newbie to the detailing buisness with question on marketing

Bigsteve2200

Bigsteve2200

New member
Ok, I am trying to start a detailing buisness in my area. no. 1 because there is really no good detailer around that does a decent job, hence my reason for doing it. now my questions are this. how the crap do i go about marketing it. i have tried the flyer thing 1,000 flyers with only 1 phone call and the lady cancelled. i have however done 1 vehicle the other day for a friend and they want me to come back and do there corvette. they are in a position to send me buisness which is good, but i wont be holding my breath on that one. what are some good ideas to start getting buisness i am pretty hungry and need the money j/k , but seriously i have though about calling limo companies, people who have there cars for sale, car dealers etc. my questions are what are good ways to start getting buisness and remember i dont have money to blow on advirtising
 
Word of mouth is best. Detail a friends car and have them tell their friends. I am having luck with that type of thing.
 
i know word of mouth is the best way. which is what i am counting on right now. i was just wondering if doing the phone call thing to limo companies , car dealers , and people selling there cars in the paper and in autotrader was a good idea. the flyer thing to me would just only make people mad i would think cause who wants a flyer on there doorstep.
 
its all about how well you can sell your services. Calling people in the paper who are selling their cars has worked for me. I have also been known to stand in the parking lot at work on my day off and solicit people as they show up to work. They know me here so its a technique that works. I wouldn't suggest doing that in a place other than where you work and know people.

Nearly all of the business that I receive right now is based on word of mouth and repeat customers. In the beginning I had to go door to door practically to get the business. Without a budget for advertising, you are going to have to put a lot of work into getting clients and then trust them to spread the word.

Flyers are never a good idea. It has been proven time and time again that you can expect less than a 1% return on flyers. Perhaps if you post the flyers in public places where they can be viewd by many people then it would be better. It also depends on where you are. What city do you live in? Knowing your demographics is the key to effective advertising on shoestring budgets. however, it costs money to make money, so if you think you are going to get rich by not advertising then you are a little mistaken. I've been in 'business' for over 7 years now and the only money I've ever spent on advertising is recently when I bought a website. Other than that I have always had to do the footwork and make my own business cards and flyers and really pound the pavement. Now i don't have to do any of that because the work I did early on is paying off now. It is a ton of work to get it going without a budget to advertise in the paper or phone book or something.
 
on the car dealer idea.... most dealerships already have detail shops inhouse. They aren't going to pay you what the job is worth anyway. I have a friend who is a detailer for a Porsche dealership in town and they pay him 9 bucks an hour. The money is in volume if you are going to detail at one of those places. Unless you have a truck and a water tank to wash 50 cars a day then those places aren't going to talk to you. The smaller dealerships that contract out to local detail shops are the ones i would focus on. They are the ones who understand that low volume contracts are more expensive and you will make better money with them.
 
Word of mouth is working for us. That and my partner and I both run websites and advertise on there. Maybe find a local car forum and see what they charge to throw your banner up on the top of their site. Make sure it is not a site dedicated to Muddy Cars of Maryland or something though. :lol

I know you might not wanna hear this but maybe ofer some really good free jobs to people you know will spread the word for you.
 
Great stuff for free advertising.

The key is meeting and talking to as many people as possible.

1. When you stop anywhere, I mean anywhere. Compliment someones car. People love that. Tell them about what you do!

2. Go to car shows. Compliment someones car. People love that. Tell them about what you do!

3. For every car you detail. Ask the customer for referrals. Ask them three times!

4. I don't know if you are mobile or not, but I get more people ask me about detailing when I am working. If you're mobile, work in a highly visable area. Make a sign that says "ask about auto detailing"

5. If you aren't busy, hang out at car washes, car care isles at stores, ask about peoples cars, they love that, tell them what you do!.

6. Go talk to auto shops, tire places, oil change places, ask them if you can have a sign made to put at their location about auto detailing put a nice picture on it. Offer them a kick back for deals that arise from the sign. Detail the shop managers car for an incentive for him to put up your sign.

7. Go talk to body shop managers too. Insurance companies will pay for a detail for cars that were stolen and recovered. I know StateFarm, USAA, Farmers, and Allstate all pay upto $200. Charge the shop $150 and let them pocket $50.

8. Call people in the paper who have their cars for sale. Tell them how a prof detail can help their car sell faster. I've never liked doing this one, but make enough phone calls and it works!

9. Go talk to golf course managers. Do the sign thing in #6. 18 holes offers plenty of time to detail a car.

10. Talk to people, as many as possible, compliment their cars, they love that, tell them about what you do!
 
well seems like you all have good ideas. i learned a good bit. i know about the car dealer thing i used to work at one. and i have found out the flyers were not a good idea just a waste of money so far i have only gotten 1 cancelled apointment and 2 calls from the post office because people who were helping me pass out flyers put them on and in the mailboxes at peoples houses not knowing that it was illegal to do so
 
Ouch... yeah, educate the people who are helping you. That is a federal offense to put anything in a mail box. I am surprised that the Post Office called you twice instead of just sending an officer to fine you. It is your business and you are responsible for the actions of anybody who is working for you. Definitely educate them better on that one.
 
denverdetail I don't think you could have layed it out any better!

I think there are a few things that you should always remember on top of that, that will always help promote word of mouth above and and beyond.

1. Always take pride in your work!
2. Remember the old saying Positive word of mouth spreads fast! But Negitive word of mouth spreads 10x faster!
3. Don't speak to customers like they are your best friend! I have personaly found its always best to refer to customers as Mam and Sir. Unless other wise instructed. Or even by Mr,Mrs,and Ms, People like that makes them feel extra special.
4. Don't rush a job...I always go with the saying ...Its going to take as long as its going to take to get the job done right!

To add to denverdetails list of places to find business. Office complexes are great places to get a bunch of cars in one day.

Schools! High Schools where they have summer school in session ...you may be able to pick up a few of the teachers cars!

Your possiblilitys are endless! As long as you take pride in what it is that you are doing you will always succeed!
 
Right on!

I always work on the assumption, and a very valid assumption, that there is 20 times the work out there that you can handle. It's just a matter of going out there and finding it!
 
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