Survey: Public opinions of Professional Auto Detailers

[602rwtq]

<p style="font-size:16px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(85,85,85);">We surveyed 80 American car owners and discovered that they’re more willing to pay a pro than we expected if:

1. <span style="margin:0px;background-color:transparent;">The price is right.
2. They believe they can’t do the job themselves.

<p style="font-size:16px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(85,85,85);">Read on and discover what changes you can make to your detailing business to reach a bigger audience.

 

[Envious Eric]

of course if the price is right...you cant just think you are worth 2K a detail because you want it...you have to prove its worth it!


 


problem is, the world thinks details should be 100-150 max.  Just flip through yelp and look at all the NEGATIVE reviews on whatever company.  I read one the other day that went something like this:


 


For $100 you would think the carpets would have been deep cleaned and all scratches and all scratches removed from my paint.  I was thoroughly disappointed and will never go back to XXXXXX company. - 12 year old car, 120K miles.


 


Really????  for $100 you want a brand new car huh?  I just dont understand the logic! 


 


So telling someone its going to be $500 for 8 hours of my time OWNING and OPERATING my own business paying taxes and using higher end supplies has both been easy and a struggle for me.  Factoring everything in...you end up with 40/hr if you are charging $60/hr...people cant grasp that when the local car wash will clay and buff the car for $100; albeit, the results are nowhere close to the same!

 

[bunkeroo26]

Toyota, you are spot on.

This is one of the biggest problems with

our specific service industry.


People want the best and want to pay the least.


A neighbor of mine told me that a guy drives out to your house

and does a full detail for thirty dollars. This is laughable.


There is just no way that someone could operate "legally",

with insurance and licenses and do details for 30 bucks.

Perhaps if they spend approximately one hour........


How do we get around people's perceptions of what they can get for

the money? I think that we must inform them. They don't know

Why the car wash prices are so low. They don't know what their

car could look like. How do we change perceptions without offending?


------------------------------------


I think one way is with the Budget Microscope listed in another forum.

Attached to a cell or tablet, this gives high detail pics of defects at

a whopping price of 3 dollars. If you then spend the time looking over

their vehicle examining and detailing problem spots, this will add a

huge wow factor.


Customers have not dealt with this type of service.

You will seem like an instant expert.

Your prices will seem reasonable.


I also think that we should take time to incentivize our customers,

and explain how and why we do it. If a customer asks why your prices

are high, tell them that it is because of your service but also because

you reward referrals. If they seem interested, explain the system.


It can be get a free basic package with 10 basics referred.

You can give 25 dollars per referral for a full detail. If you tell them

That 25 dollars of what they are paying is going right to the

person who sent them, they realize how easy the 25 dollar receiver had it.


You can introduce this many ways. When you are finished with a car,

and the customer is ecstatic, there's something catchy that you can say.


"You know You can make money with this car, right? "

How, they ask. Just tell them that every time someone talks about

your car, you can earn an easy 25 dollar referral bonus.




As to the answer to the question posed in title,

Yes, I believe that we need to be transparent. We owe it to ourselves.

 

[602rwtq]

of course if the price is right...you cant just think you are worth 2K a detail because you want it...you have to prove its worth it!


 


problem is, the world thinks details should be 100-150 max.  Just flip through yelp and look at all the NEGATIVE reviews on whatever company.  I read one the other day that went something like this:


 


For $100 you would think the carpets would have been deep cleaned and all scratches and all scratches removed from my paint.  I was thoroughly disappointed and will never go back to XXXXXX company. - 12 year old car, 120K miles.


 


Really????  for $100 you want a brand new car huh?  I just dont understand the logic! 


 


So telling someone its going to be $500 for 8 hours of my time OWNING and OPERATING my own business paying taxes and using higher end supplies has both been easy and a struggle for me.  Factoring everything in...you end up with 40/hr if you are charging $60/hr...people cant grasp that when the local car wash will clay and buff the car for $100; albeit, the results are nowhere close to the same!

 


About 1/15 customers were like this.  And yes, the bad reviews cost us maybe took away 10% of our business.


 


But a $250 starting point for a detail...that took away 65% of our business.


 


The choice is yours.

 

[bunkeroo26]

There must be some middle ground.


I decided to structure my details and cheap

washes separately. What I mean by this, is that

if I do an amazing job on a customer who is

looking to pay 30 dollars, then I get screwed on

the time that it will take me.


I give them the option to use professional and

Eco friendly chemicals as an add on, and my

Non marring wash technique as an add on,

Along with wax as an option.


I then offer a veterans and active military wash,

where they get one add on for free, and others

at a BOGO price.


If the customer wants budget with no adds, then

it saves me time.


I also have the option to throw in an add on at

zero cost. "I gave you the 5 dollar wax for free".


Just some ways I have decided to work it