Need advice for a big job

A

anarchistchiken

New member
I am not quite a professional detailer, still a semi-pro I guess, minor league. I have a lot of experience and I know what I'm doing, I just haven't invested a lot of money in my business, and working a regular job and going to school leaves me with little time for drumming up business. Anyway, I detailed a couple cars last week, and the owner was so happy with my work, he convinced the PTA at their kids elementary school to hire me to wash all the teachers cars as an end of year gift! I'm psyched to have the opportunity as this is a school in a pretty swanky neighborhood, which could lead to a lot of business in the future.



My problem is, they want me to do 42 cars, which means I'll have to have at least one other person working with me. They want a basic exterior detail for each one, which I consider an exterior wash, quick wheel cleaning, exterior glass and trim cleaning, and a round of AIO with a PC. I can do that work in about 45-75 minutes by myself, but I've never worked with someone double teaming with me. We'll do some trial runs before the big show, but I don't know the timing yet.



What I need to know from you experienced guys is, what, if anything, should I cut from that basic detail? Considering the advertising this is going to net me, what should I charge per vehicle? Any advice anyone has on doing this kind of volume, tips and tricks and whatnot, that would be greatly appreciated too.
 
Wow congrats on the big order there. Definatly going to need to plan this one out. First thing is what kind of time frame do you have to get this entire job done in? You might need to pick up several people if you only have a limited amount of time to get it all done in.



Figure out what products you plan on using. How much of the product you'll use per car and what said product cost you to get. Factor in cost of supplies and how much you'll need of say MF towels, Wash mitts, chamoise, wheel brushes if needed, gas to get there, etc etc etc. Once you get all the cost down factor in your time and what your guys are willing to work for and that should give you a real hard case number of what it cost to just do the detail even up. Now factor in how much profit you want to make so it's worth your time to do this and that should tell you what you should be charging. If this is a game of negotiations figure a little high and when they come back to lowball you, you should be able to meet in the middle and still get what you want. But having that base number is crucial to knowing exactly what it cost you just to take on the job.



As far as the work goes. If you have a team get them set up to do a specific job. It'll make the work go quicker. Have one guy on wash another on dry another on wheels etc etc. All depends on how many guys you have. If you still tackle this with just 2 guys I'd say one gets prep one get polish. It would still go faster than both taking on their own vehicle.



Biggest tip is show up with all the right tools to do this. Nothing can sap more time off a detail than trying to figure out a work around because you didn't have a specific tool to do the job.
 
Jake has covered most if not all the important points. The only suggestion I've got that remains for doing quantity jobs like this is to have a specific method and order of work performed in place. If every car gets the same process with the same tools and products it will help prevent any dips in efficiency during the day- and your helpers will know exactly what they should be doing to keep pace.
 
Now, perhaps this is not the direction that they were looking to take this, but... would it be acceptable to issue certificates to the teachers for the complimentary service to be scheduled at their convenience? This would address your time-to-workload concern, position you to upsell them on additional services (interior, etc), and possibly detail any additional vehicles that the teachers might have.



It just seems like this would be a much more beneficial approach to take, as it will establish a working relationship between you and the teacher, rather than the teachers just walking out to cars that were cleaned by a faceless detailer "compliments of the PTA."



Make sense?
 
Hey guys, thank you for your help, great ideas all around. This is the email I'm about to send them, what do you think?

Hey ****, I have a pretty firm idea of how I want to do this. The large volume of cars is not a problem, I know I can do it in a couple days in the parking lot, but that's not really what 360 detailing is about. Half the fun of this business is meeting people one on one and figuring out how to best meet their particular goals for car cleanliness. You mentioned that some people will probably upgrade to higher packages, and that gave me an idea for a plan that might work out best for everyone. Instead of cleaning the interior and doing whatever else they may want in the crowded parking lot, which would involve moving the cars, which I'd rather avoid, you could issue car wash certificates to the teachers. Those who just want the wash can have it done at the school, and anyone who wants extra steps, I can come to them whenever it is convenient.





What I usually do for my basic detail is wash the exterior and hand dry, clean and seal wheels and tires, dress the plastic trim, clean all glass, and do a quick one step polish with a product called Klasse All-In-One. The AIO will polish the paint, remove impurities, and apply a light layer of wax. Normally for that detail I charge $65 (the polishing is time intensive), but I'll be happy to give you guys 30% off.



We have other options as well. If that is out of the price range, I offer a basic wash without the polishing step for $35, so call it $20 for you.



Extras:

Upgrade All-In-One - Replace AIO treatment with a polymer paint sealant and paste wax - $30

Single stage paint correction - Removes light marring and swirl marks -$20

Dual Stage paint correction - Removes light scratches and all swirl marks - $50

Basic Interior - Vacuum, dust, protect interior panels, leather conditioner, glass cleaned - $25

Safety Package - Headlights, taillights, and all cabin glass polished to provide maximum visibility - $20

Clay Bar - A cleansing clay treatment removes built up road grime, tree sap, and other impurities - $20

Engine Bay - Degrease engine compartment, dress plastic cladding - $15
 
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