Pricing Strategies

silverline said:
Deetee,

Sounds like you've got a pretty nice set-up with the ability to use your husband's shop for detailing. Do you have insurance that will allow you to pick-up and deliver customer vehicles? Are you marketing to the private sector as well? A couple of avenues that work very well for me are the networking and barter networking groups I'm in, marketing directly to Doctors, Dentists, and Chiropractors, Chamber of Commerce, my website, and being added to the detailing directory. Good luck to you and I hope your biz takes off.

Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail
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Hi Matt,
Yep I do have insurance allowing me to pick up and deliver customers vehicles. As long as the car is worth less than $100K. The excess is huge but I'd rather be safe than sorry. lol I do market to the private sector but because Im new to the business my name isn't really known yet. The networking sounds like a great idea, we have a sort of barter system over here that could work out well.

I've just decided to run a fundraising thing for the school where my kids go, when people present me with a voucher made up for the fundraiser, a percentage of the money paid goes to the school. I figure it's a great way to get my name out there (fantastic for return custom) and helping out the school to boot.

Thanks for the encouragement!
Donna
 
I'll be working for a charity as well. I attended my weekly networking meeting today and the topic was brought up there. Basically saying that it is a win-win situation when you align yourself with a charitable organization. Not only are you helping others, but you're creating a positive image and exposure for your company. My first idea (which still may be a possibility) was to create the "Silver Lining Care Club", which was a club my clients could join for an annual fee with all the proceeds going to a few different charities. Club members would receive benefits such as tee-shirts, service discounts, ect, and it was a way for me to become involved with the community and build relationships with various charities. The tough part was figuring out a way to cover my expenses for items I would be providing (tee-shirts and such) while still making it a tax deduction for those that joined. Tax nightmare, so I put this idea on the backburner for now. I think in the meantime, I'm going to donate a certain dollar amount of each full detail I perform to various charities that I would rotate on a quarterly basis or something like that. Seeing the destruction that Katrina caused has made me more aware of just how good I have it and how truely blessed so many of us are. I remember back in college I volunteered at a local soup kitchen for the day, and it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. Looking back I only wish I'd built upon that experience and continued to volunteer my time on a more regular basis. Giving back and helping others is really what it's all about. I heard a story once about a gentleman who's goal it was to give away 90% of his income to the needy. You can imagine how much one would need to make to live comfortably on 10% of your income. If I remember correctly (I may be wrong on the company) I believe it was the founder of Caterpillar, and yes, he reached his goal and I expect lives quite comfortably. Just a cool story I heard and wanted to share.

Good luck with the school fundraiser, think big, and happy detailing.

Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail
 
The club sounds great, but I can imagine your problems with tax.
I love that story! Can't imagine ever being able to do it myself, I am going to do whatever I can to help out my community though. It makes me feel good and everyone seems to love you. lol

Donna
 
PEI....your prices are very very good, and super cheap for canada, if you do a quality job at those prices you must get alot of business.
 
capetan said:
PEI....your prices are very very good, and super cheap for canada, if you do a quality job at those prices you must get alot of business.
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They are cheap because I'm starting out. I'm paying for shop time myself, so I need to make it through the winter. My time is not a huge deal, since I've committed to this. Each job turns out fantastic since we spend so much time on it.

The economy in PEI is pretty poor, and prices need to reflect that. I could never get my money back on an extractor, so when I get a request, I rent one and do my home carpets/couches that night. I don't make as much on the job, but I make good customers (and friends with my in-laws who rent us our apartment!).

And I have to be low. A local Shine place is offering a "5-year Sealant" for $79.95. Besides being unethical, that's cheap. But, our marquis product is usually $179-$199, with $45 in supplies and 3.5-5hrs work, so not bad. My retail prices will creep up, though my wholesale price will remain, I think.

We'll see. It may turn out that renting a garage for $1100/mo (which is cheap), is no good, and we have to think cheaper and more creative, like renting a house with a 2 car garage.

I'd like to see other pricing lists to compare, but I understand people are sensitive about that.
 
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