Picked up a large dealership account.

Tex Star Detail

Tex Star Detail

Formerly TexasTB
Ok, you all can stop throwing stones at me now.:headspin With my business not getting as many calls as I would like, I decided to go this route for a while. I actually answered a call yesterday from a lorge dealership here in town. They have a couple new car dealerships(1 Ford 2. Dodge) and a large used car lot. Of course it was for the used car lot. He will have 60-100 cars per month, ranging from "just washing and light interior cleaning" to 1-step paint polishing and interior spot shampooing. Of course, engine details on everyone. They do not have to be anywhere "near" perfection, so I should be able to hammer quite a bit out in a 12 hour day.

The pay isn't retail, but if I do 60-75 cars a month, I am pretty much making more than I am now.

I start tomorrow to get the feel for the place. I have to re-arrange some of my regulars to certain days, say the 1st and 15th of every month. Since the dealership said he will most likely have cars everyday to keep me busy all day. Said he'll call every evening to give me a list of the cars for the next day, which sucks because it will be hard to make new appintments.....
 
TexasTB said:
Ok, you all can stop throwing stones at me now.:headspin With my business not getting as many calls as I would like, I decided to go this route for a while. I actually answered a call yesterday from a lorge dealership here in town. They have a couple new car dealerships(1 Ford 2. Dodge) and a large used car lot. Of course it was for the used car lot. He will have 60-100 cars per month, ranging from "just washing and light interior cleaning" to 1-step paint polishing and interior spot shampooing. Of course, engine details on everyone. They do not have to be anywhere "near" perfection, so I should be able to hammer quite a bit out in a 12 hour day.

The pay isn't retail, but if I do 60-75 cars a month, I am pretty much making more than I am now.

I start tomorrow to get the feel for the place. I have to re-arrange some of my regulars to certain days, say the 1st and 15th of every month. Since the dealership said he will most likely have cars everyday to keep me busy all day. Said he'll call every evening to give me a list of the cars for the next day, which sucks because it will be hard to make new appintments.....
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Are you looking for a larger cash flow or just more cash.Retail is the way to fly with dealer work just fill in work.

I know most dealers want everything for cheep and not worth the time in most cases.QUALITY AND NOT QUANITY IS MY SUGGESTION,BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE FOR BILLS.Good luck whatever you do.Remember the dealer will be on a 15-30 day pay schedule right? the retail people pay when they pick up."A BIRD IN THE HAND"Also most dealers I know of have been out of the 60-plus vpm sales for a while now.Talk is cheep it costs money to buy rum.

Good luck in whatever you decide.:bigups
 
Tex, No stones here, not even pebbles :) I say congratulations. I'm fairly certain you wouldn't have even made the initial inquiry if you weren't interested in the work.

I'll be interested to read how you adapt your procedures/routines to match the difference in the workload and expectations.

Are you contract? Will the dealership provide you tools and supplies or will you be responsible for providing your own? If the former, do you know what products you will be using?
 
njcarting1 said:
Are you looking for a larger cash flow or just more cash.Retail is the way to fly with dealer work just fill in work.

I know most dealers want everything for cheep and not worth the time in most cases.QUALITY AND NOT QUANITY IS MY SUGGESTION,BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE FOR BILLS.Good luck whatever you do.Remember the dealer will be on a 15-30 day pay schedule right? the retail people pay when they pick up."A BIRD IN THE HAND"Also most dealers I know of have been out of the 60-plus vpm sales for a while now.Talk is cheep it costs money to buy rum.

Good luck in whatever you decide.:bigups
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Mr. Clean said:
Tex, No stones here, not even pebbles :) I say congratulations. I'm fairly certain you wouldn't have even made the initial inquiry if you weren't interested in the work.

I'll be interested to read how you adapt your procedures/routines to match the difference in the workload and expectations.

Are you contract? Will the dealership provide you tools and supplies or will you be responsible for providing your own? If the former, do you know what products you will be using?
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:cool:Some very good points have been made so far,Although it has been many years since I have dealt with a Stealership I'm certain they havn't changed.Iwould give it 2 weeks to see how it is working out(and show them your worth).At this point I would start giving a few demands of my own.1)You may call me tha day before to tell me what you have but that does not mean I will have them done tommorow.(Retail biz 1st always.You have to remember, someone else was doing there cars yesterday just like you have no certaiainty of them calling you tommorow "They tend to give NO notice" Don't put all your egg's in 1 basket) 2)The way Stealerships are shuting up shop w/out any notice I would demand you recieve payment every 2 weeks(tell them you need to meet payroll/supplies).Other than that I wish you all tha luck in tha world....you will need it:rofl:rofl:rofl:dcrules
 
njcarting1 said:
Are you looking for a larger cash flow or just more cash.Retail is the way to fly with dealer work just fill in work.

I know most dealers want everything for cheep and not worth the time in most cases.QUALITY AND NOT QUANITY IS MY SUGGESTION,BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE FOR BILLS.Good luck whatever you do.Remember the dealer will be on a 15-30 day pay schedule right? the retail people pay when they pick up."A BIRD IN THE HAND"Also most dealers I know of have been out of the 60-plus vpm sales for a while now.Talk is cheep it costs money to buy rum.

Good luck in whatever you decide.:bigups
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I know retail is the way to go, but this week, I only have 3-4 washes and 2 wash/waxes lined up. Last week wasn't the greatest either. I am just starting to feel the pinch in the economy. January-March were excellent for me, some of my best months, but the calls are dwindling. If I can make as much, if not more with the wholesale right now, then so be it. Beggars cannot be choosers I guess they say. If it were up to me, I would only do 3-4 True, full paint corrections.

As per the GM, he doesn't care too much about polishing and such. As long as they look good. We agreed, that the ones that needed some help would only get a quick 1-step. The rest would get wax only. Interiors would be cleaned, not detailed. Some shampooing, mainly spot shampooing. All engines detailed. Rims and tires must look good.

I figure 1.5-2.5 per vehicle depending on condition/size. As far as volume in this time, they have a huge Ford Dealership and a huge Chrysler/Jeep Dealership about 2 miles from each other. He said they not only take trade-ins, they buy out right from private parties and other car lots. While I was there, they were unloading a full rack of cars off an 18-wheeler. So, if it pays the bills right now, then so be it.:bigups


Mr. Clean said:
Tex, No stones here, not even pebbles :) I say congratulations. I'm fairly certain you wouldn't have even made the initial inquiry if you weren't interested in the work.

I'll be interested to read how you adapt your procedures/routines to match the difference in the workload and expectations.

Are you contract? Will the dealership provide you tools and supplies or will you be responsible for providing your own? If the former, do you know what products you will be using?
Click to expand...

No, I would never inquire about dealer work. I did dealer work for one dealership in the past that I used to work for. I worked for them for a few months when my business was slow in the winter time. He kept me coming back after I quit to help the porter get caught up or when they had a nicer vehicle.
Tomorrow I go in to get the feel for the place and do more talking. He agreed to the prices I need for wholesale. As far as tools and chemicals, I will be using my own. I do get to use their water and electricity, which is a plus.

I'll probably use regular APC, glass cleaner, and carpet shampoo for interiors Most likely, Megs hyper dressing (or the Top Of The Line Brand) for dressing the interior dash area and engines. Tires and Wheel Wells will get degreaser and wheels with Megs Wheel Brightener. Dressed with Top of the Line Dressing.
Wax will probably be something easy and cheaply priced, maybe Collinite Insulator wax. If I have to polish, then a 1-step with Megs 151 or 66. I havent tried 151 yet, but hope to get a sample to try out.
 
TexasTB said:
As per the GM, he doesn't care too much about polishing and such. As long as they look good. We agreed, that the ones that needed some help would only get a quick 1-step. The rest would get wax only. Interiors would be cleaned, not detailed. Some shampooing, mainly spot shampooing. All engines detailed. Rims and tires must look good.
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Wouldn't a product such as Optimum Poli-Seal be a good choice?
A cleaner sealant/wax when used by hand.
A pretty decent polish and sealant/wax when used by machine.
Doesn't seem to stain trim either so the taping step could be eliminated.
Only one product to keep on hand for the wax or polish procedures.
You might need to use something more aggressive if they decide they want to really clean a vehicle up, but it doesn't sound like they have any real interest in a true detail.

Not to knock Meguiar's products, (I use several), but many of their waxes and polishes are bad news if you get them on black trim.
 
TexasTB said:
I know retail is the way to go, but this week, I only have 3-4 washes and 2 wash/waxes lined up. Last week wasn't the greatest either. I am just starting to feel the pinch in the economy. January-March were excellent for me, some of my best months, but the calls are dwindling. If I can make as much, if not more with the wholesale right now, then so be it. Beggars cannot be choosers I guess they say. If it were up to me, I would only do 3-4 True, full paint corrections.

As per the GM, he doesn't care too much about polishing and such. As long as they look good. We agreed, that the ones that needed some help would only get a quick 1-step. The rest would get wax only. Interiors would be cleaned, not detailed. Some shampooing, mainly spot shampooing. All engines detailed. Rims and tires must look good.

I figure 1.5-2.5 per vehicle depending on condition/size. As far as volume in this time, they have a huge Ford Dealership and a huge Chrysler/Jeep Dealership about 2 miles from each other. He said they not only take trade-ins, they buy out right from private parties and other car lots. While I was there, they were unloading a full rack of cars off an 18-wheeler. So, if it pays the bills right now, then so be it.:bigups




No, I would never inquire about dealer work. I did dealer work for one dealership in the past that I used to work for. I worked for them for a few months when my business was slow in the winter time. He kept me coming back after I quit to help the porter get caught up or when they had a nicer vehicle.
Tomorrow I go in to get the feel for the place and do more talking. He agreed to the prices I need for wholesale. As far as tools and chemicals, I will be using my own. I do get to use their water and electricity, which is a plus.

I'll probably use regular APC, glass cleaner, and carpet shampoo for interiors Most likely, Megs hyper dressing (or the Top Of The Line Brand) for dressing the interior dash area and engines. Tires and Wheel Wells will get degreaser and wheels with Megs Wheel Brightener. Dressed with Top of the Line Dressing.
Wax will probably be something easy and cheaply priced, maybe Collinite Insulator wax. If I have to polish, then a 1-step with Megs 151 or 66. I havent tried 151 yet, but hope to get a sample to try out.
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You might also get some regular customers out of the dealership work also.CHECK AND SEE IF THEY WILL LET YOU LEAVE A BUSINESS CARD OR TWO IN THE NEWLY SOLD VEHICLE.Sounds like a good deal just don't get burnt out doing high volume,save some goodness for the high end customers.

Sounds good good luck...:bigups
 
CharlesW said:
Wouldn't a product such as Optimum Poli-Seal be a good choice?
A cleaner sealant/wax when used by hand.
A pretty decent polish and sealant/wax when used by machine.
Doesn't seem to stain trim either so the taping step could be eliminated.
Only one product to keep on hand for the wax or polish procedures.
You might need to use something more aggressive if they decide they want to really clean a vehicle up, but it doesn't sound like they have any real interest in a true detail.

Not to knock Meguiar's products, (I use several), but many of their waxes and polishes are bad news if you get them on black trim.
Click to expand...


Charles,
I have never used Optimum Poli-Seal, I will have to look into it. Stained trim is a no-no. If O-PS doesn't stain trim, that is a major plus right there. Thank you for the recommendation. :bigups
 
njcarting1 said:
You might also get some regular customers out of the dealership work also.CHECK AND SEE IF THEY WILL LET YOU LEAVE A BUSINESS CARD OR TWO IN THE NEWLY SOLD VEHICLE.Sounds like a good deal just don't get burnt out doing high volume,save some goodness for the high end customers.

Sounds good good luck...:bigups
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:cool:Or strategically leave card in Owners Manual (Hi-End Cars have very nice holders for "Manuals" there is also a couple 2 or 3 sleeves that hold Dealer cards.Put yours on top of Dealers.Most people will look at there Owners Manual while the car is still New,after that they don't look untill they have a flat or a dead battery:wall:wall:wall Good Luck:cool::dcrules
 
Tex, how many people are working with you, and if none, do you plan on hiring help? I'm a small time detailer and do those 6-7 full corrections a month on the weekends here in Chicago but I've done two 'volume' jobs before and trust me I've learned A LOT from the 1st to 2nd.

Helpers, even simple help to vacuum, fill buckets with soap/water, or simply clean the glass after you're done is a huge time saver and I'll never do more than 2 quick 1-step details in a day by myself.

Good luck and don't worry about stones haha, you're doing the work that they dealer wants and expects, nothing more nothing less. :bigups

EDIT: from what I've heard, Meg's D151, paint reconditioning cream, is supposed to be a great 1-step since it's fairly aggressive... I've used it only for a short amount of time so can't really recommend it, all I can say is I didn't like using it with the rotary... I'm giving it another shot though very soon so we'll see...
 
CharlesW said:
Wouldn't a product such as Optimum Poli-Seal be a good choice?
A cleaner sealant/wax when used by hand.
A pretty decent polish and sealant/wax when used by machine.
Doesn't seem to stain trim either so the taping step could be eliminated.
Only one product to keep on hand for the wax or polish procedures.
You might need to use something more aggressive if they decide they want to really clean a vehicle up, but it doesn't sound like they have any real interest in a true detail.

Not to knock Meguiar's products, (I use several), but many of their waxes and polishes are bad news if you get them on black trim.
Click to expand...

Excellent choice Poli-seal and PB PwS are all I use for my wholesale dealership work. I've tried many products these two work the best.:)

Tex best of luck to you. Just be careful that scheduling does not become a problem for you. I know where I work it can go from dead to swamped busy in a day. I've had large retail correction jobs that I've had to put off. It makes me look unorganized I really hate that.:)
 
Well, I there the other day. I must say, man, talk about going to be busy. I pushed out 4 of them. They tested me with a nice;y used farm truck, which they loved when I finished. I told him it was trashed and he said charge him accordingly.

I am by myself right now, and YES, I do need to hire a part-timer to do the running around. Like you said, vac, jambs, fill buckets, and so on. My Woman has been working with me lately.
Come Monday, I will be strictly at the dealership. I have to finish my retail accounts the rest of the week/weekend. Turned down several retail jobs already because I made more at the dealership. He has 10+ lined up right now, which I cannot get to until later. I am hoping to get 6-8 pushed out a day, but I'll need some help.

Scheduling is a headache right now. I told him I would need the 1st and 15th off every month for my other regular fleet accounts.
I'll take everything I can get right now.
The difference between the wholesale and retail are like day and night.
 
TexasTB said:
Well, I there the other day. I must say, man, talk about going to be busy. I pushed out 4 of them. They tested me with a nice;y used farm truck, which they loved when I finished. I told him it was trashed and he said charge him accordingly.

I am by myself right now, and YES, I do need to hire a part-timer to do the running around. Like you said, vac, jambs, fill buckets, and so on. My Woman has been working with me lately.
Come Monday, I will be strictly at the dealership. I have to finish my retail accounts the rest of the week/weekend. Turned down several retail jobs already because I made more at the dealership. He has 10+ lined up right now, which I cannot get to until later. I am hoping to get 6-8 pushed out a day, but I'll need some help.

Scheduling is a headache right now. I told him I would need the 1st and 15th off every month for my other regular fleet accounts.
I'll take everything I can get right now.
The difference between the wholesale and retail are like day and night.
Click to expand...

:cool: you think 2 days a month is all you will need for your regulars?I gaurantee your regulars will start coming out of wood work now.If you tell them you can't get to them, you may lose them 4-ever. I would at least have 1 weekday & saturday 4 regulars.You are making a mistake letting retail go.Whatcha gonna do when dealer comes up 1 day and says:WE HAVE DECIDED TO START DOING IN-HOUSE....your services are no longer needed......Then you will go back to all those people you told you didn't have time for...and what do you think they will say? Do you think they will wait on you?:cool: :dcrules How do I know all this? It happened to me.You need to immediately hire some part time help 4 dealer so you can keep regulars
 
Perhaps lucky for you school is about to be out. Maybe you can pick up a couple of motivated H.S. kids looking for a P/T gig. With the job market as tight as it is right now, you might just be able to cherry pick rather than just taking whomever comes along.
 
Mr. Clean said:
Perhaps lucky for you school is about to be out. Maybe you can pick up a couple of motivated H.S. kids looking for a P/T gig. With the job market as tight as it is right now, you might just be able to cherry pick rather than just taking whomever comes along.
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:cool: I never hire hi-school students.Go to your local University/College they will have a board you can post jobs on.I also never hire Males only Females there work is always better than tha Males and they tend not to stay out all nite getting :cheers: so they show up to work,and don't have an attitude :rant:.usaually they don't....That way I don't have to:bonk: and then tell them to kick bricks:nana:
 
All I have to say is, I am BUSY. I am still squeezing in some retail accounts, but not currently accepting new clients. (Unless they own an exotic or something ;) )

I have anywhere from 3-5 a day at the present time. I am told in the next month, that should triple. So far, the managers love the work, as well as the salesmen. Plus I bring them donuts in the morning.;)

Some comments from the manager are: I am one of the hardest workers he has seen; I'm a car cleaning machine; I'm a dedicated SOB.... LOL.

Most of the days, I am there at 6:30-7AM (1-1.5 hrs before anyone gets there) til 8:30-9PM (30min-1hr after everyone leaves) Whether it be working on the cars to just finishing up and chatting for a few hours, I try to keep my face around.
 
As long as YOU are happy with the work thats all that matters. How much is wholesale to a dealership? Just in case their sales picks up and they call me. Do they supply everything? Or just building water and utilities?
 
Sounds like it's going well. Interesting that you are seeing so many trade-ins and auction buys (assumption on both parts). I've been talking with the wholesaler that I buy through and he is seeing a real slow down in the number of dealer trades.

Have you been able to source any good help? To detail 3-5 vehicles a day every day (even 1-stepping) means that you are moving your donkey. And to work it 14 hours daily, the hard working description is apt. :) If you weren't before, you are going to be in some kind of shape, or broke down somewhere. :D

JMO, but they ought to be bringing you the donuts. A clean shiney car helps make their job easier.

Keep up the good work. :bigups
 
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