"Steps" - whats the real meaning behind it?

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Envious Eric

New member
When you say one step, two step, three step...



what does that mean to you as the business owner?

what does that mean to you from a consumer standpoint?

what do you do for each process?



I would like to hear where other people stand on this because I hear about other detailers doing a "3 step" with clay, polish, sealant; then also others (like me) only counting the polishing steps - compound, middle polish, final polish.



My thinking on it:

all the prep steps are necessary: washing, claying, tape up, cleaning the paint before and after the polishing/compounding is done, the wipe down after all is completed, etc. Those are done no matter if its a one step, or a 3 step process, so I dont count them. I cant polish a car without polishing it, and I cant wax a car without washing it. I only count the steps with the polisher and how many times I hit each panel with each process. If I have to go around the car twice with 105 because of heavy defects, I am doing full correction, not a "# step" process. If I just hit it with SIP then 106, or 105 then 203, then thats a "2-step process", which is why on my website its a one step, a two step, or paint correction process



Discuss
 
I'm with you on that one. The total process consists of many smaller processes from the wash, clay, dry, inspect, tape, etc. A one step correction is once around the car with a polish/pad combo selected. I do not count the LSP as a step when referring to the number of steps in a correction. An AIO process is exactly that and should not be confused with a one step correction. A full correction is, like you said, a full correction and cannot always be limited to a number of steps. One panel may be corrected quickly, while another might require additional passes. It takes way to long to explain to the layman every step involved in the total process. They usually just want to know the cost, time, and result.



Good question, though. I will be interested to hear others chime in as well.
 
When I talk "steps" to clients I refer to polishing steps. I explain the procedure from stop to finish and explain the difference in a 1 step and a multistep polish.
 
Steps are polishing steps when I am talking to clients.



I always get a chuckle when people say they do a 20 step wash and list stuff like "fill bucket", "add soap", etc as single steps. Washing the car is one step.
 
Lets say you do M105 x2, SIP, 106. How many steps is that? Your customer will get lost real quick if you go into too much detail, best to keep things simple.
 
What I have found works for me, with all my customers regardless of age or experience in terminology or even automotive "Stuff" in general is using the verb with the step.



For example, I explain what correction will do for them, explain why it takes more than 1 quick process etc..



I do use a "polishing step" for AIO or just paint cleaning with an explanation of what it will do or how its related to the service(ie. winter prep has light polishing but is only for paint prep, it is not corrective), but when I start talking about corrective steps, I say just that.



What I feel is important for people is learning what terms will make sense to your customer and giving them a reasonable expectation of the results. Some people are completely sold on buzz words, which is why many end up wasting money unexpectedly on hack work. Some people want to hear that dedicated corrective polishing(or whatever words you use) will bring them X result.



I basically have aio/paint cleaning, a corrective 1 step, a corrective 2 step(when 1 wouldnt do much for the heavier stuff) and full(or near full) correction.
 
I include a finishing step like 85rd in my services, then charge by the hour for paint correction on top of that, regardless of which products I use.
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
Lets say you do M105 x2, SIP, 106. How many steps is that? Your customer will get lost real quick if you go into too much detail, best to keep things simple.
Click to expand...





Agreed. I tend to talk more in terms of the limitations of the chosen process and what won't be corrected rather than steps. I want them to have realistic expectations. If they want better results than I have explained they have to expect the price to go up.







David Fermani said:
Oh boy, what stinks is when you only charge for a 2-step, but actually do 3-4 correction passes?
Click to expand...





I think we've all been there. This is why a test panel is so important. I sometimes forget to inform customers that there is always the possibility of things taking more time and thus more money and that I won't know for sure until the process is begun. It's very hard to explain to people how the hardness of the paint or the ambient temp/humidity can affect things so greatly. How many times have you heard: "But you only charged 'Joe Blo' $XXX.XX and his car is the same size.":wall
 
It really all depends on the context and how much the customers understands or wants to know in my opinion. I would explain every single step And detail if that's what they want to know. If they just want their paint shiny as possible, I'd leave the steps part out unless asked.
 
The answer to your question depends on the kind of customers you service, your location etc.





My target market has no time and no interest in technical details.

It's only about:



1. $$$ ??

2. Time required.

3. Can the car be picked up from their office or home?





I avoid the "steps" routine simply because my customers don't live in my world.

Hv to make it easily digestible (!!) to them and I just explain that I offer 4 levels of detailing work:





Simple Polish Wax job - low budget

(which I'll only do on cars that I've massively detailed previously).

I inform that this only a "cosmetic cover-up" job, and cannot remove/rectify many problems.







Intermediate Level Detailing

Involves a fair bit of paint correction and then, followed by cosmetics (polish+LSP)

Certain problems might remain, but its a practical approach for most non-enthusiast car owners.





High-end, Full Correction Detailing job.





Showcar Level Professional Detailing

The mother of all detailing jobs, involving sanding, removal of rims etc.........

Next wk, I'm hoisting up a Beemer E30 to clean it's chromed suspension components.
 
For me, I've always refer to a " x-step" as actual dedicated polishing/correction steps (M105, M205, PO85RD...). An AIO is kind of a gray area IMO and could be seen as a "hybrid" 1 step, but I no longer offer an AIO service so it's not even mentioned to my clients.



As far as doing multiple passes on a correction step, I may do this on occasion at no charge to satisfy my own OCD, but typically I will contact the client if the desired results are not possible from the package they chose to go with. Whenever possible I will do a test panel prior to scheduling, but this is not always an option.
 
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