How to speed up the process

I'm not a pro detailer, but I have a lot of experience running a freelance 3d business and I can tell you that what everyone has already said is absolutely true.



When you charge under what you're worth you're going to get in bed with people who WILL nickle and dime you for everything.



The thing is... is it worth it to you to do it?



If it's worth it, then by all means have at it... but I'd guess not since you're trying to figure out how to do cars faster.



I would worry less about doing the cars faster and more about deciding what your time is worth.



Are six hours out of your day worth $120?



Myself personally I wouldn't even CONSIDER doing a job for less than $50 per hour and that would only be if I REALLY REALLY wanted to do the project or I liked the client and wanted to help him/her out... otherwise the price escalates.



But everyone is different... $20 might be a good hourly rate for some people... just depends :)
 
You have clients that can't wait 6-9 hours for their cars?



Go with a 1 step and an interior extract like the carwashes do for $150.



That shouldn't take more than 3-4 hours.



That's your market, serve it.
 
Jakerooni said:
Get new customers. it's your job to completely explain to them what they are buying from you. If your process takes 6-9 hours to give them what they are after then that should be the end of that conversation. If they want it faster to the point that you need to cut corner to get it done then they need to go shopping elsewhere. I know it's not what you want to hear but the downside to this conversation is you agree to their ridiciolus demands and start cutting corners and now they are all p issed off at you for giving them a shoddy job. Clearly explain to them that time is the very least important thing when it comes to properly detailing a car and if time is truely an issue there are nice coin ops or swirl o matics all over the place that can "Clean" their cars in a matter of minutes. But if they really want a professional service then they need to understand you need to do it right for them regardless of how much time it takes.
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I couldn't have said it better myself.:2thumbs:
 
mini1 said:
my comments will be in bold, you want to go faster, I say do what Jake says get new clients...but here goes my 2 cents



In order to give people what they want I have to:

wash the vehicle

clean the wheels/tires - acid wheel cleaners, with a pressure wash off, will do the trick here, for clean in 1 easy fast step.

dress the tires/black plastic

clean chrome (depending on car, this can take a long time)

remove bugs/road tar - if you dont use acid to clean wheels, perhaps a paint safe wheel cleaner here can also clean bugs/tar, super green diluted 10:1 or 15:1 comes to mind here

do a basic paint correction with basic compound/machine - you dont mention claying the car, check out topoftheline.com, there purple clay is great. Using Megs D151 with a white or orange pad via DA or rotary may produce decent results.

wax/remove - wax via a DA machine like the PC, UDM, or Flex DA

clean windows

then on the interior:

clean all the hard surfaces, leather/fabric/vents/doors/jams/pockets/sometimes headliner/windows - woolite 6:1 works great as a leather cleaner

prep carpets and remove stains - spot treating to me is alright...woolite/water mix is good at getting the stains out

shampoo carpets/mats/extract - why shampoo everything and extract everthing on a basic detail? Stopping this step here could save ALOT of time.



All this for $150 (sedan/wagon/coupe)-$175 (SUV/truck/CUV). People just won't pay more and will complain if I do less.



I think your clients are truely out to get more for there money than what its worth. They need to understand that you are a pay for service provider, and if they dont want to pay they can't get what they want. Its like them saying that they dont want to pay $5.00 value meal and it costs them to much and bargining with the fast food place, they dont budge on there prices and neither should you. Lets put it a different way, you can't have a steak in a restaurant with all the trimmings for $5.00, you have to pay for what you want. They want a 3 step exterior correction detail and full interior, they need to pay for it.



How can I cut back or restructure my prices?

go hourly, and estimate every car to take 10 hours and you can/will come out ahead.



Can people post exactly what they are doing for a basic detail?



basic detail for me is wash/clay/wax/basic interior. before anyone asks yes I clean wheels/tires/wells, and interior glass. Polishing the car to me involves a form of correction and the customer must pay.



Should I switch to an hourly basis for my 'show car' Zaino system? Right now it is $300 for a complete Zaino 5-7 step exterior and complete interior on a sedan. This takes me 12-15 hours. or should I put a cap on how many labor hours $150-175 buys the customer and let them decide what I should skip?



letting the customer deciede what should be skipped is like giving them the option to wash there car and clean the tires/wheels/wells and asking you to do the rest. there is a reason they are bringing it to you and you shouldn't give them this option. Customers dont know what they want, and must be sold on what to buy, and part of the selling process is selling your self and your services. Do I think you should switch to an hourly basis, YES, should you charge more than $300 for a complete Z-5 application, YES. You mention 7 steps, are you counting each Z5 application as a step, if not then what are your other 6 steps?
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I am confused on what you say about the # of steps for the exterior, you mention 7 steps on an exterior, are you counting it like this, wash, polish step 1, polish step 2, z5, z5, z5, interior? for 7 steps or what? because IMHO this is a 2 step correction. Corrections always include washes and being clayed, and always an interior for me unless the client says dont touch the insides, and it always includes a LSP, because when you correct it, it will be removed if there was any to begin with. The above on a not so dirty (read: above average, not swirled to hell sedan) should take about 8-10 hours at most 12 hours.



I'd also suggest switching to other products that provide faster results.



for compounds/polishes/waxes I use the following:

M105 - for all that hard to take out stuff!

SIP - for most stuff this works great. (my goto compound for starters)

106FA - gives a very nice finish after using SIP (if I used SIP I use this 2nd)

85RD - for that really soft paint (If SIP is to aggressive, and I ended up using 106FA first, I finish it with this)

D151 - good AIO, provides a decent finish but it does fill in some defects. Rotary application to me works better with this product.

Wolfgang Deep gloss paint sealant 3.0 - great sealant, works wonders

IW845 - a little goes a long ways, and I buy it from harbour freight for $9.00 a bottle.
 
^^

I'm counting washing the car, glossing the black plastic/tires, clay bar, Z-PC with Perfect-fit foam pad, Z-AIO, Z-5, Z-6, Z-5, Z-2



Sometimes I skip Z-6, and sometimes I end after Z-5. It depends on the car.



I don't clay on normal exterior jobs to save time. I do use a DA to speed up the process already.
 
Here is what you should be doing for $150.



From your post: I'm counting washing the car, glossing the black plastic/tires, clay bar, Z-PC with Perfect-fit foam pad, Z-5.





You got it there, that is a great process and will give your clients superior value.
 
You are giving too much to your customer for that price.

For $150 to $200 i do full interior and wash & wax or all-in- one(poli-seal). it take 3 to 4 hours

For $250 to $350 i do full interior, one-step(PO 203) and wash & wax . it take 5 to 7 hours



I you are doing a 3 step polish of $150 you are not making any money. Don't sell your self short, it all about how you market your self.
 
Jakerooni said:
Get new customers. it's your job to completely explain to them what they are buying from you. If your process takes 6-9 hours to give them what they are after then that should be the end of that conversation. If they want it faster to the point that you need to cut corner to get it done then they need to go shopping elsewhere. I know it's not what you want to hear but the downside to this conversation is you agree to their ridiciolus demands and start cutting corners and now they are all p issed off at you for giving them a shoddy job. Clearly explain to them that time is the very least important thing when it comes to properly detailing a car and if time is truely an issue there are nice coin ops or swirl o matics all over the place that can "Clean" their cars in a matter of minutes. But if they really want a professional service then they need to understand you need to do it right for them regardless of how much time it takes.
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well said.
 
mini1 said:
^^

I'm counting washing the car, glossing the black plastic/tires, clay bar, Z-PC with Perfect-fit foam pad, Z-AIO, Z-5, Z-6, Z-5, Z-2



Sometimes I skip Z-6, and sometimes I end after Z-5. It depends on the car.



I don't clay on normal exterior jobs to save time. I do use a DA to speed up the process already.
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4 coats of Zaino is too much for that price alone.



Skip the DA and at least 2 coats of Zaino. That is 'closer' to what your customers are really paying for.
 
dallen said:
You are giving too much to your customer for that price.

For $150 to $200 i do full interior and wash & wax or all-in- one(poli-seal). it take 3 to 4 hours

For $250 to $350 i do full interior, one-step(PO 203) and wash & wax . it take 5 to 7 hours



I you are doing a 3 step polish of $150 you are not making any money. Don't sell your self short, it all about how you market your self.
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What do you call a full interior? I would consider that doing everything, including shampoo. What do you skip?
 
I can't see getting $450 for a detail..



I can do a full interior, and a 2 step w/ a LSP in about 6-8 hours. Most people will pay $200 MAX for this.



Lots of cars I do are "make it shiny" type customers....give them 4 hours and a nice coat of wax and they're happy---typically pay $125-150.



Beware--if you charge $450 for a 3 step, your customers are going to be looking for IMMACULATE results. Some guys aren't capable of producing this type of work.



I would prefer to do all high end details (2-3 days) for $450, but the fact of the matter is--unless it is a exotic or an owner who appreciates good work, not many are going to pay that. You really think someone w/ a volvo is going to pay $450 for a detail?



I did a boat for a fairly wealthy customer--and he thought $200 was alot!!
 
^^^ your market sucks!!!



People regularly ask me how much, and I am firm and hold true to my pricing, some pay it, some want to spend less, so I tailor a package for them, then they pay me! I educate and make sure they know a rough percentage of defects removed with amount of steps...
 
Wickedss said:
I can't see getting $450 for a detail..



I can do a full interior, and a 2 step w/ a LSP in about 6-8 hours. Most people will pay $200 MAX for this.



Lots of cars I do are "make it shiny" type customers....give them 4 hours and a nice coat of wax and they're happy---typically pay $125-150.



Beware--if you charge $450 for a 3 step, your customers are going to be looking for IMMACULATE results. Some guys aren't capable of producing this type of work.



I would prefer to do all high end details (2-3 days) for $450, but the fact of the matter is--unless it is a exotic or an owner who appreciates good work, not many are going to pay that. You really think someone w/ a volvo is going to pay $450 for a detail?



I did a boat for a fairly wealthy customer--and he thought $200 was alot!!
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$200 for 6-8 hour work. wow why not just get a job in a fast food joint, thats less than minimum wage, once you take out product expense, insurance, license, tool wear, travel expenses, ect, you are detailing just for the joy of doing it, not for profit.



Yes Volvo owners regularly pay $500 for a detail, and also chevy, hyundai, kia, ford, dodge, honda, toyota, saturn............. owners as well. If your customers think that you are not worth more than $25 per hour you need new customers.
 
I got the M105 and D151, some LC pads, gold class trim detailer and all season dressing. Wow, all are good.
 
I have to agree. You're market sucks. How do i know? Because my market is probably just as bad LOL. But I didn't care I still raised my prices. Craigslist is chaulked full of so called "pro" detailers using nothing but top shelf products and all the latest techniques and equipment charging $50-$100 for complete detailing. And when this is the common place how does one charge what's actually a "fair" price? Simply put you have to educate the customers. Now I'm still not in the $450 range but when i started my own shop 2-1/2 years ago I was charging about $125 for a complete last summer I was getting in the $200 range this summer I'm averaging about $300 a ticket. I have lots of repeat clientel and tons of word of mouth referals. People understand why I charge more than double what the next closest "pro" charges and are happy to still come to me. Remember you have to believe in yourself before others will. You have to know why your better than the next hack and swirl down the road. What makes you the best selection? Answer these questions to any customer and you'll have enough work to last all season and then some.
 
Jakerooni said:
Get new customers. it's your job to completely explain to them what they are buying from you. If your process takes 6-9 hours to give them what they are after then that should be the end of that conversation. If they want it faster to the point that you need to cut corner to get it done then they need to go shopping elsewhere. I know it's not what you want to hear but the downside to this conversation is you agree to their ridiciolus demands and start cutting corners and now they are all p issed off at you for giving them a shoddy job. Clearly explain to them that time is the very least important thing when it comes to properly detailing a car and if time is truely an issue there are nice coin ops or swirl o matics all over the place that can "Clean" their cars in a matter of minutes. But if they really want a professional service then they need to understand you need to do it right for them regardless of how much time it takes.
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excellent reply. agree 1000000%
 
Mini,



I have developed a good relationship with a World Class Training facility in San Diego. I attend many of the training seminars, when at the beginning, anyone with experience comes in and challenges the trainer when he talks about the times he can train people to deliver on. They argue like most argue with me here ... can't be done, etc.



By the end of a 5 day class, some are not at those times, but they all leave knowing they have significantly reduced time, and many are convinced with repetition and practice they can achieve the stated goals, which would cut your times about in half.



If this is your profession, I know money is tight and I do not know who the best trainer is in your neck of the woods to maybe save the travel & lodging ...



All I can say is that I don't think you are likely to achieve your desired outcomes by posting on a forum. Maybe a good tip here and there, but not significant improvements.



Save and invest is my advice.



-jim
 
Agreed, Jim.



You can learn to speed up the process by reading forums, books, magazines, and practice. This will take 1-2 years to improve 25% 3-5 years to improve 50%



You can learn from a professional instructing you. This will take 1-2 weeks to improve 50%. 3-5 years should improve 60-80%.



Both options work.



Best bet is to find a professional in your area that you can just chat with, help him out, be his volunteer free helper. You will learn so much that you won't even realize... but you will come away FAR more confident, and much more skilled.
 
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