Premier Detail Center

[WAS]

It's the mentality. Are you focusing on educating and meeting their wants and needs or are you fixated on selling this or that?



In short:

Him: I want my car detailed.

Me: What did you have in mind?

Him: Dunno, I have a car show and want to win.

Me: Ok, let's take a look at it.

-We look at it-

Me: Are you wanting clean or show car clean?

Him: I want to win.

Me: Ok, [hands him a quote with a break down on prices] this is what I came up with. If you want the best this is it. [explains everything clearly and ask him if he has any questions]

Him: Let's do this....



If you still think I was selling him something, we can agree to disagree. But my goal was to find out what he wanted and deliver. Whether it was a car wash or more.

You were educating, sure, but you were still selling. You asked him if he wants clean or wants to win, he said win. You then suggested what *you* believed was the best method(s) to get his vehicle to perfection. That's the selling part. I'm not saying that you didn't educate or didn't listen to what he wanted, a huge part of good successful sales skills is exactly this. I'm just saying that you still did selling.

 

[ADetailedFinish]

Well he could have gone to any other detailer and said I want to win and they said ok well it'll only be $300 and just filled all the imperfections up with coats and coats of glaze and wax.. But Jean Claude educated the customer on what the proper autopian detail is. A great way to sell (i've used it before) and a great way to get a happy customer

 

[Jean-Claude]

You were educating, sure, but you were still selling. You asked him if he wants clean or wants to win, he said win. You then suggested what *you* believed was the best method(s) to get his vehicle to perfection. That's the selling part. I'm not saying that you didn't educate or didn't listen to what he wanted, a huge part of good successful sales skills is exactly this. I'm just saying that you still did selling.

Erm...

It's the mentality. The FACT of the matter is that there is a transfer of money for services so there's no way not to sell something. But what's on your mind, just grabbing at money or helping them fill their want? People can read through that and see if you just want their money or are you focused on giving them what they want?

 

[ADetailedFinish]

I always feel that customer's should come first. If they want a perfect car, they should pay for it. If they want a clean carpet they're gonna pay for it. Customer's that come back is what the true money maker is. A good word to your business brings more word of mouth. If you provide the top notch service that the customer is looking for than they expect to pay more. Customer's needs are what's most important to me if I tell a customer that it'll be $XXX amount for a detail and I can't get it done (with high quality) I will take the time to get it the way it should be even if it means I'm only making $10/hr versus $20/hr... I'm just saying this is me.

 

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

Erm...

It's the mentality. The FACT of the matter is that there is a transfer of money for services so there's no way not to sell something. But what's on your mind, just grabbing at money or helping them fill their want? People can read through that and see if you just want their money or are you focused on giving them what they want?

I think you're taking personally what WAS is giving as a simple fact, and not an insult to you in any way. I think one way you can take this is he's simply saying that you, in a psychological way, "sold" your knowledge to the client. Selling in this sense doesn't necessarily mean "goods for money" selling, rather changing the other person's mind and/or giving them the comfort of having the same knowledge as you to pursue the services. Obviously the second way is that through that knowledge "selling" you sold your services, subconsciously in a way.



WAS correct me if I'm wrong but this is the way I see it. Not at all as a compliment, rather than selling services through education. If you didn't want the client to get a detail, you wouldn't explain your process and show them how it will take a certain amount of work to get it to the level they're expecting. At the end of the day, it's a sales technique, but not at all bad morally or ethically, IMO.



EDIT: After re-reading your post again Jean-Claude, I think the other way to explain what WAS is saying is that people can also see your long and meaningful explanations as a desperate sales technique. I see it as a great technique because you educate the client and help them out in selecting proper services, but I'm just saying some clients might just want to go through the...



Client: How much to detail the car?

Detailer: $250

Client: Ok call me when it's done.



Just another way actually educating the client without even setting an appointment is in fact a sales technique, and in my opinion a good one for both parties involved.

 

[Jean-Claude]

No problem big dog, I am not taking it personally. I think at this point it's semantics. The idea was just to post my thinking when talking to a client or a potential client. It is what it is.

I think you're taking personally what WAS is giving as a simple fact, and not an insult to you in any way. I think one way you can take this is he's simply saying that you, in a psychological way, "sold" your knowledge to the client. Selling in this sense doesn't necessarily mean "goods for money" selling, rather changing the other person's mind and/or giving them the comfort of having the same knowledge as you to pursue the services. Obviously the second way is that through that knowledge "selling" you sold your services, subconsciously in a way.



WAS correct me if I'm wrong but this is the way I see it. Not at all as a compliment, rather than selling services through education. If you didn't want the client to get a detail, you wouldn't explain your process and show them how it will take a certain amount of work to get it to the level they're expecting. At the end of the day, it's a sales technique, but not at all bad morally or ethically, IMO.



EDIT: After re-reading your post again Jean-Claude, I think the other way to explain what WAS is saying is that people can also see your long and meaningful explanations as a desperate sales technique. I see it as a great technique because you educate the client and help them out in selecting proper services, but I'm just saying some clients might just want to go through the...



Client: How much to detail the car?

Detailer: $250

Client: Ok call me when it's done.



Just another way actually educating the client without even setting an appointment is in fact a sales technique, and in my opinion a good one for both parties involved.