no more wash and wax services?

D

dirt doctors

New member
after years of going through employees, and the recent rise in the cost of gasoline, i am considering, not offering wash and vac/ wash and wax services to all new clients. I will also not use a helper(at least I dont want a helper for a while, I am tired of training, and not finding the right guy/girl for the job.). I will now require all new clients to first get their vehicle completely detailed, then maintained as needed. I will not change any policies for exhisting clients. I am thinking more full details, less riff raff cheapos, more ching-ching! Anyone been here before? Should I keep doing these $50 stops or concentrate on focusing myself on selling the full details.Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
i'd rather do wash/wax's all/every day instead of full's. at my shop (nj), we can do at least 3 per hour, 150 per hour as compared to a full for 129-159 whichs takes about 2 hours or more depending on condition, see my point
 
i did one the other night for a regular and it was a pain. but she was my first customer and ill keep my word on maintenance program .. its something i was thinking about today..funny you should bring it up...
 
I'm not a pro but I think I wouldn't get my equipment out and drive and set up etc for $50 unless it was gong to be about 30 min of work and I could squeeze it in between good jobs. You might want to reconsider. Those little jobs might be paying the rent or the monthly gas bill.
 
Use the 80/20 rule. 20% of your services/customers make up 80% of your business. Focus on these services and track them. Don't stumble over dollars trying to pick up pennies.:cool
 
dirt doctors said:
i am considering, not offering wash and vac/ wash and wax services to all new clients.

I will now require all new clients to first get their vehicle completely detailed, then maintained as needed.

I am thinking more full details, Anyone been here before?

Should I keep doing these $50 stops or concentrate on focusing myself on selling the full details.
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Basically what you are doing is trying to serve two completely different markets at the same time. Think about it. Most people who want a wash/n/wax service usually do not purchase full details very often. Why should they? You're keeping their car looking so good with every low cost wash/n/wax there is really no need to pay for full details. You have basically become your own competition. Not a good idea. What you need to do is try to understand and further identify the mission of your business. What do you want your business to be? Do you want to be a low-cost wash/nwax/ service? or do you want to be a high dollar full detail service? There is nothing wrong with either, it's just that when you try to do both, in most cases, that presents a problem.

Let me give you a little background about the mission of my detailing business. Since I started my own mobile detailing business here in Southern NJ in 1986, I have only ever offered a full, complete detailing package. No wash/n/wax or express type services. I realized early on that I did not want to compete against local car washes and other wash/n/wax services. I figured that I would rather concentrate on high priced full service details. I have been asked many times about weekly washes and I have always politely declined. It's just not what my business is about.

In order to focus more on offering higher priced full details, you will need to think about how you can educate your customers so that they understand the important benefits of having their vehicle completely detailed at least three to four times a year, usually with the change of each season.

Just my thoughts...
 
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GearHead_1 said:
Use the 80/20 rule. 20% of your services/customers make up 80% of your business. Focus on these services and track them. Don't stumble over dollars trying to pick up pennies.:cool
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Very good advice!

It is always a good idea to stay focused on the 20% of your customers that account for 80% of your income. These good customers represent the core of your business. When you think about the true mission of your business, always try to consider the service you are providing these good customers.
 
Re: Re: no more wash and wax services?

You have basically become your own competition. Not a good idea. [/B]
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Well said, this is true. One more thought that goes down this line. It kind of sounds like you have sufficient business to be able to make a choice. You only have so many hours in a day. Spend them doing what you want/like to do. If that means making more money all the better.
 
For me, I would prefer to have the security of a steady base as opposed to only trying to focus on upon new business. Offering up customers, after the initial detail, a the monthly maintenance program of 3 weekly washes and a wash/wax will help accomplish that. Since the vehicles are in good shape, and in most cases just high pressure rinsing and drying will cover the wash, the washes take about 15-20 minutes. Using the same reasoning, wax's take about 30-45 minutes. This not only opens the door for being at each location on a weekly basis helping to expand clientele, it also helps get through the winter months. If you can have them pay in advance, it also helps with a steady monthly income. As an incentive, one could also offer up those who sign up a discount on other detailing services.

Sign up 10 of these per day, 5 days per week, at $100/ month that's what $5k? Add to that the other detailing services that can be preformed in the remainder of each day, and add a complete detail at least once a year for each of these 50 monthly clients, and that puts one's mobile unit into the $75K/yr range. With two people, in a major metro area, one could easily push gross sales into $200k/yr bracket.

These are just numbers used as examples though... many will make more.

I might add that in the area of not being able to find the right helper/employee that there is a little wisdom in the sayings.... "wherever I go, there I am..." or " I take me, with me, wherever I go..." For me, if I am the common denominator in my issues/problems, then I might want to look into me, what I am doing wrong, and maybe try to fix it.
 
good advice guys, i have a plan that all new clients will be required to start with a full detail, then and then only they will be allowed to get maintenence packages. as far as me being the problem, there may be some truth to that, i tend to be toonice to my employees, and they will take advantage of me.
 
there are some very good points made so far!!!
This what I tend to offer.
I try to accomplish both without compromising what my first priority is making a living. I offer a full detail service with a set # of maintenance services (EX. full service detail and a monthly maintenance good for 6 wash n vac's.) My hope in doing this is I get to offer a full service detail in the spring and fall and help keep me busy in slower months. I believe this will help me retain my customers as well as keep the door open for more upsell opprotunity, Help generate new business, and get more exposure to your business. These are some of my practices and I hope they help you out as well. I agree that doing this everday can be more of a pain than anything else. It might help to do all your washes and waxes in a full day or 2, and do detailing the other days of the week. Keep educating your customers inform them of the condition of there paint/interior this will help you also generate more full services and keep a customer happy as well... Good luck!
 
is this what you mean?... sell a full + 6 mos maint(1 per mo) as a package. like, lets say $200+(6 x $50)=$500?....
wow! what an ending to the race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nascar!!!!!!!!!!#38 by a nose!
 
something like that yeah. I offer a full detail.. Then I offer the maint. program with it pay for it monthly or recieve 15% off when you purcashe it with a full detail and it is pre paid for 6 months. At the end of 6 months another full detail and another maint package.. no full detail no maint package...
 
Im new to mobile detailing, Can you guys elaborate more on MAINTAINCE PACKAGES
What do you do for this? What are some basic fees you charge, do you collect up front
Thanks
Mark
 
i refer to maint as services done between fulls to keep vehicle in top notch condition. these services can very from car to car. prices very as well. anything, but a full, is basically a maint service.
 
My wash and wax (MAINTENANCE DETAIL) is my bread and butter. First let me tell you we require $95 or more per stop. Some vehicles we do monthly for as low as $55 but they better have a second vehicle or we can't stop there to do it.

To date we brought in almost $7,000 in maintenance detaling alone.
 
I think there's plenty of great advice on this page and I'm soaking it in as well.

I faced a similar problem last year in that I didn't feel that doing regular washes/waxes was worth my time. Supply and demand is the American way.... If your service, in this case the wash/wax package is in high demand, you can afford to raise the price. I was scared to death when I did this thinking people would not be interested, but I have to charge what my time is worth. Long story short....I raised the price on my wash for new clients and it worked out well. I may spend more time on each car, but I make what I consider a very fair amount for my efforts. When someone inquires, I explain in detail everything that I'm going to do on their vehicle....and it usually sells.

Thanks everyone...from a business perspective this is one of the best threads I've read here in quite some time. You gotta love DC.
 
Ringo said:
If your service, in this case the wash/wax package is in high demand, you can afford to raise the price.

When someone inquires, I explain in detail everything that I'm going to do on their vehicle....and it usually sells.

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This is an interesting view of the detailing market. The time to raise your prices is when you realize that you have a high demand for your service. This is very true for both full details and wash/n/wax services.
 
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