Pro Input Appreciated..

B

Big P

New member
Please bear with me & this long post, your input is greatly needed & appreciated, if you were in this situation what would you do?

Ok here's the situation guy's & girls I am about to open a mobile detailing business as the primary investor & I will also be helping with the work(when time permits, I also have a FT job Tu.-Fr.) with one other experienced who will be paid per piece. We are establishing a couple of nice contracts that will keep us busy Sat. & Sun. while staying in one location & Monday's would be for residential calls at upscale neighborhoods.

We are going to offer 2 packages:

1. Wash(30-40 minutes w/ 2 people) For Small-Mid-Large I'm thinking $25-$30-$35 or $30-$35-$40, plus possible a la carte services(see below). What do you think? Too much, too little, drop the a la carte & just add it to the service?

-Wash & dried (MF of course), Rims & Tires cleaned, Exterior trim & tires dressed, windows cleaned, vaccume interior * At this point should I charge "a la carte" for interior dressing & do I also charge for cleaning & conditioning leather ($10-$15). Keep in mind we will be doing alot of SUV's Tahoes, Suburbans, Expeditions, Caddy's etc..

2. Quick detail(45mins. to 1 hour w/ 2 people) For Small-Mid-Large I'm thinking$65-$70-$75 or $70-$75-$80, plus possible a la carte services like claybar(how much do you charge to clay a vehicle?) What do you think? Too much, too little ad some services?

-Includes the wash plus bugs & tar removed, Interior dressed, leather cleaned & conditioned & a one step wax.

I will not be able to have an extractor for a bit(which is why we won't be doing "full details"), but I will pretty much have everything else.



1. Any input you may have about prices, services equipment etc.. is greatly appreciated.

2. I also have access to %10 off a Wal-Mart, so what if any supplies like terry towels, wash mits, chemiclas etc. would you buy from there?

3. Lastly I noticed that Lexol has some leather cleaner & conditioner Quick Wipes? Are these wipes any good, Lexol is a good product for leather, I know Meguires & armor all have wipes for glass, plastic etc.., but do these wipes really do the job?(enough to upcharge-or just include in service?. They claim 1 wipe will do a complete interior & at $5.75 for a bottle of 25 wipes, these might be worth having in the arsenal.

Any & all comments welcomed. Thanks in advance!
 
Since you want to make money, charge for your time, not for the service. Cost of most of the products will be a constant from service to service. What is your time worth? while you are busy detailing, are there other types of services that you will have to pay somone else to do, such as lawn care?How much do you want to make per hour? How much you want to make per hour, balanced against what your market will support. Are there services you don't want to do? If so, price them high to discourage your customers.
 
I think that the $5 increases between small, mid, and large is not enough if your figuring that a two door car is small and a large suv is large. I know that with two people it does go a lot quicker but both people still have to be paid proportianate to the amount of time that is spent.
 
Come on guy's...55 views...2 responses..I know all you pro's out there have a tremendous amount of knowledge, Just a little input please??? Help a brother out!!
 
Your approach is quite different from mine. I have a fixed location and offer complete detailing service.
In my experience, clients don't want to pick and choose from a menu of services, they just want a clean car. I charge a flat fee to detail, and do whatever is required to get the car right... addons include paint touchup and PDR, but that's about it.

Quite different, but I have hundreds of happy clients!

Good Luck
 
Ive found that my higher end clientel prefer for me to give them recommendations on what is required to elevate/restore their vehicle to a certain level.

Most of these clients have money so that isnt the real issue. They understand that quality costs money otherwise they wouldnt of bought a Merc SL55 or Porsche etc. These clients want to know that

a) you know exactly what you are doing
b) you have done it before and have a good record/reputation
c) that they can trust you
d) you are providing protection for the vehicle and maintaining resale
e) allowing them to enjoy their vehicle to the fullest.
f) take the hassel of worring about the appearence of their vehcile away from them. Give them one less thing to worry about.

The best way to do that is to educate them with all the knowledge you have aquired. Give them options between high gloss, durrabiltity of synthetics verses warm deep glow or carnuba. Tell them the difference between your Menzerna polish for germany and bulk products bought by 5KG tubs. The difference between your tyre dressing that wont sling or an option for a water based dressing so not to stain clothing. I think you get the idea.

In terms of pricing i think you should have a set fee for car washing (ie regular fornight or weekly fee) and leave the detailing fees for Appointment only, at an hourly rate. Remember to always upsell.

Good Luck
REgards

Tony.
 
Thank you Mizzuri! Excellent advice & ideas! Anyone else?

A little more info on what kind of opportunity I have may give more reason for you all to hopefully give me some ideas or an opnion on what I should charge & the services to include. If you were in this situation, waht would you do? .

The reason I am asking about the prices & services to offer is because getting customers will not be a problem for at least one of my locations that I'm going to set up at. Two days out of the week I am going to set up at a high-end club-resturant-bar . I am going to be using their power & water. The owner has the same type operation going at another place he owns & he promises me that there will be a pretty steady flow of customers. We are going to be seeing all sizes of different cars so I want to be able to offer Small-Medium-Large pricing , because someone in a BMW 325 shouldn't & won't pay the same price as say a Suburban.

I need to keep it simple & somewhat quick. Two people will be doing the work. What base services would you include, how much would you charge, & what should I upsell? Example: leather cleaning & conditioning & clay bar?

#1 Wash (described in first post) 30-45 mins.
#2 Wash with a one step wax 45mins.-1hr.15mins.

Thanks again!
 
So Han's, why the attitude? I was actually going to use PB's products...springing for good products isn't a problem. I never said I was buying my chemicals & waxes from Wal-Mart, I just asked if there are any good items like wash mits, brushes, shampoo, etc. that you guys actually buy from there. If the products are the same, why would I want to pay full price at an auto supply store? I was looking for something like "don't buy the wash mits from wal-mart, they scratch", or "their detail brushes are horrible".

As far as the "wal-mart" prices.. your charging $40 for a simple wash & dress that takes 1/2 hour at most?I don't think I could get more than that for a simple wash.

I was presented with an opportunity that I think can flourish, I'm going full throttle with it. hans I know your one of the respected guys around here, but if you can't relate to my situation, don't hate on it, your not funny or helpful.
 
If I were in your situation the one thing I would try not to do is too much in a small time frame. Push Quality not quantity.

Maybe you could concentrate on things like washes, steam cleaning, leather cleaning and conditioning, waxing and sealant application.

You may then be able to book in full service details by appointment only. This can make you look more professional by explaining to the client that your services take time, you refuse to rush a job, and want the results to be perfect. This can be to your advantage in a number of ways

1) you can gain a beter reputation in your future clients eyes
2) less of a time constraint
3) you can charge more and add on more services ie) rotary buffing - claying, cutting, swirl removal and polishing
4) you have exposure in a new area. Make an A Frame or sign advewrtising your business while you are working at a clients house. You may get some business from a neighbour or two.

Another thing that I believe is very important is dont try to be everything to all people. Work out who your target clients will be, and have services that will apply to them. Ie, up market cars mostly will be less than five years old, consider types of plastics, leathers, wood grain, rims, paint type etc.

Just some food for thought.

P.s. There will be alot of people that will tell you it cant work and talk down to you. Believe in your self and be prepared to adapt to new situations. This may include price changes and wll as services offered. Good luck
 
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Big P,
Good for you and your ambition! It'l take you far. I'll respond to one of your concerns. That of washes. I mostly don't do washes anymore but that is because I discovered how to use them to get the more profitable detail packages. I'll explain, but first, I charge $25-$30 which includes wash, dry, vac, windows, dash, and wheels (30-40 minutes by myself). I did that for such a long time until I discovered the power of using the wash to sell details. I use a spreadsheet I made on my computer. It's a simple checklist, has room on top for customer info, car, etc, then it has a check list with every body panel, bumper, trim, interior, etc, and has room for coments under each. When my customers see their car after the wash, I go for the kill. They get the list with recomendations and a thorough sell on why each is important, prices to work on each issue and total on the bottom, then I tell them if they would like to get all of the recomended work done, I'd give them 25% off. For instance, recomendations are buffing $50 - polish and glaze or wax $50 - engine degreasing $25 - carpet shampooing $75 = $200... Mr. Doe, if you want to get all of this done, I can offer you %25 off and do everything for $150, would you like to get this scheduled? I think you'll be very happy with the results. Kinda long but I can't tell you how much business as well as regular customers this has provided me. It's been my experience that if you present your services professionally and confidently you will see a good response. The one thing about this method is that people will want to take advantage of your generosity when you so easily offer such a large discount. My advise is DO NOT give in, I generally try to act, not act, I am offended when people do this, I maintain my professionalism but usually respond with a funny "What, 25% off is good enough?, I'm sorry but I have to draw the line somewhere", or " I'm already giving you a significant discount, I just can't do it for anything less."
Just my 2 cents,
www.denverdetail.com
 
BIg P,
Also, in reponse to lexol leather conditioner, been there, used that. Ok stuff, I switched to Hyde Food. This stuff is the single most important thing I use in cars with leather. People absolutely go nuts for the stuff because of its smell. All conditioners do pretty much the same for feel. I buy it at a detail supplier where I live. You should be able to find it somewhere. I buy by the gallon for $22 and bottle up 8oz tubes and resel it for $10 a bottle. I'll be damned if 20% of people don't buy it. I can get about 18 bottles. About $150+ profit. As for other products and supplies try a little bit of whatever and you'll find what you like. I'm a cheapscate so I use a cheapo degreaser, car wash, and dressing. I stick with high quality compounds, polishes, and waxes.
www.denverdetail.com
 
Wow denverdetail, I really appreciate your responses. You have a very good thing going with the wash & then the upsell with the spreadsheet(btw I love CO.. been there a bunch, my best friend lives in Aurora). Thanks for going into detail(God knows I did..lol) with the explaining of the wash package as well as well as your comments on the leather cleaner & conditoioner. Do you upsell the leather in your wash or do you just offer that standard on your detail? Thanks again. PS. nice website!
 
Big P,
Good thing you asked about upselling leather conditioner. This kind of got me in trouble. I started including leather conditioner and then decided it would be an easy upsell. Problem was, regulars expected it so if when I tried to upsell it they got upset and said it had always been included. Valid concern I thought. It was too hard for me to try to remember who I had to sell it to or who it was standard for. I thought for consistancy reasons, I'd just always include it. If I had to do it over again, I'd start using it as an upsell. Thanks for the comment on the website. Did it myself and had a hard time, I didn't know anything about web site design, but I fuddled through it. I've been procrastinating and need to get some more pictures on there though.
www.denverdetail.com
 
denverdetail said:
BIg P,
Also, in reponse to lexol leather conditioner, been there, used that. Ok stuff, I switched to Hyde Food. This stuff is the single most important thing I use in cars with leather. People absolutely go nuts for the stuff because of its smell. All conditioners do pretty much the same for feel. I buy it at a detail supplier where I live. You should be able to find it somewhere. I buy by the gallon for $22 and bottle up 8oz tubes and resel it for $10 a bottle. I'll be damned if 20% of people don't buy it. I can get about 18 bottles. About $150+ profit. As for other products and supplies try a little bit of whatever and you'll find what you like. I'm a cheapscate so I use a cheapo degreaser, car wash, and dressing. I stick with high quality compounds, polishes, and waxes.
www.denverdetail.com
Click to expand...

What's this Hyde Food all about?
 
i think you are on the right track. im going to add a few things if you dont mind .. people with high end cars know they have leather & expect it to be conditioned .. i wouldnt expect my customers to pay more .. its a cost associated with detailing these cars .. but i do upsell clay everytime .. they go for it and i truly believe in it.. usually the people take good care of these cars so you usually blow right thru the interior .. unlike a minivan full of kids spilling stuff everywhere.. i do offer them a choice of waxes ike you plan to do .. sealer ,carnuba ,,glaze,,or a showcar wax i have ..incredible look but short lived..good luck .. i have never let negative comments slow me or question myself about my commitment to detailing.. i hope you are very sucessful ...youre on the best forum in existence as far as im concerned.:welcome :dcrules :car :shift :naughty
 
Wow, this thread has answered soooo many questions for me! I am in the same place as Big P and figuring out the right prices has been a mission for me. I am far from expert, I just love detailing my cars and my friends so I am giving the mobile busines a go. My plan is to have three tiers for the clients to work with. Do you guys think I should just stick with the a la cart options like Denvers checklist?
Beautify-Wash,vac,glass,dress tires,door jams.
Restore-Clay bar/PC buff,carpet shampoo,Hyde Flood,one step wax.
Protect-wax/sealant/polish, engine degrease...

Any tips on the protect tier would be appreciated!!
 
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