Last Minute Appointment: Charge More?

E

Eisen Hulk

New member
Hey, guys.



I've got a quick question for the pros. When contacted by a new customer wanting a car detailed in a VERY short period of time, do you increase your hourly rate? Of course, I realize you would notify the customer of this, but I just wanted your thoughts.



A current customer of mine referred a new customer to me, and he's wanting his Ferrari Daytona polished by Saturday afternoon. I already have two washes and a polish for the owner of the Bat Cave, who's holding a charity event at the Bat Cave on Sunday.



Do I squeeze the new guy in (Kind of as a favor) and let him know that I'm going to charge more since this is a rush job? Keep in mind, this is a side business/hobby for me...I have a full time job.



Thanks.
 
I would fit him in, ONLY if I could fit him in. You know, IMO, if you have to call another customer to move their appoitment, you're going to have to offer some incentive...$$$?? And, at least in my case, I wouldn't squeeze another appointment in. If my book doesn't allow it, it doesn't allow it. I don't like adding any additional stress to my own life. I like knowing what my week looks like.



Just my two cents.





Andy
 
The Bat Cave owner has given you a lot of business, so, i wouldn't jeopardize that relationship with him.

Like Got Wax said, ONLY if you can fit him in. It doesn't sound like you can, but you may work fast! Goodluck, and yes, if you can fit him in, charge more. Last Min=More money in my book
 
I'm not a pro detailer but I'll chime in here since it's more of a general business question.



As stated, IF, and ONLY IF, you can fit the guy into your schedule, should you take this job.



And just because it's a last minute appointment is not a good reason to raise the price in my opinion. Your doctor doesn't raise his price when you call up sick and need to be seen that day. Your barber doesn't raise his price for people who walk-in without an appointment.



Furthermore, what are you going to say to this guy? "Here's your car buddy. I had to squeeze you in so I had to rush a bit. Next time make an appointment and I'll do a better job for less money" Forget it, you'll never hear from the guy again.



It seems to me that you want to be compensated for the "pain-in-the-a$$" factor of this particular job. But if it's such a pain, why take the job in the first place?



Questions to ask yourself:

1) Do I want this guy as a long term customer?

2) Can I feasably get all of this work done at my usual level of quality?

3) What happens if I can't get everything done?

4) Is there a trusted friend that I can pay to take on some of my workload

5) Do I have good relationships with other detailers in my area? Can I refer this customer to one of them and perhaps charge a commission/referral fee?



Don't underestimate the value of a good customer.
 
one more thing to keep in mind. The new customer was referred to you by a current customer. Try to think about how the current customer relationship will be affected if you don't meet the new customer's expectations. You can bet that the two of them will discuss your level of service and quality at some point. They may even compare prices.



Don't give either of them a reason to be unsatisfied.
 
I can see and understand both arguments here, and I've been through both actually. What has worked best for me, is to honestly explain your situation to the client. Basically, if you actually have an open time frame where you can do the car, do not charge anything extra because that time is meant for detailing, and now you got something to detail. However, if you need to spend 2-3 days in a row, 2-4 hours in the evening, after work, during your personal/family time, explain that to the client and explain that you usually charge more for that because you will basically be going to work, then to sleep, for a few days. Otherwise, tell him your next available date.



I ended up working 3 weekdays for 3+ hours each (from 6:30-9:30/10) and finished the car, charging $10/hr more than my usual rate.



Main thing here is for you to analyze the client, not your time, his car, etc. If he seems like someone who'll understand that you have to charge more for that work, then go ahead and just be honest with him. If he seems like he won't understand and will badmouth you, you can either just suck up and do it, because money is money regardless of what time it is, or simply let him know you won't be able to do the service until a later date, apologize politely and move on.



Your choice, but ime should be made based on what you think of your client.



EDIT: As Less said, give them no chance to think/say bad stuff about you... say you have a bball game and a concert (for example) but you'll skip them for an extra $10/hr and to satisfy his need of getting it done by the certain day...
 
OOORRRRR....hire some help to knock out the little stuff so you can just get to the polishing of the paint and then pay your help the 10-15/hr or whatever you pay and charge by the hour at the 50-75/hr you charge...NOW you dont have to raise your prices, yet you still make more!!!



I only hire help for the times when I need it, like when I have to get somewhere by say 5pm and have a full two step with light interior. I will bring help, charge the same rate, but make a little more per hour! But if I have the free time and done have anything else going on, then Ill work on the car myself!
 
Lecchilo - let me make sure I understand what you're saying. If I bring my car to you for a $300 detail, and I need it done this week, you would refuse because you would have to work extra hours beyond your normal schedule. However, for $400 you'll sacrifice 3 weekday evenings and get the job done? For me, I can't imagine$100 being the difference between sacrificing 3 evenings of personal time and not.



I think we need to focus on what the extra charge is supposed to accomplish. Take this example. I work in a high-tech manufacturing plant with a Mon-Thurs production schedule. If a customer calls up and needs some product sooner than planned, or needs an emergency shipment, I can run the plant on Friday and meet the customer's needs. However, to do that, I have to expend more machine time and pay overtime to employees. Those costs cut into my profit margin. In this case, I have no problem charging an expedite fee to cover those costs. After all, an emergency on the customer's end shouldn't translate into lower profits on my end.



In the OP's case. There is no lost profit by expediting the job. Only additional revenue. The only sacrifice here is your own personal time. The cost of supplies should already be built into the price of the detail, and any fixed costs like equipment, rent, utilities, etc. are already sunk and therefore your profit margin would be improved.



therefore, all that's left to do is to put a price on your personal time. Lecchilo says that time is worth an extra $10/hour to him. That's fine, and he's certainly entitled to that calculation. I don't fault him, and it's a perfectly reasonable business practice. However, it's not my preference.



Remember, a customer is much more satisfied when he feels he got MORE than what he paid for. Even if you do a great job and meet the customer's stringent schedule, he probably won't be very impressed. He paid for a higher level of service, and you provided it. End of transaction.



However, if he pays normal price and then sees that you bend over backwards to provide quality service, you are much more likely to leave a lasting impression and gain some repeat business and referrals. To me, the potential value of that is worth MUCH more than an extra $100 one time.
 
If I can fit it in, I fit in in at my normal rate. If I can't, I won't for any rate.



I am booked so far in advance that for me to accept the last minute emergency detail at the expense of rescheduling an existing appointment, I would have to push the rescheduled appt. out at least 8 weeks... I couldn't do that to someone who has commited to me, just as I would not want them to cancel on me
 
My current customer, who referred him (I've detailed his 65 Shelby GT 350 and his 550 Maranello this past weekend) said it would be worth my time to fit him in this week, if possible.



I won't even be able to see the car until tomorrow, because the owner is out of town.



Grrrrr......
 
Less said:
Lecchilo - let me make sure I understand what you're saying. If I bring my car to you for a $300 detail, and I need it done this week, you would refuse because you would have to work extra hours beyond your normal schedule. However, for $400 you'll sacrifice 3 weekday evenings and get the job done? For me, I can't imagine$100 being the difference between sacrificing 3 evenings of personal time and not.



I think we need to focus on what the extra charge is supposed to accomplish. Take this example. I work in a high-tech manufacturing plant with a Mon-Thurs production schedule. If a customer calls up and needs some product sooner than planned, or needs an emergency shipment, I can run the plant on Friday and meet the customer's needs. However, to do that, I have to expend more machine time and pay overtime to employees. Those costs cut into my profit margin. In this case, I have no problem charging an expedite fee to cover those costs. After all, an emergency on the customer's end shouldn't translate into lower profits on my end.



In the OP's case. There is no lost profit by expediting the job. Only additional revenue. The only sacrifice here is your own personal time. The cost of supplies should already be built into the price of the detail, and any fixed costs like equipment, rent, utilities, etc. are already sunk and therefore your profit margin would be improved.



therefore, all that's left to do is to put a price on your personal time. Lecchilo says that time is worth an extra $10/hour to him. That's fine, and he's certainly entitled to that calculation. I don't fault him, and it's a perfectly reasonable business practice. However, it's not my preference.



Remember, a customer is much more satisfied when he feels he got MORE than what he paid for. Even if you do a great job and meet the customer's stringent schedule, he probably won't be very impressed. He paid for a higher level of service, and you provided it. End of transaction.



However, if he pays normal price and then sees that you bend over backwards to provide quality service, you are much more likely to leave a lasting impression and gain some repeat business and referrals. To me, the potential value of that is worth MUCH more than an extra $100 one time.
Click to expand...



Less I completely understand what you're saying and it makes perfect sense. My response was based on two things... one, this being a part time job and personal time being much more important than if it was a full time job, where you're somewhat expected to do some 'overtime' to satisfy clients, and two, the client being in an 'emergency' needing it done by Saturday and appreciating you taking your personal time to do him the favor and finish the car by Saturday, for some extra cash. Obviously, this can easily lead to the argument of when to say no to a client and when does the saying "money's money" stop... What if I usually go sleep at 11pm and now I have to work for 3 nights until 12am? Do I just say "meh, screw it, I'll sleep next week" or do I charge for my time?



I'm not writing this to extend the discussion/argument, just to explain that there are endless possibilities on how to handle this I guess... Hulk, if you want the cash and don't mind using up the personal time, and especially if you feel this guy could be a good future client with many referrals, then by all means take Less's advice and do the job. If it's not a huge deal to you and you had plans with the girl, guys, etc. then either schedule for later or charge more.



The professional way to do it is to have a fixed price per hr for 'overtime' work and simply explain that to the client. A nicer thing to do would be to actually do the work for the same price and lose some free time of your own. Lastly, and I highly recommend not doing this, is to schedule for a later date (which might not happen if you say you can't do it by Saturday, which is why I highly recommend NOT doing it haha).



Do what your gut tells you, as you might get a very good tip for doing it for the same price, eliminating the need to charge more. Then again you might get a very thankful client who's willing to pay much more than your regular rates as he needs it done... your choice.



EDIT: I stated above that I charged one time, but didn't note the other one... I ended up doing work for 3 guys in one day, one long, 24hr day... 8a-4p, 5p-12a, 3a-10a... all were done at regular rates and only the 8a-4p was the scheduled detail... the other 2 needed to be done by Saturday actually, and this was a Thursday-Friday detailing session. I had to do it then as I had a regular coming in Friday morning and no way was I going to pull an all nighter just before the show on Saturday. So yea, I've been through both scenarios and, luckily, each person turned into a repeat client.
 
MotorCity said:
If I can fit it in, I fit in in at my normal rate. If I can't, I won't for any rate.
Click to expand...



It really is that simple. Well said.



Hulk - Sounds like your current customer has some inkling of what kind of business this may turn out to be for you. Maybe he has a lot of cars that need work. Maybe he tips well. Maybe he likes his car maintained often. All of which turn into good profits for you.



If you need the money and have the time, then do it. If you don't think the extra money is worth the sacrifice of your time, then don't do it. However, neither of those have anything to do with the customer, and therefore, should have no influence over the price he pays.
 
Ivan, I truly appreciate and respect your opinion. So please let me thank you (Along with the others) again for taking the time to respond.



If this were any other week, I could do it without any issues. It's just that I have to polish a Porsche 914, wash a 360 Modena, a replica of the Mystery Machine (No, I'm not kidding), a Bentley and polish a Valkyrie by Sunday morning.



F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
EisenHulk said:
I won't even be able to see the car until tomorrow, because the owner is out of town.
Click to expand...



These are the dilemmas that will confront you when you're "good" :sign People seek you out and demand your services. You need to accommodate them, within reason, but I don't think you should pork them unless you have to work on Sunday, for example. It's likely these folks will be promoted from a "customer" to a long-term "client". I think that's what you should focus on unless you've got more work than you could possibly handle.
 
Well said. I'm thinking now, if I can do it, I'll do it for my normal rate ($40/hour). I'm not going to charge him extra...but I'm thinking, I may not be able to do it at the level I'm used to doing.





Less said:
It really is that simple. Well said.



Hulk - Sounds like your current customer has some inkling of what kind of business this may turn out to be for you. Maybe he has a lot of cars that need work. Maybe he tips well. Maybe he likes his car maintained often. All of which turn into good profits for you.



If you need the money and have the time, then do it. If you don't think the extra money is worth the sacrifice of your time, then don't do it. However, neither of those have anything to do with the customer, and therefore, should have no influence over the price he pays.
Click to expand...
 
Haha...Thanks, Tom. I'm not good...just good enough.



I just don't want to cut corners for this guy, just to finish car. And I would have to possibly do it at the expense of MY BEST customer (Guy who owns the Bat Cave).





tom p. said:
These are the dilemmas that will confront you when you're "good" :sign People seek you out and demand your services. You need to accommodate them, within reason, but I don't think you should pork them unless you have to work on Sunday, for example. It's likely these folks will be promoted from a "customer" to a long-term "client". I think that's what you should focus on unless you've got more work than you could possibly handle.
Click to expand...
 
I hear ya and I agree. Let the person know you have minimum personal standards and are not willing to rush a job to get it out the door. If he/she is a reasonable individual, they will understand and respect you more for the decision.
 
Well said, Tom...and my thoughts exactly. I'm emailing him now.





tom p. said:
I hear ya and I agree. Let the person know you have minimum personal standards and are not willing to rush a job to get it out the door. If he/she is a reasonable individual, they will understand and respect you more for the decision.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top