Looking for thoughts/opinions about a competitor

ShaneB

ShaneB

New member
Detailing 101 - Supreme Detailing - How To - 8-Lug Magazine

So I found this interesting write up about the local detail shop that is my primary competitor. At least in a sense that I have potential customers bring them up when discussing my services/prices. I try to provide a superior service but also have a higher price as a result.

I'm just looking for the autopian opinion of what they do so I am better armed with knowledge to get customers to choose me over them. I have my thoughts on the matter but maybe I'm missing something. The fact that they go from rotary/wool straight to wax on most cars is a big deal IMO but one i have trouble explaining to people. And the use of laquer thinner is somewhat concerning IMO as well.

I don't want to jump to conclusions on anything over this, just would like some more points of view. Maybe they really do do a great job. I dunno. I still have a lot of work to do to grow my business as I'm only wrapping up my 2nd year of it
 
that's an age old problem Shane,its commonly known as a pissing match [mine is bigger than yours] its usually the customer pushing your buttons,which you cannot help,however what you can do is ask them [the customer]how long in hours that it will take your competitors to do their car and put the ball back in their court because if the competition is doing it in say 24 hours and you as a result of going from rotary to DA to a finish it takes 32 hours let them ask you why it takes you so long [the customer]
 
First you have to be able to show your customer the difference between your work and your competition. If that does not convince them do the same work as your competition at a lower price or forget the tightwad so and focus on those customers that pay for quality. You can't be everything for everyone. Be the business model you want to be.
 
ShaneB -

Wow ! What an article ! Who was that grandmother working on the truck ? Is she wearing a wig ? :)

Looks like just another production shop using a lot more liquid on the Interior than I would ever consider using.. So if they dont have a really good Extractor, how are they going to get all the water out?
I didnt see anyone putting fans in there to help dry it, did you ?

"We only use Purple Clay on white vehicles" - really - news flash - Claybars can be any color under the rainbow and are still mostly 2 grades, and sometimes there might be a 3rd really fine claybar out there..

Way too many pictures of people standing there with a spray bottle or spray jug spraying nothing in particular.. quite funny..

If the best they can put up is someones old white, work truck, then you really have No competition, right ?
And then the picture of it was from 10-20 feet away so you really couldnt see how well it really looked and the Interior or Engine Compartment Afters ??? What happened ??

My advice is to just put your head down and do really great work, not good work, Great Work, and the people that have nice CARS and Trucks will be coming by..

Put some Logo on the side of your perfectly detailed inside and out, work vehicle, and people will be stopping you in every parking lot asking for a card, and wanting to know why your vehicle looks so great...

Go by a really good German Car Independent Shop and ask them if you can Detail all their Client's vehicles, if they are at least receptive, offer to Detail their Shop vehicle ( usually a nice 3 or 5 Series Wagon or X5, etc.) and if you are really that great, not good, great, they will want to send you business...

I think I would rather have Latrine Duty for awhile than put up an old white work truck on my website as an example of my best work...

You are so much better than that bunch, - get yourself dialed in at all aspects of this business if you are truly wanting to make it your full time business, and just keep producing perfect, perfectly clear, glossy, paintwork, perfect Interiors, not 1 speck of dirt to be found, even in the trunk, perfect Engine compartments, tires, fenderwells, door, hood, and trunk jambs,
how bad do you want to be the BEST ?

Come on, Lad, go do the work!!! Make us proud !!!
Dan F
 
So much misleading information in that article. I think even the average guy would peg this shop as a mainstream commercial facility when reading that article. Keep a bottle of 3M or Meguiars on the shelf so that you can say you use it but for most procedures there is something that does a better job at a cheaper price and I'll charge you less. I'm rolling. I'm not knocking bulk products but don't use banana wax and claim it's a better product than one of industry leaders. You use it to save a buck. Remember it costs more whether it's black or white. :)

Dan that was Phoebe Buffay in the pic.
 
GearHead_1 said:
So much misleading information in that article. I think even the average guy would peg this shop as a mainstream commercial facility when reading that article. Keep a bottle of 3M or Meguiars on the shelf so that you can say you use it but for most procedures there is something that does a better job at a cheaper price and I'll charge you less. I'm rolling. I'm not knocking bulk products but don't use banana wax and claim it's a better product than one of industry leaders. You use it to save a buck. Remember it costs more whether it's black or white. :)

Dan that was Phoebe Buffay in the pic.
Click to expand...
Dude -

You are Killing me!!!! :) :) :)
Dan F
 
Glad to see others share some of my thoughts. They seem to be the goto shop in canton, there's one or two others but supreme always ends up coming out of my customers mouths. I don't get it really because their website is a mess, if you can find it, and my website still shows up 2nd on Google under theirs, which half the time the link is dead.

I'll keep doing what I'm doing and if my work and pictures i share don't convince people, I'll just let them go i guess.

I'm going to completely revamp my website over the winter to a more professional and premium look to define my image a little better from the start. i appreciate the input here as i have so much going through my head on how i can portray the image i have in my head onto the website so people see right from the start the type of work i try to do
 
Shane,
Great job !
Its been studied and proven that the majority of people do not want to read a lot of things on a website..
They want it to look and be professionally laid out, concise, enough information about YOU with a good head shot pic, some vehicle pics, pricing, (and not nutty pages of pricing, keep it short and to the point).., and referrals from your Clients...

They dont want to hear what pads products, machines, etc., heroics, etc., that go into making their vehicle Beautiful. they just want to get a good feeling from studying your website and looking at your picture, that you will be a good place to go leave their Baby...

You will want them to be able to say when they see their Baby again, - "That is NOT my CAR!" And it Always will be their Car... :)

Your pics have to be top quality and not the ones from a dang phone, please... :)

Only the younger generation wants lots of flash, a zillion pics, and all the glitz on a website....

The generation that actually has the money to take care of their Investments, is not going to be wanting to read and look at all the stuff, that only we Detailers would appreciate so much more...

Before I just lost my website to idiots, I had some really good reflection shots, not so many with lights, of mostly Jet Black vehicles ( my specialty), and there was a really nice red Ferrari Top Speed..

If I can ever get time and the expertise to post them up here, I will be happy to show you which ones most people liked and asked me about..

You need really good lighting in the ceiling and outside light, for any pictures to turn out good and then look good on your website...

You got this...
Dan F
 
I was also thinking that one could argue that having your paint polished yearly with a rotary/wool would actually do more harm than good over the long term wouldn't it?
 
The Grandmother photo using the rotary on the side panel of the pickup. If you zoom in, is that really how much product you should use?
 
Stokdgs said:
Shane,
Great job !
Its been studied and proven that the majority of people do not want to read a lot of things on a website..
They want it to look and be professionally laid out, concise, enough information about YOU and a good head shot pic, some vehicle pics, pricing, (and not nutty pages of pricing, keep it short and to the point).., and referrals from your Clients...

Your pics have to be top quality and not the ones from a dang phone, please... :)

Only the younger generation wants lots of flash, a zillion pics, and all the glitz....

The generation that actually has the money to take care of their Investments, are not going to be wanting to read and look at all the stuff, that only we Detailers would appreciate so much more...

Before I just lost my website to idiots, I had some really good reflection shots, not so many with lights, of mostly Jet Black vehicles ( my specialty), and there was a really nice red Ferrari Top Speed..

If I can ever get time and the expertise to post them up here, I will be happy to show you which ones most people liked asked me about..

You need really good lighting in the ceiling and outside light, for any pictures to turn out good and then look good on your website...

You got this...
Dan F
Click to expand...

I appreciate your words. Thank you.

so buy a good camera and learn to use it. Cause ALL of my pictures are from my phone. Being mobile the lighting situation is kind of tough but I do get great sun shots as a result. I do plan to setup my garage at home for higher end exterior work because I want to be able to offer coatings. I'll have to make a note that some services are not available mobile
 
Shane,
It doesnt have to be the uber expensive cameras that can zoom in on a gnat at 50 yards, just a good digital camera hopefully a zoom lens, but its not imperative, but able to get some good close shots of not so much "Befores" but the "Afters" when its perfectly clear, and if metallic you can see it clearly in the paintwork..

The Clients you are wanting to get may not fully understand or care to understand how the paint got from yucky to beautiful - they just want to see it beautiful when they come pick it up from your shop..

And if you can, make it so that they cant see it until you take them into the garage and there it is, all lit up, beautifully done inside and out...

I was doing this process for years, keeping their perfectly Detailed vehicle in one side of the garage with the door down and making them walk around to the other side to finally see it, and then I found out that BMW does something like this at their huge BMW Welt building...

When you go pick up your new Bimmer there doing European Delivery, they take you down to this high level of their building and looking over the railing from the landing you are on, all of a sudden, YOUR new Bimmer is all lit up perfectly, at the level below you, rotating on this huge platform, nothing else around it, everything is blacked out...

This is why I had almost everyone almost shout out what I told you earlier - "that is NOT my car!""

Get a tripod for the camera and it will really help you get perfect pics and learn about how to take pics of cars...
Its really simple - has to be as little distracting anything behind the vehicle and around it, not nutty pics in front of some old beat out wall with graffiti, just tastefully done pics and if anything is a good background, it would be a huge wall of green plants or something that is pleasant to the eye of the beholder..

In the Shop, no pics with ANYTHING on the floor, etc., has to be perfectly clean, and orderly, not bottles of stuff on counters, towels, etc...
Its the vehicle - their vehicle that is the STAR - nothing else should be a distraction..

And it goes without saying that the same conditions need to be ON, when they come by to pick up the vehicle... Not one thing out of place.. You are the Detailer... you manage all the Details...

I know from personal experience over years that these few things make a difference and the Clients will like to come to your Shop and have all the confidence in your abilities, and will keep coming back and telling all their friends about you..

Right when I left WA ( not by my choice), I had just cracked the code to all the uber rich people who worked at Costco Headquarters, and they were just starting to bring in all their Audi, BMW, and other German cars to the shop, because the best kind of advertisement - word of mouth - was going through the place..

Keep moving forward, think about your business plan, about your future, will this be a money maker or a drain on your finances, what about Insurance, state taxes if you have that, so you have to charge them for it and then pay the State back quarterly, etc., cost of supplies, get a good discount with a good supplier in your side of the US and it will save a ton on shipping, etc...

Do you have to have a business license, and if so, how much is that a year... yes, you can claim it in your taxes and that can hopefully help some too..

If you really want to do this, you absolutely CAN, its all up to how much, how bad, you want to do it, and at what level you want to achieve..

Good Luck !
Dan F
 
ShaneB said:
I was also thinking that one could argue that having your paint polished yearly with a rotary/wool would actually do more harm than good over the long term wouldn't it?
Click to expand...

No one really polishes vehicles with wool or wool blend unless they are working on newly painted work and there is lots of coats of it...

Yes, if they are really working over the paint with that machine/pad combo, it will take it down a few microns over the years and no good Detailer would ever think that is a good idea ever..

Only production people use this primarily for speed and perhaps not really caring how it turns out, since the product is full of fillers and stuff to help hide their swirls you are getting..

Now perhaps to their credit if they are really good, you can get really good results and clarity even from this stuff if you really know how to use it and have enough time to do it.
They are probably counting on never seeing that old white work truck again anyway..

Think about it - would you Really want to see nothing but hammered, nasty, dirty, inside and out old white or any color work trucks for the rest of your life ??? Negative....

Its a staged pic no doubt, while I really respect what our dear women of the world can do, and they can certainly do things that we men can NEVER do, I just cant see anyone like that spending the hours its going to take to compound with wool blend pads an entire truck...

For crying out loud, the OSHA violation for not having your long hair wig tied back so it doesnt get tangled up with the moving buffer pad was enough to almost make me shout out loud when I first saw the pic...
Dan F
 
From a legal standpoint, I've setup as a single member LLC with no employees so I don't have to worry about quarterly taxes since it's all claimed on my personal return. It's quite easy in Michigan. I'll look into the camera and tri pod, thanks for the tips.

Not it sure about finding a new supplier because autopia has been good to me. Sales and reward points and open box deals have allowed me to expand my tools/products quite a bit so I like to stay loyal to those who help me out :)
 
The cream rises to the top!
If price is the sole decision of the customer?
Let them pick only two of three!
"I've always liked the old designer's adage of "good, fast, or cheap, pick two". That is, a project can be completed quickly, it can be done cheap, and it can be done well, but you need to choose which two of those you want. If you want a good project done quickly, it's gonna be expensive. Fast and cheap? It's gonna suck."
 
Shane -
Great job -
Sounds like you are getting your business set up by the book..
In WA State, they have State Tax so I had to charge my Clients their Percentage of it, and then Quarterly, the State started hounding me for the State Tax I had collected that Quarter, and I had to pay it or get in trouble with the State.

If your State doesnt have that tax then good for you..

A good Velbon CX-570 tripod is not expensive, something like that will connect to most cameras that have a tripod mount hole on the bottom..

There are suppliers that will give a business a discount provided that the business spend X amount of dollars a year...

Until you get your business really going and its more or less constant, or at the least predictable (you know about how many vehicles you will do a year), and you have a good idea of the drain on your Inventory, and you are seeking to cut back costs, then perhaps you can weigh some options...

It's YOUR money going out the door - and THEIR money coming in the door that has to always be More than is going out... :)
Dan F
 
Quote - but supreme always ends up coming out of my customers mouths --

Your Clients must see some form of Advertisement from this place - ask them how they know about this place next time..

Maybe they send out those printed off your computer flyers in the Bulk Mail place at the Post Office ???

You can do that too if you want, and yours will be way nicer, to the point pics, with no distracting people, etc., in them, right ?

Dan F
 
I believe everyone knows them because they show up first in Google, have been around a very very long time (about since canton was really developed) and they have a loyal customer base.

Good news is that I have had a few of their customers call me because the wait at their place was a couple of days and I could take care of it almost right away. And every time they were wowed and told me their car never looked that good out of the other shop. One guy and his wife were in total disbelief and were speechless. I love the feeling I get when customers truly appreciate my work. Makes it all worth it.

I know my business will continue to grow, I was just looking for some validation on some of my thoughts about their process so I can be a little better informed about the competition. My business about doubled from my first year (2014) and I fully expect to be even busier next year
 
I haven't ever really seen any advertising at all out of there. I haven't exactly gone searching for it but that tells me they aren't doing much to get it in front of me. I occasionally advertise on Facebook but rely mostly on my website as I don't think I've gotten a single job out of Facebook advertising. actually most if not all new customers tell me they found my website
 
Shane...I keep thinking about your situation....I had to go find these photos from a few years ago at my work.

The guy that owns the F350 Dually with the large trailer is a professional carpenter...who runs a business outside of his normal job.
The Moore's construction isn't real though.
Just a comedian coworker that made 'Johnny D"'s trailer look like a Hotdog stand...and a make-shift trailer on his Subaru....

Kinda relates to your competition......lol
Hoping you get a chuckle out of it.

WHO WOULD YOU HIRE?

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