like to be catered to. The like the have the car picked up, they like to have it delivered, they like to lay down the plastic (can't tell you the last time I had cash) and be done with it, they expect results and they expect them everytime. They want personal, prompt and frequent communication. They want what they want and they want it yesterday.



They tend to go with the good ole boys club. You have to get into the club and once you do, they will refer you so long as the service is excellent, ever single time.



Actions speak louder then words. You send they not to believe what you are telling them. That is in part because of some of the factors above. So fine, prove it to them. Find 'high end' enthusiast clubs/shows and show them. Seeing is believing. If you show up and demonstate that you are a pro and they can see and touch the results for themselves, they may give it a thought. You could maybe do a 50/50 car in advance just so they can see what you are talking about. Down side is, many of these clubs are also enthusiast and tend to be hands on themselves. So don't show them how to do it! Although, they may appreciate being schooled on maintenence. But, I would reserve that for paying customers.



Another thing with these clubs, if you find that is a large one just ripe for the picking, find the president of the club and find out which car is theirs. See if you can make a big difference in thier car and if so, offer to do it for free to demonstrate your work. Deliver it to the next meeting after you are done. So, everyone can see for themselves.



Keep at it! Strive for perfection, cater to their whims, demonstrate all the attributes of professionalism and make the contacts. If you do it, they will come.
 
Thank you Rdorman.... This thread is kind of a rant for me and helps with constructive criticism. I appreciate what you said about my age and how to overcome what you think a downfall is for me...

Right before this post I talked to a customer on the phone that owned a 2008 BMW 7 series and he came right over to talk about paint corrections and I gave him a 1'x1' square that got corrected right in front of him...

Thank you again!
 
vtec92civic said:
that's one thing i lack is a website. I myself wonder just as the others in this thread how to gain a few more customers. Business has been slow out here but maybe it is just my area. I find that a lot of people out here don't even want paint correction. They just want a clean car and in the end i find myself not as happy as i would be seeing a flawless or semi flawless finish from a good correction job.



Not sure if i would need to charge less and do more or if it's just the people around here that just don't give a rats . . . . about their cars.
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In your case, i would start a Myspace or Facebook dedicated to your biz. That way you can atleast have a semi professional web presence + it will be organized not to mention, social networking is BIG now. I've seen some pretty nicely layed out Myspace pages from bands and such that looking at them you'd be surprised it was a myspace url.
 
Not a problem man. You gave him a taste of what can be accomplished so hopefully, that will have the desired effect. Most of what you will see is word of mouth so spend time getting it out there!



If you don't have business cards, get some. Nice ones. Flyers hit the garbage faster then you can print them. If higher end customers are what you want. Give them a couple cards after you do their car and ask them to "Please put them in their wallet and give them to their friends". Assuming they are happy of course! Blindly passing out cards and flyers normally has a extremely low ROI.



You might try the club/president idea. I have been the president of local club with owners that have hundreds and hundreds of cars. Might spread word of mouth faster. Of course, pick the biggest, highest end, most active club in your area to get the best bang for the buck. Downside of a club is you can not have a un-happy customer. One and kiss the whole club goodbye. Either way, it takes time to build a clientel.



Additional build on the home business if that is where you are... make your work are look professional and keep it CLEAN. Who wants a car cleaned in a dirty area?



How did you hook up with the 7 series owner you talked to today? There may be a hint to what is working for you at this point.
 
I complimented him on his car... granted it was completely dirty and I got to talkin to him about his car and told him to give me a call. I handed him a business card (I believe they are nice, and they point out what I do) He set up an appointment with me next week and made a deposit.

Another aspect of making me look more professional was the fact that I got my shirts yesterday. black under armour polo's with embroidered logo's and my name.
 
Word of mouth has started! High end car owners LOVE to be complimented on their choice of automobile. Shirts sound nice.



Edit: Deposit? For a job like this I would never expect to make a deposit. For "small" jobs, to me: deposit = cash strapped business. Just a thought.
 
rodrman makes some very good points!!



I had a guy call me last year to do a detail on his ferrari to get it ready for a concourse show The timing didnt work out and I could tell that he wasn't too keen on bringing his car and leaving it at my house. I apologized for not being able to take care of him and asked him to keep me in mind for the future.



He called a few months later to have his wife's minivan done. After doing the minivan (which they were very happy with) he and I got to talking and I think that seeing the results, meeting me and getting to know me, he mentioned that he would be more apt to leave the car with me.



So it takes time to set the higher end stuff up. Be patient and it will happen. Plus remember, the higher end cars/people expect way more for their buck on a detail. You can't just wash the thing, polish it out, throw some wax on, armor all the tires and call it good. They are wanting every nook and cranny done do be sure you are ready to step up your game cuz it will be expected.



Good luck!
 
Also......



Be careful about doing anything with MySpace. It's geared more towards kids than people who would own a car like you are wanting to attract. If anything go with FaceBook. If you are wanting to build your own you could start out with something like Yahoo SiteBuilder. It's what I use and it has worked out pretty good for me.



Home
 
OP, you could do a lot worse then modeling after Mose's website. They are not hard to create.



Mose, I am assuming you carry insurance on customers cars in case something happens to them when they are in your possesion?
 
mose said:
Also......



Be careful about doing anything with MySpace. It's geared more towards kids than people who would own a car like you are wanting to attract. If anything go with FaceBook. If you are wanting to build your own you could start out with something like Yahoo SiteBuilder. It's what I use and it has worked out pretty good for me.



Home
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Ya, i kinda went on a tangent just to give him something other than a link to his photobucket ya know?
 
Tssdetailing, I am going to be in Cincy for Dad's weekend at UC in April. I may give you a call. I would like to get the 7 to the 90+ plus area. Rare to see an Imola Red E38.
 
MotorCity said:
Just a question: Why is it that you desire to work on "high end" vehicles?
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Good question. High end customers tend to come with high end expectations. OP, charge accordingly!
 
rdorman I didn't ask for a deposit from the guy. He said that he will be coming back next week and he gave me a twenty and told me to make sure his car is done right.

Working on a higher end car for me is more satisfying. I used to be a mechanic and I would rather work on the higher end cars. I feel like customers satisfaction is key and challenging. I love challenges! It's not that I don't advertise to just them, I tell all my friends and have them tell their friends and parents.
 
Face to face contact works!



I'm a property maintenance contractor and site manager and all, ALL my work is gained by face to face contact.



Prepare an intro letter, a business card, a short verbal presentation about you and what you do, and then asking, yes, ASKING for their business and you'll be amazed how busy you will be with high end work.



May I have the opportunity to make your car the best looking car in town?
 
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