Pricing?

I think you need price accordingly to what you are(licensed, insured, experienced) or what you are not(lack of any of them). Low prices in our trade more often than not will bring in people looking for low prices who are generally satisfied with a range of results(mediocre to great) as long as they know they paid X price.
 
frankosmusica said:
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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What part of "advertise a sale/special" didn't you understand? You're asking for trouble if you don't handle your pricing carefully. Not only does the sale/special route give you an easy way to explain your regular prices, but it also provides the effect of attracting customers by making them think they're getting a deal. Once you get them hooked on your services, they'll come back and pay the regular price. It's like crack for the car loving public!
 
toyotaguy said:
Thats why I had the SEMA special on my website...too bad not more people took advantage of it, Im booked until the day before I go!
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Nice! Proof that good marketing works right there! You're lucky to be in an area where a bunch of SEMA-bound cars are built, too.



Just a thought, but did you consider offering to touch up the cars you detailed once they arrived at the show since you'll be there? Would be cool if you got a vendor pass and could go in early to do some quick wipe-downs or some work with 85RD/Ultrafina, get paid (lunch money FTW!), then move on and enjoy the show for the day....
 
Alright, so I am going to raise my prices. And what it looks like yall think I should have like a wash/dress package for people with mint cars to clean just for like.. $30?



Then have the packages like wash/wax.. $60 ? Interior packages, combos etc.



My computer has been broke so I haven't been able to edit my site or really advertise. All I have done so far is wash a few peoples cars tell them to pass out my cards but I haven't heard anything, even tho they said the people they talked to are interested. It also seems most everyday people think those prices are crazy for a car wash/detail, cause we know most people don't really know what goes into a quality detail.



So how do I advertise? Get my site out there? I was thinking about making a Craigslist add, a Facebook page, post some flyers in a hardware shop in my area. Any advice, getting it out there is just kinda difficult. I'm also 17, I haven't listed that..but do you think that would turn people off? That has Nothing to do with my quality of work tho. Thanks, I really appreciate the advice guys.
 
Well pricing is a fickle mistress. Too low and you attract the bargain hunters, who rarely become regulars because they are always looking for the cheapest price. Too high and you price yourself out of the market.



Have you done a true cost analysis of how much each wash/wax, or detail costs you? What I did was this (bear in mind I am extremely anal retentive and I pinch pennies so hard Lincoln screams for mercy)



1. Weigh every single product you will use with a 1oz scale. Write that down.

2. Estimate as close as possible how many washes, details,etc each brush, pad, mitt, applictor, etc will last you before you have to replace them.

3. How far are you willing to travel to do a detail, wash, wax. Remember time spent traveling to and from a customer is "on the clock" time however you aren't being paid for it.

4. What is your time worth to you in dollars per hour? NOT how much CAN I chare, SHOULD I charge. What is YOUR time worth to you. Be realistic but don't shortchange yourself.



Perform a wash on your own car with the same exactness, attention to detail, and work ethic you would use on a customers car. Then again weigh the amount of product you used. Take all your products and divide the #of ounces by the cost to reach a true cost per ounce to replace. Then I add 50% to that number. For example if M105 costs me .40 cents per oz. I make my cost .60 cents. If I use 2 oz on avg per car my cost for m105 is 1.20.

Add it all up and then you have covered product cost and restocking fee.



This is the only way to truly know your costs for materials. Now you have taxes, insurance, maintenance, and a slew of other things to think about. Break them all down into the smallest fraction possible.



When I did this I found washing/waxing just wasn't TO ME personally what I wanted to do. I am not mobile though. I made the personal choice to only offer wash/wax maintenance to customers who have already paid for at minimum a 1 step polish. Now did I eliminate potential revenue streams? Yes. However, my time at home is more valuable to me than driving out to do a wash for a potential non repeat customer. So I changed my business model to suit my personal wants/needs.



I charge $75 for a maintenance wash/wax AND I have a 2 car minimum. However, my customers are regulars, they know me, and I every other wash/wax I'll throw in a freebee. Right before love bug season here in FL I ordered some 4oz little mist spray bottles, threw a little HD final touch in them, and gave them to my regulars to help protect their finish whenever they noticed some love bugs/bird bombs on their car. All of them were happy and some were ecstatic. I told them to just keep it handy with a wash or Terry cloth.

This cost me about 3 dollars per. A small price to pay for me to further my relationship with my regulars and really drive the point home I care about their cars appearance.
 
To answer your advertising question. I'll be honest Facebook is a boon to us. I created a Facebook page and haven't even added photos to it yet about a month ago. O have booked 2 1 steps from it without any documentation or time spent. The people on your Facebook know you already, however many of my wifes friends didn't know what I did. That's where my 2 bookings came from. Parents from my kids school.



I don't pay to advertise other than business cards. I keep a few on me always and if I see a nice car with a horrible finish I leave one on the drivers side window. Also, when performing a detail for a new customer I leave one in their gas cap with a note on the back that says "yes I even cleaned in here". Little things make a difference and forces your customer to consider the intangibles when it comes time for another detail.
 
I wouldn't worry about your age being a factor. Demonstrating to a potential customer your knowledge in your consultation with them

Is paramount. Ask questions of them about what is their goal for the car. How long do they intend to keep it? Is it a daily driver? What kind of conditions is it in at home or at work? That's what demonstrates the job you will do, not your age.



To be honest I give you a lot of credit and admiration for wanting to start your own business at 17. That's very admirable. I was more concerned with the intense philosophical discussion of why Molsen Golden so good out of a keg and like crap out of a can at 17. :)
 
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