Selling in a rural area

W

wesley05

New member
Hi all!

I need advice on how to sell my service in a rural area, my business is somewhere between wash/wax and full detailing. I'm 17 and have been doing this since last fall, I usually have time to do a couple of cars after school and have been depending on 2 dealers all winter. With summer coming up and being out of school I would love to do this full time instead of getting an outside job, but I'm gonna have to find some more customers, I really don't want to mess with adding anymore dealers, besides most of them have problems with my age and insurance. I'd like to do 4-5 personal cars a day in addition to my dealers this summer and maybe hire a few people toward the end of the summer, but I live in a very rural community, and have a very low budget, I can't afford to go completely mobile (Truck, tank, generator etc..) and work out of my house so I offer pickup and delivery service (so far people actually seem to like this). Can anybody advice me on how to attract more customers?

Thank you all very much!
 
Here are a few things to consider.

One of the very first things to think about is taking the time to write a business mission statement. Where do you want this business to go. Is it just to make a few extra dollars? or do you really want to find your own little niche in the market. Do you intend to be a wash/n/wax service or do full details? or both?

You will also want to get started on how you will market your service to a rural community. You could simply go door-to-door and talk with people who own high priced vehicles. That type of person-to-person advertising is extremely low cost and believe it or not usually does yeild very good results. Once you begin to get a few of your own customers you will need to realize that new customer referrals will become a major source of getting more new customers. That's why it's very important to always do very good quality work and always try to give each and every customer more than they expect from your services. You will need to have your own business cards and flyers. This type of material will give potential customers a clearer view of exactly what it is that your are offering. It's also a good idea to mail out a 'Thank You' card to each of your new customers after you detail their vehicle. That is always a good way to show them that you appreciate that they used your service. You may also want to think about creating and sending out reminder post card to keep that repeat business coming back. For now, I would recommend that you stay away from doing too much paid advertisments, such as either newspaper or yellow pages. When it comes to marketing and advertising your business, try to think about what makes your detailing business interesting and unique. Why will people want to use your service and how will they benefit? You may also want to contact the editor of your local newspaper to submit an article. That's always a good way to get have your business featured and get free publicity.

With regard to pricing your services, you will need to figure out how to make the transition from doing wholesale work to establishing your own retail customers. Your prices should be somewhere between what you 'need' to make, in order to stay in business and what you 'want' to make. It's is never a good idea to base your prices on what the competition charges. Their prices will give you a good guideline, however, what you charge is basically up to you. Remember, your new customers will be higher paying retail work, not low priced wholesale work. Make sure you understand the difference.

You will need to decide on the primary territory your business will service. You may want to think about creating a customer database file and making a list of targeted professionals in your primary area. Professionals, such as doctors, lawyers and area business owners usually drive higher priced vehicles. They are always looking for good people who offer services that they no longer have the time to take care of themselves.

I hope this help you attract more customers.
 
I certainly appreciate the advice. I want this to become a full time business, one that I can expand and maybe branch out in a few years, setting up shops in other areas. I have one more question, suppose I do get a very steady business built up this summer, detailing all day everyday, how would I run it next fall when school starts back (my Senoir year BTW), I certainly would lose customers from not being able to keep up with demand. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Wes
 
one more thing how would I go about compiling this database? and once done, what do I do call there offices and offer my service?
 
wesley05 said:
one more thing how would I go about compiling this database? and once done, what do I do call there offices and offer my service?
Click to expand...

The customer database you will want to think about creating would be your actual customer file. In other words it is very important to follow-up and keep track of all of your current customers. That way it will be much easier when you want to send out reminders or seasonal newsletters, etc.
 
Oh ok, I misread that. Thanks a bunch, I 've just started doing that a month ago, wish I'd done it since I started, it would be much bigger, I also started (actually I'm about to mail my first one) sending out thank you letters o new customers, as well as a monthly package offer. appreciate it.

Thanks,
Wes
 
wesley05 said:
I have one more question, suppose I do get a very steady business built up this summer, detailing all day everyday, how would I run it next fall when school starts back, I certainly would lose customers from not being able to keep up with demand. Any advice?
Click to expand...

Wes,

Just be honest with your customers and let them know that you will do everything possible to provide the same top notch service when you go back to school. Maybe even work a few weekends if necessary.
 
I appreciate all the advice, I really do. I started implamenting it and it's really working! I've signed up 6 new customers today for details in the next week! one final question and I'll shutup, how often should I check back with customers after I send out the initial new customer welcome letter? I was thinking once a month what you guys think? Thanks

Wes
 
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