Last Minute Appointment: Charge More?

Based on all of the responses and Hulk's info, here is what I would do:



tell the new customer "I know you're a friend of (insert current customer's name here), and I want to help you out. But i have another client who has me booked through the weekend."



Then, offer him a quick wash & wax, or even offer to use a glaze to help get his car ready for whatever he needs it for on Saturday. Further, offer to book him next week for a full polishing. But sweeten the deal for him a bit since has to wait. For example, you could offer him a free interior cleaning as part of the service.



By doing this you:

1) Somewhat satisfy the new customer's needs by saturday

2) Completely satisfy your existing customer's needs without compromise.

3) Get a jump start on next week's bookings. You've effectively turned this new customer's one emergency into two appointments!!



This way you don't sacrifice anything, but the customer may still feel like he's getting more than he's paying for. In my example he's getting some expedited service (wash & wax/glaze), and he's getting a small perk (free interior cleaning). At the same time, the time constraint and the risk to your existing customer base is minimal.
 
I think so too.



I just emailed him and said, I am just not comfortable rushing a job, at the expense of my expectations, just to complete it. If there is ANY WAY I can do it, and do it right, I will. Otherwise, I hope you (The new guy) would consider my services in the future.





MotorCity said:
And that is the deciding factor... If that was the case there is no way I could accept the job
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Damn, Less...why don't you post more often? Haha.



Excellent ideas/suggestions!!!!!! Thank you so much.





Less said:
Based on all of the responses and Hulk's info, here is what I would do:



tell the new customer "I know you're a friend of (insert current customer's name here), and I want to help you out. But i have another client who has me booked through the weekend."



Then, offer him a quick wash & wax, or even offer to use a glaze to help get his car ready for whatever he needs it for on Saturday. Further, offer to book him next week for a full polishing. But sweeten the deal for him a bit since has to wait. For example, you could offer him a free interior cleaning as part of the service.



By doing this you:

1) Somewhat satisfy the new customer's needs by saturday

2) Completely satisfy your existing customer's needs without compromise.

3) Get a jump start on next week's bookings. You've effectively turned this new customer's one emergency into two appointments!!



This way you don't sacrifice anything, but the customer may still feel like he's getting more than he's paying for. In my example he's getting some expedited service (wash & wax/glaze), and he's getting a small perk (free interior cleaning). At the same time, the time constraint and the risk to your existing customer base is minimal.
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EisenHulk said:
I think so too.



I just emailed him and said, I am just not comfortable rushing a job, at the expense of my expectations, just to complete it. If there is ANY WAY I can do it, and do it right, I will. Otherwise, I hope you (The new guy) would consider my services in the future.
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I think you made the right decision....





The new guy was referred to you based on the level of work you take pride in doing. If you can't deliver that same level you are not doing yourself, the new customer or the existing customer that referred his buddy to you justice!



Glad to see you hold the level of work you demand of yourself higher than another buck!
 
I think so too, Jason. Thanks, buddy.



My philosophy (in detailing) is this: Whether you drive a Ferrari or a Fiero, you'll get the same level of work from me. Also, it doesn't matter what the person is worth, you'll get the same quote from me. I do not price gouge.



Thanks for your input.



Off topic...did my friend ever contact you?





MotorCity said:
I think you made the right decision....





The new guy was referred to you based on the level of work you take pride in doing. If you can't deliver that same level you are not doing yourself, the new customer or the existing customer that referred his buddy to you justice!



Glad to see you hold the level of work you demand of yourself higher than another buck!
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EisenHulk said:
I think so too, Jason. Thanks, buddy.



My philosophy (in detailing) is this: Whether you drive a Ferrari or a Fiero, you'll get the same level of work from me. Also, it doesn't matter what the person is worth, you'll get the same quote from me. I do not price gouge.



Thanks for your input.



Off topic...did my friend ever contact you?
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I don't think so....
 
EisenHulk said:
I think so too, Jason. Thanks, buddy.



My philosophy (in detailing) is this: Whether you drive a Ferrari or a Fiero, you'll get the same level of work from me. Also, it doesn't matter what the person is worth, you'll get the same quote from me. I do not price gouge.
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This is probably a seperate debate, and I don't want to get into anything too deep, but I do want to say that I only agree with half of your philosophy.



The first part, about maintaining the same level of workmanship and holding yourself to a high standard is going to reflect in your work and pay off through repeat business and referrals.



However, pricing according to your market is very important when running a successful business. I know you only do this part time on the side, so it's probably irrelevant, but I think it's worth mentioning.



You can say that your time is worth $40, $50, $60 per hour, or whatever. But ultimately its only worth what someone is willing to pay. Therefore, if you can only keep your schedule full by offering your services at $25 per hour, well then that's what it's worth. Conversely, if someone is willing to pay you $100 per hour, why would you ever consider working for less?



Generically speaking, the ferrari owner has more disposable income than the Fiero owner. It's also likely that he is more concerned with his car's appearance than the Fiero owner is, and therefore is willing to allocate more money towards that goal. Who are you to tell him different?



Now, I've never owned a Ferrari, so I don't know what's involved in finding a detailer for one. But I'm pretty sure that the average Ferrari owner doesn't just pick any hack out of the yellow pages. It seems more likely to me that he might seek referrals, and/or do some research into your work and reputation. Therefore, if you're being hired to detail a Ferrari, it's probably because you did something to EARN that job. There is no shame in getting paid for that.



Obviously I'm not advocating that you charge one guy $50/hr and another guy $100/hr simply because the second guy doesn't know any better. But if you're polishing up Camry's for the same price as Lamborghini's, you're doing something wrong.
 
Posted by Less

Obviously I'm not advocating that you charge one guy $50/hr and another guy $100/hr simply because the second guy doesn't know any better. But if you're polishing up Camry's for the same price as Lamborghini's, you're doing something wrong.
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I don't think so.



When you go to your Doctor's office, does he charge you more based on your income?



When you order from ADS, Autogeek, Perfect Shine, Detailer's Domain and or other online detailing supply companies, do you pay more because you make $100K a year vs. $75K, or $30K?



It all depends on what the customer wants. The owner of the Camry may be content with a wash, one step polish and wax and pay for that service, while the owner of the Ferrari may want a full blown concourse quality detail... or vice versa.



EisenHulk...

Have you considered taking a personal day or a vacation day from your full time job to accomodate the detailing request?
 
I'm actually taking a personal day tomorrow to finish up the cars for the owner of the Bat Cave. Pretty bad when you have to take a day off to work. Hahaha.



I'm going to look at the new car this evening. The owner says it's in great shape, but what's great to some, isn't to Autopians. ;)



Thanks for the input Gonz.





DaGonz said:
Posted by Less





I don't think so.



When you go to your Doctor's office, does he charge you more based on your income?



When you order from ADS, Autogeek, Perfect Shine, Detailer's Domain and or other online detailing supply companies, do you pay more because you make $100K a year vs. $75K, or $30K?



It all depends on what the customer wants. The owner of the Camry may be content with a wash, one step polish and wax and pay for that service, while the owner of the Ferrari may want a full blown concourse quality detail... or vice versa.



EisenHulk...

Have you considered taking a personal day or a vacation day from your full time job to accomodate the detailing request?
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You're misunderstanding me slightly DaGonz. I'm not saying that higher income = higher prices. It's more like higher income = more money to spend.



However, because they are willing to spend this money, they reserve the right to be more discriminating in their selection of service providers. In this case, Mr. Hulk was chosen specifically because of his reputation of quality service. I absolutely believe that Mr. Hulk should be paid for that. He earned it.



Second...just a comment related to your Doctor analogy.



My wife is a psychologist. She has a PhD and works every day with emotionally and mentally distressed people. Her office is listed in the yellow pages, they take most health insurances, and they cater to the general public.



However, at the same time, somewhere, there is another psychologist who will spend one hour listening to Britney Spears whine about her screwed up life, and charge more for that one session than my wife will earn in a month.



Plastic surgeons are probably the same way. Do you think that celebrities in LA pay the same for their Botox as the upper-middle class housewife in Newton, MA? I'm guessing they don't.



It's hard to use the Doctor analogy when discussing something medically necessary. But our economy is full of examples of higher income consumers paying more for things.
 
I do see your points, Less. Let me give some insight to my situation.



I started my "business" about 15 months ago...totally by chance. I also learned early on that I have a knack for this (I still wouldn't want to do this full-time). After I booked my first high-end car, I knew I'd never go back to detailing mini-vans, pet haulers and any other beater. Why? Because this isn't my primary source of income. My detailing revenue goes toward three things:



1. My savings/Scottrade account/ROTH IRA.

2. Having fun.

3. Supplies to keep this going.



I still do details for a couple of co-workers and a select group of close friends, but other than that, I keep my clientele limited to people who have extremely nice cars and want to keep them looking nice. I give up quite a bit of free time to run my "business", so I'm going to make it worth my while. I'm not trying to sound like an elitist at all, so I hope I'm not coming across as such. I've raised my rates twice in the past six months, and I'm still turning business away.



I hope that helps, Less. I also hope that my tone didn't come across as confrontational. Tone is usually misconstrued via email/written text. As I've said before, I really appreciate your input.









Less said:
This is probably a seperate debate, and I don't want to get into anything too deep, but I do want to say that I only agree with half of your philosophy.



The first part, about maintaining the same level of workmanship and holding yourself to a high standard is going to reflect in your work and pay off through repeat business and referrals.



However, pricing according to your market is very important when running a successful business. I know you only do this part time on the side, so it's probably irrelevant, but I think it's worth mentioning.



You can say that your time is worth $40, $50, $60 per hour, or whatever. But ultimately its only worth what someone is willing to pay. Therefore, if you can only keep your schedule full by offering your services at $25 per hour, well then that's what it's worth. Conversely, if someone is willing to pay you $100 per hour, why would you ever consider working for less?



Generically speaking, the ferrari owner has more disposable income than the Fiero owner. It's also likely that he is more concerned with his car's appearance than the Fiero owner is, and therefore is willing to allocate more money towards that goal. Who are you to tell him different?



Now, I've never owned a Ferrari, so I don't know what's involved in finding a detailer for one. But I'm pretty sure that the average Ferrari owner doesn't just pick any hack out of the yellow pages. It seems more likely to me that he might seek referrals, and/or do some research into your work and reputation. Therefore, if you're being hired to detail a Ferrari, it's probably because you did something to EARN that job. There is no shame in getting paid for that.



Obviously I'm not advocating that you charge one guy $50/hr and another guy $100/hr simply because the second guy doesn't know any better. But if you're polishing up Camry's for the same price as Lamborghini's, you're doing something wrong.
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Hulk, I have no problem with your tone or anything you're saying. I really enjoy these discussions when it relates to general business management and economics.



Though, now that I know more about your business, it's easy to see how you stick to your previously stated Ferrari/Fiero philosophy. LOL, you just turn the Fiero away at the door.



Good luck!
 
Thanks, man. Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page here.



Hahahaha! That's pretty much it! Just so you know, I do have a mini-van coming up soon...it's for a co-worker...and I detail the company van as well. See, I still let the Fiero through the door. ;)



Less said:
Hulk, I have no problem with your tone or anything you're saying. I really enjoy these discussions when it relates to general business management and economics.



Though, now that I know more about your business, it's easy to see how you stick to your previously stated Ferrari/Fiero philosophy. LOL, you just turn the Fiero away at the door.



Good luck!
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To be quite honest, I didn't read everyone's responses but if you can fit him in without any hassles, I would do it at my normal rate. However if he can't be fitted in, he can wait like everyone else.



IMO, it's more about the relationships than the money, that's how I see it. Good luck in whatever you decide Case. :xyxthumbs
 
Thanks for the input, Denz!



I went to look at the car yesterday at his "garage" and let me say....move over Bat Cave!!! Wow, what a collection! I'll save that for another day.



The Daytona is in desperate need of a full correction...this is what I told his wife (Who knows her stuff) who was kind enough to show me around the garage. I explained to her that with the amount of time that I had to work with, all I would able to do is wash, glaze and wax, with no correction work being done.



I then called the owner last night and explained the same to him. I said it wasn't fair for me to charge him for something (Wash & wax) that he was more than capable of doing himself. I told that I take my detailing very seriously and that I could dramatically improve the Ferrari, but it would take time and I just don't have that luxury right now. I asked that he keep me in mind, and he promised me that he would be contacting me in the very near future to work on his cars. I thought this was a very positive sign, as he seemed genuinely understanding of the time crunch I'm in with the cars at the Bat Cave (He knows the owner, by the way).



I feel very good about my decision.





Denzil said:
To be quite honest, I didn't read everyone's responses but if you can fit him in without any hassles, I would do it at my normal rate. However if he can't be fitted in, he can wait like everyone else.



IMO, it's more about the relationships than the money, that's how I see it. Good luck in whatever you decide Case. :xyxthumbs
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If you CAN fit it in, then why charge extra? He's doing you a favor by filling your appointment book. If you're going to be working late nights to finish his car, you could tell the customer that you're going to be working late nights to finish his car, and you'll just add a couple hundred bucks to the detail. If he really wants you to do the car, he'll pay the money. Especially Ferrari customers. They want it done right the first time, and they don't want to go to the hacks down the street.





John
 
Thanks, John.



That was the thing...if I had taken on the job this week, I would've been burning the midnight oil.



He understood my situation, so all is well.



JohnKleven said:
If you CAN fit it in, then why charge extra? He's doing you a favor by filling your appointment book. If you're going to be working late nights to finish his car, you could tell the customer that you're going to be working late nights to finish his car, and you'll just add a couple hundred bucks to the detail. If he really wants you to do the car, he'll pay the money. Especially Ferrari customers. They want it done right the first time, and they don't want to go to the hacks down the street.





John
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