how do you guys get business

M

mustanginky

New member
im having trouble getting people attracted. im on a local mustang message board, and its pretty well known that it detail, but i havent been able to get much business. what methods do you guys use?



my main thing is word of mouth, if i do good on this guys car, he will tell people, and they will ,etc...



do you guys use flyers and put them on dirty nice cars in parking lots?



business cards?



should i do a persons car that needs some work on my local mustang message board and post up before and afters? would that be good?



what methods have worked the best for you guys?
 
I get work off of connections, and word of mouth, I have a few flyers out at the local groceries and restarurants. I sometimes put a few business cards in peoples windows.



Right now it's kinda slow. I guess its partially the "mid-summer" slump.

.
 
my mortgage lender doesnt give me a mid summer slump discount so i cant afford to have any of those. definitely business cards and brochures not really flyers, if you want to look professional spend a few hundred dollars on brochures. go to every hospital in the area putting them on doctors cars or any professional business building. when ive got nothing to do i let a manager or someone high up know that ill wax thier car for half price if they let thieremployees know im there or am going to be there. i talk to people everywhere i go that have decent cars or cars with problems i know i can handle and explain it to them, half of them think they need a repaint. offer to do thier car for a hundred bucks if they spread the word, dont get depressed or you wont make any money, just keep moving and keep talkin to people, youll stay busy that way.
 
its been two weeks for me since i got my business started. handed out 100 flyers, aprox 250 cards, in a city of 5500 and growing rapidly with zero detailing people. the only phone call ive recieved so far is a person claiming that i scratched his car by puting a card on his door window (ya know between the window and the rubber rain guard) starting to get dissapointed. good luck to you though
 
No matter what type of marketing you use, it may take weeks before the phone starts ringing regularly. Contact the manager of your local golf course and see if they'd like to offer detailing services to their members on certain days of the week. Takes 3-4 hours to play a round of golf, more than enough time (in most cases) to at least do an exterior detail. Check out your local schools, get an ad in their student directory in the fall and one in their yearbook in the spring. Also offer a free exterior detail as a door prize at PTA meetings. Get in the yellow pages and get to know the owners of repair and body shops. They often get asked about car detailing. Either put out professional looking flyers or even better, brochures in upper income areas but be mindful of people's yards and no soliciting signs. I was putting out hundreds of flyers per week when I first started my detailing business and did that for a couple of years when I didn't have any appointments. If you can mention your detailing services on the websites you frequent, that is another way to drum up business.



If you aren't out detailing, you need to be out marketing on that day. Not just an hour, but the whole day. Treat it is a large part of your job. Once you have a large client base and get continuous repeat business and referrals, you won't be doing much marketing because your customers will do it for you-but it doesn't happen overnight and not without a lot of hard work on your part getting your name and reputation out to your area.
 
im hearing alot about word of mouth.



im thinking about detailing a couple peoples cars free (people i know, family and close friends) or for a severe discount just to get the word of mouth out.



ive become such a detail junky in the last 3 months that when i see a dirty car, i want to immediately get out and ask them if they want it detailed
 
Word of mouth and repeat business, without those I'd be dead in the water. Next is people seeing me working. Getting the phone to ring in the first place is needed. Flyers worked well for me. I started mobile cleaning about 16 years ago on a suggestion from my mother. A hand written flyers was quickly made and passed out in a neighborhood. Luckily a lady called the same day and I had my first customer the next morning. I love to talk to people that are expecting me in some way. I don't like to talk to people in a cold calling sort of way. My wife on the other hand doesn't seem to mind. In addition to flyers, she called businesses and offered wax specials. She also would walk into places and hand them flyers. The calls worked out nicely, especially beauty shops. Man I must have cleaned every hair dressers car in the area at one time. One of the most frustrating things for me in the beginning was that while I stayed busy, I didn't have the weekly customers that I wanted. I couldn't understand why at the time. Later I concluded that the people that got their cars cleaned on a weekly basis already had someone doing that. I just had to wait for their detailers to screw up. Little by little I picked up regulars and eventually got to where I don't have room for anyone but the regulars. Most of my weekly people I got because the last guy wasn't taking care of them. Most I've cleaned for many years with a couple being 15 years. Another thing that bugged me was I was cleaning some filthy cars in the beginning. Again those that kept up on their cars already had it covered.

About detailing for free. Not sure if you are mobile but, I'm a big fan of first filling the schedule then filling it with the people you want. I'd rather clean cars in a busy parking lot of a building cleaning cars for free or detailing a wash then passing out flyers, making phone calls and such. I don't have any advertising now except a small stack of cards in my truck. Nothing on my truck except my equipment identifies me as a detailer. I did in the past have signs and such which helped some. An idea a detailer on detailcity used was he put two large checkered flags on tall poles on back of his trailer. I thought that was one of the best ideas I've read. When he was working you'd be able to see him from very far away.
 
Also, keep an add running on your local craigslist - I usually get a few hits a week off it and maybe 3-4 details a month for a 2-minute posting.
 
I'm not the OP (Original Post, not Optimum Polish), but thanks for the valuable information. I posted on Craigslist and I have one competitor. No one has responded though, so I might post again.
 
yes craiglist :think2 great advise just did it and i am the only one. i owe you one bud thanks alot. and its funny cause i hadnt heard of craigslist untill today when i was watching Cash Cab (the only cab in New Yors that pays YOU :chuckle: ) and now you. ahh must be carma
 
pwrstrk02 said:
untill today when i was watching Cash Cab (the only cab in New Yors that pays YOU :chuckle: ) and now you. ahh must be carma
Click to expand...



ha no way man i was watching that same episode today and i agree very useful information
 
Detailing is a paying hobby for me, and my work schedule (I am a firefighter) gives me the time to do it. Most of my clientele is public safety personnel ( cops, firefighters and paramedics), and I get a lot of referrals. As I like to say...



"the shine speaks for itself"
 
tustah said:
I'm not the OP (Original Post, not Optimum Polish), but thanks for the valuable information. I posted on Craigslist and I have one competitor. No one has responded though, so I might post again.
Click to expand...



i run an ad every 2 days and get 4-5 details a month and a few regular clients
 
I also just started using craiglist and I am extremely suprised by the response. I just couldn't believe it until I tried it. I've gotten 3 details and several calls the past month and a half from an ad and I still haven't went back to put another one up.



Other than that, repeat business is the backbone of my business. Just one of my repeat customer's is around $1100 month caring for his work equipment and personal vehicles. Following that would be referrals and flyers that I drop off at offices.
 
No craiglist for me, NO THANK YOU.



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Cycopath, I'll take your advice and post every other day.



I'm thinking about going to the driving range near my place, which is next to a hospital. Maybe I can detail the owner's car for free and ask him if I can leave business cards at the shop.



On a side note:



If you're doing mobile detailing and don't have a generator, do you ever have problems with finding a power source? I'm doing this as a side job and cannot afford a generator. The reason why I ask is because I was planning on possibly detailing a doctor's car at the hospital, but if I detail in the parking lot, there won't be a power source anywhere nearby. Also, it's just wrong to use the electricity from a corporate building, unless the owner acknowledges.
 
I don't know about your area, but I know anyone that asks if it's OK to use their electricity would either A) Get a witty sarcastic response, or B) Laugh a bunch.



Who would object to someone using a tool that uses less power than a regular vacuum? :Paypal:
 
I have been doing work in a business park recently and been using ONR for a wash (less water splashed around) and using their electricity inside their warehouse while I use the polisher and vacuum....the owners were perfectly fine with it.....



on the other hand, without a water source for ONR, I would have to bring a few gallons of water myself to wash. And without a electric source, i am SOL because I dont have a generator right now



I was thinking about getting one because it will allow me to be completely mobile without a trailer setup, but the noise issue and the lifting it in and out of my truck is not something I want to do...but at the same time, it means more business in corporate areas....so its a toss up..



I am going to wait until my website is remade (looks more professional - should be done this week sometime if the lady finishes), then I am going to make some brochures, then go door to door and hang them on door knobs from rubber bands and a hole punch (might even pay some friends to help me in different areas), then get some flyers made and go to business park areas and talk to the receptionist and leave some flyers with her...maybe talk to the owners of areas and offer free interior with paid exterior (half off)



thats my plan of attack....
 
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