Just startin out, by request....

B

blackntan

New member
So I've had a bunch of people ask me about doing their cars, so i'm considering stepping up my little hobby, and making it a weekend business...



I've read everything on this forum so far, and have learned maybe a tad too much... I just wanted to toss out a few ideas, and see what you though of em..



First, a question: since all of my customers (for now) are going to come from word of mouth, I don't know how to get my pricing out there... Should I come up with a flier anyway, and get that to my friends?



So the first thing i'm looking at is my pricing.. Here's the format i'm considering going with. Keep in mind these are all starting points:



Quick wash/wax/vacuum (all by hand): $25 for small/regular cars/$35 for bigger cars and SUV's



clean up detail (same as above but with minor polishing/swirl removing and the interior woolite/wet vac'd instead of just vacuumed)(by PC): $60/$75



Super detail: car will be as swirl/defect free as possible, with as many steps as possible (all by PC), interior/trunk/engine cleaned and protected as well: $100/$125





Thoughts?



As for getting my name out there, I'm gonna toss this offer to my friends: Get me two paying customers, and I'll do your car for free.



Thoughts?



Oh, and you guys might be seeing a flurry of posts and questions by me on the other forums over the next couple of days... I'm just trying to get my arsenal in order to get this going, so any advice is much appreciated.



Thanks!!
 
My first suggestion would be to not have "starting out" prices. Set good fair prices and stick to them. Just because you are new doesn't mean that you are worthy of less money. Create nice flyers and get them out and about town, find as many creative ways as possible to get your first group of customers together, and build from there.

Mike
 
thanks for the input. But by 'starting points' I meant, Starting at $25, and could go up, depending on condition of cars or other issues that may need to be addressed.



Do you think my prices are fair?
 
I think that the first price is good, but i think that you will quickly realize that the super detail is alot harder than $100 of work. I start mine at $150, with no engine cleaning, and i feel that is still too low, but it is what the market in my area will bear. Being that you are in Philadelphia you could be shooting that number up to $175, and still pull a steady stream of customers without any problem. Just make sure that it is a $175 quality job.



A good place that i have found to spend a couple marketing dollars are local tuner boards. There is one here in buffalo, ubrf.org that has about 3000 members and about 700 are fully active. I give that board a 15% discount, and i always post pictures of the cars when i am through. Every car that I do generated me 3-4 more, and then their parents, neighbors, fiends etc.... all jump on the detail train, and before you know it you are booked solid. People dont talk when you do a good job, but they broadcast when you do a bad job. You ahve to really find a way to push them to tell their friends and co-workers that you do good work. I personally use referral cards. It is on the back of my business cards, and it is a small coupon for the new customer, and the existing customer knows that everytime i get one with his or her name on it they will recieve a $20 gift certificate toward their next service. you can see the cards and a bunch of other stuff you might need in this thread: http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47847&highlight=free+files



There are more files farther down in the post too.





Hope this helps a little

Mike
 
Hey Mike,



Thanks for all the information. I am doing this too on the weekends only and my customers are told by word of mouth. Great ideas on marketing thanks.



Pat
 
blackntan said:
First, a question: since all of my customers (for now) are going to come from word of mouth, I don't know how to get my pricing out there... Should I come up with a flier anyway, and get that to my friends?



Click to expand...





There is really no need to get your 'pricing out there'.



Most true detailing customers are primarily interested in getting a top quality job. Price is secondary. Of course, it's a good idea to put together a flier that lists the services that you offer, however, I would not list your prices.



Personally, I would never use a price sheet and I never even talk about my prices until I have actually talked with a prospective client about the detailing services that I offer. Hey, I have actually had a few new customers call and make an appointment without ever asking about my prices.
 
blackntan said:
As for getting my name out there, I'm gonna toss this offer to my friends: Get me two paying customers, and I'll do your car for free.



Thoughts?
Click to expand...



You may want to think about coming up with a referral incentive that you could use for all referrals from your friends and other current paying customers. Such as, offering a Twenty Dollars Off Certificate to anyone who send you a new customer. Of course, you would only send out the certificate after that new customer actually gets their vehicle detailed.
 
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