Pricing?

A

apoirier594

New member
So I am starting my own mobile detailing business, I'm 17. I got some neighbors to pass out business cards after I did their car and people want to know prices. I am located and Charleston SC, and mostly everyone around here is just a car wash.



I don't want to charge to much cause I'm not known, or I don't want to charge to low and look like a random back yard detailer. Since I don't have a garage, I'm going mobile.



So here is what I was thinking, Your feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated. (I don't have a generator yet, so I will have to use customers water spicket/electricity, if that effects pricing.)



Wash $35

-Foam cannon dwell, rinse, foam, wash with mitts, clean tires, rims, wheel wells. Blow water out cracks, hand dry. Dress tires/wheel wells. Vacuum interior, clean windows, clean door jams, apply no gloss U.V protectant to dash. (Now should I also clean air vents, cup holders, etc in this, or should their be a interior package. If so what should that be? shampoo..etc?)



Package 1 $55

-Includes Wash Package + Wax



Package 2 $70

-Includes Wash/Package 1 + Clay Bar (Or should this just be included into package one?)



Then I wasn't sure what to charge for stains etc. I was planning on using my shop vac and 103 APC for shampooing. Any tips? How much should that be?



I don't have a PC yet, and planning on using that to help restore headlights.

How much to dye trim, what product to use? I have forever black, anything else out there better?



Should I charge $10+ for SUVs, Vans, Trucks?



-Austin
 
Why don't you just start out by asking a potential customer "what they want, what they expect".

That will provide you with a guide line of what it takes, labor and material, to make them repeat customers and to tell others.

I think that you will find that your potential customers will give you the path to pricing.

Grumpy
 
Too low...



How long will it take you to drive the customers house, set up your gear, do the job, pack up, drive home? I'm guessing for the basic $35 wash package its going to be minimum 2 hours start to finish...probably more. On top of the time you have material costs. For $35 your better off to get a job a McDonalds.
 
JPostal said:
Too low...



How long will it take you to drive the customers house, set up your gear, do the job, pack up, drive home? I'm guessing for the basic $35 wash package its going to be minimum 2 hours start to finish...probably more. On top of the time you have material costs. For $35 your better off to get a job a McDonalds.
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Have to agree here. That's an awful lot of work for $35 bucks. Even on my CLEAN daily driver, just a wash including wheel barrels, jambs and wells takes me well over an hour. And you're doing interior work too? Don't sell yourself short, you'll lose money in the end.
 
lets just say I am no longer offering washing to new clients! I have about 10 people whos cars I take care of, but at the end of the day, its simply not worth it! @25 per car, and 1hr+ to wash a car, with all things expensed...I make like 15 bucks an hour! Totally not worth it to book a full day of washes when i can do a simple "complete detail" in 2.5 hours for $150. less time, same money if not more! Now book 4 complete details streamlined and it comes out to about 100/hr with a helper. Not too hard to see where the money is, and its not in washing cars!
 
I won't wash cars anymore unless they have had a detail with at least some type of surface improvement in the last 4-5 months. Even then, I schedule multiple cars in the same area so they get done without driving all over like a maniac.



I hate washing dirty cars, even with stretching the resources as to NOT make it a mini detail, its simply not worth it Eric, just like you have experienced.
 
toyotaguy said:
Totally not worth it to book a full day of washes when i can do a simple "complete detail" in 2.5 hours for $150. less time, same money if not more!
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Is that you + helper, or you + scooby-snacks! Either way, its good going.:smile1:
 
Mike, it makes sense to not offer washing when we have OCD. I always get in the mindset of "I can make that look better," but not for the peanuts they want to pay, but then I stand back and look at it and say I cant leave that, so I do it...it sucks, do 8 washes in 8 hours to make $200 or do two cars in <5 hours and make >$300...hmmmm lol
 
If you're going to do the jobs right and take the time, charge for it. $75+ for your "basic".



The option, which happens to be the most popular for mobile car wash guys, is to charge minimal for the minimal and bang it out. $20 for a wash, vacuum and glass. Plan on spending a hour or less and when I say bang it out, I mean it. It won't be the autopian way but it's a way to get customers when you're 17 and new. More people care about the cost rather than how perfect it is. The autopian services are a purely niche market.



If you're going to do it the right way, charge for it and don't back down on your prices. There is no in between.
 
Jean-Claude, exactly!

Sort of like I posted but most didn't get it.

If they want a quicky, give a quicky that meets what they want, as long as you make money.

Didn't really mean to get all the inquiries I am getting for some restoration of things with Grumpy's Garage, but once people know what you might be able to do, they just start coming.

Most don't have a clue of what they really want, they have some sort of expectations, mostly not very knowledgable.

I "size up" the potential customer by just asking them up front, "what is it that you want, you expect?".

Most don't really know or are looking with uneducated expectations, so don't try to do other than learn what it is they really want and how much do they wish to spend to get it.

If the "tween" don't meet, IE, they have unreal expectations, give em a nice "good-bye", thank them for chatting with you and move on to one's that will pay for excellence.

Just a thought, but it saves a lot of time, etc.

Grumpy
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Jean-Claude, exactly!

Sort of like I posted but most didn't get it.

If they want a quicky, give a quicky that meets what they want, as long as you make money.

Didn't really mean to get all the inquiries I am getting for some restoration of things with Grumpy's Garage, but once people know what you might be able to do, they just start coming.

Most don't have a clue of what they really want, they have some sort of expectations, mostly not very knowledgable.

I "size up" the potential customer by just asking them up front, "what is it that you want, you expect?".

Most don't really know or are looking with uneducated expectations, so don't try to do other than learn what it is they really want and how much do they wish to spend to get it.

If the "tween" don't meet, IE, they have unreal expectations, give em a nice "good-bye", thank them for chatting with you and move on to one's that will pay for excellence.

Just a thought, but it saves a lot of time, etc.

Grumpy
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Or you could get jaded like I am now and not treat everyone like they are all cheap until they prove to me otherwise. haha



No really, I am not rude but if I get a new potential client call I get right to the point, I am not cheap. If they sway when they hear it, I do my best to end the call. Sometimes they call back and sometimes they don't. But I am not trying to upsell anything to anyone. I work for people who want my services. Upselling someone on you is emotionally draining. It can be done but I want the least amount of stress possible in my life. I have a number of customers who called back and now refuse anything else.



OP, my point is, be yourself and offer quality and people will use you. It will take much longer to build a client base and get a name out there as there are fewer people willing to spend more on a "maybe"(which is what you are until you have a reputation). But once you have that reputation people will listen to you and happily pay you.
 
Yeah dude raise up prices even me myself is wondering if I'm charging a little bit. Im charging $80 for small cars it includes Interior exterior wash, carpet shampooing and extracting ( seats as well if its cloth), dashboard dusting off and maybe putting uv protection if the client wants it, tire wells cleaning, obviously car hand washed then apply wax either with pad or machine ( this will take buff out light scratches off) then tire dressing. What do you guys think ? is $80 good for a small little 4 door car for all this ?
 
toyotaguy said:
Mike, it makes sense to not offer washing when we have OCD. I always get in the mindset of "I can make that look better," but not for the peanuts they want to pay, but then I stand back and look at it and say I cant leave that, so I do it...it sucks, do 8 washes in 8 hours to make $200 or do two cars in <5 hours and make >$300...hmmmm lol
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Roger that. Problem is something like a detail wash is as far as the run of the corner borderline hack stuff is concerned, a mini detail. Likeyou would have to wash with APC, scrub EVERYTHING and really probably end up taking as long to dry as it did to wash because the paint is so contaminated and rough.



Funny is locally there is a really cheap low dollar place that pretends to offer quality stuff for pennies. Of course, the cars get all swirled up(brushes on a pole) and stained from the greasy tire shine, and these are the people who want US to fix this.. but on no not for anything above 10 bucks for a wash there after..



Washes are for customers... customers who understand the effort that goes into a quality cleanup. Why? Because they won't have to pay for full corrections, and their cars simply look awesome even after a wash and vac.



ugh.
 
frankosmusica said:
Yeah dude raise up prices even me myself is wondering if I'm charging a little bit. Im charging $80 for small cars it includes Interior exterior wash, carpet shampooing and extracting ( seats as well if its cloth), dashboard dusting off and maybe putting uv protection if the client wants it, tire wells cleaning, obviously car hand washed then apply wax either with pad or machine ( this will take buff out light scratches off) then tire dressing. What do you guys think ? is $80 good for a small little 4 door car for all this ?
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Way too low of a price for all that. you should be charging a minimum $40/hr running a business IMO. That process right there is easily 3-5 hours. What happens if its a really soiled interior and the drivers side alone takes you 45 minutes to clean the carpets? charge more? or are you set in your price?



also, waxing does NOT take out scratches or swirl marks, it fills them in. Get that straight and dont sell your clients that a wax with a polishing pad is actually polishing anything...otherwise we will just group you in with the car wash detailer group! (definitely the wrong forum for that here). At minimum, you can pitch a AIO (all in one like optimum poliseal, Klasse all in one, etc to do some light polishing, but not a wax!)
 
toyotaguy said:
Way too low of a price for all that. you should be charging a minimum $40/hr running a business IMO. That process right there is easily 3-5 hours. What happens if its a really soiled interior and the drivers side alone takes you 45 minutes to clean the carpets? charge more? or are you set in your price?



also, waxing does NOT take out scratches or swirl marks, it fills them in. Get that straight and dont sell your clients that a wax with a polishing pad is actually polishing anything...otherwise we will just group you in with the car wash detailer group! (definitely the wrong forum for that here). At minimum, you can pitch a AIO (all in one like optimum poliseal, Klasse all in one, etc to do some light polishing, but not a wax!)
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Yeah sorry for getting that mixed up, but is that still too low ? I was thinking it kind of is, but since im bearly starting my first customers will get a deal once they refer me Prices will go up.
 
frankosmusica said:
Yeah sorry for getting that mixed up, but is that still too low ? I was thinking it kind of is, but since im bearly starting my first customers will get a deal once they refer me Prices will go up.
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Be really careful with that strategy. If you charge really low prices to your initial customers (unless they're friends/family, and even then you should beware) and then ask them to send referrals their way, the low start-up prices could come back to bite you. They tell the other people what you charged them, and when you try to charge more to the next customer they say "What? My buddy only paid $$$, so why are you gouging me?"



IF you want to offer a cheaper price to start, then figure out what your regular price is going to be, and advertise a "Grand Opening Special" with 20% off and make sure to clearly state it is a limited time only offer.
 
Charlie, that is absolutely correct!

Which is also why you are making a living at the trade rather than just "doing some one's car on occassion".

Professionals make money, a living at their trade or career, they don't "chase the buck" by cutting costs, providing less of services", etc.

Around where I now live, two public golf courses are going into bankrupty due to "cutting fees-chasing the buck".

Thoses courses that decided that offering a less green fee cost, they would get more play, so the other followed and went lower, etc, etc, now they have both went broke.

The two that are surviving and will, provide their customers with excellent "service", as well as courses and carts, etc" that those who really play the game respect.

They get a fair price for what they provide.

As you and those who have made detailing a true business are aware, price does not always equal quality.

Grumpy
 
who is going to know that you are just starting out? Is it written somewhere one your site, cards, flyers that this is your first paid job?



act as if you have been doing this for a while and know what you are doing (please tell me you do, its just you are now finally turning it into a business). Act professional and produce results!
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Charlie, that is absolutely correct!

Which is also why you are making a living at the trade rather than just "doing some one's car on occassion".

Professionals make money, a living at their trade or career, they don't "chase the buck" by cutting costs, providing less of services", etc.

Around where I now live, two public golf courses are going into bankrupty due to "cutting fees-chasing the buck".

Thoses courses that decided that offering a less green fee cost, they would get more play, so the other followed and went lower, etc, etc, now they have both went broke.

The two that are surviving and will, provide their customers with excellent "service", as well as courses and carts, etc" that those who really play the game respect.

They get a fair price for what they provide.

As you and those who have made detailing a true business are aware, price does not always equal quality.

Grumpy
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Great post Grump. I think alot of people don't realize how many avenues this is taking place on.
 
I do know what im doing, and yes thanks envious I do act serious. I was thinking just charging a those prices for limited time only, than once I have my website up and running I will put the real prices up what you think ?
 
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