The dreaded "I'll keep in touch" line

S

smokinfastlegen

New member
Well it was bound to happen. I had a lady call me about a month ago asking for her newish thunderbird to be shined. She had gotten my number from a friend at the local mechanic/speed shop. I had to take it easy in April as I finished my classes before graduation the first week of may. She said this was fine as she wanted to get a PDR specialist out to her car and would call me monday of last week. In the mean time i purchased some Raggtop convertible cleaner and 303 High Tech Fabric protectant in preparation as I only had blue magic top cleaner and it wasnt to my liking.



She calls me last week on wednesday (first sign) and I didnt have time to do her vehicle the rest of the week so I scheduled her for today. The second sign was she said to me "you dont sound like the same person I talked with before." That kind of put me off. Ultimately though she said sounds good ill call you the day before to confirm.



I waited all day for a confirmation call, never received one, so at about 8:30 pm i left a voicemail. I set my alarm early just in case she decided to drop off her vehicle early, and forgot to call. Nothing, so I called at 10:15 to confirm. She then said "I am still having trouble setting up transportation, so I cannot keep the appointment. I will keep in touch with you though." Thats when I knew I had lost the job, and that this number should be deleted from my phone. Had I known she was going to back out, I would have cold called a prospective client, and had them scheduled for this weekend, but I just found out they have to put the work on hold. Had i set up the appointment, I wouldnt be losing money right now.



What makes me mad is it was a cheap job too, I quoted $100-125 for convertible top cleaning, swirl removal and interior cleaning. So if she found someone else for that price, I pity the work she has received.



So right now i sit hoping someone with a convertible canvas top needs their top cleaned and protected just so i can make back my small investment :(



Sorry for such a long read, just needed to vent.
 
Hate to say it, but have you considered that perhaps she flaked out BECAUSE it was a "cheap job" you quoted her? Sorry but $125 for all that work is nowhere near the going rate for truly professional work. Double, if not triple that? Yeah.



Could be you put her off with the price, but I do agree that it would have been better for her to just be up-front about it instead of being a flake. That is by far my BIGGEST pet peeve in this business, all the people who say they want this and that done, but never pony up to make an appointment or keep it in the long run.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Hate to say it, but have you considered that perhaps she flaked out BECAUSE it was a "cheap job" you quoted her? Sorry but $125 for all that work is nowhere near the going rate for truly professional work. Double, if not triple that? Yeah.



Could be you put her off with the price, but I do agree that it would have been better for her to just be up-front about it instead of being a flake. That is by far my BIGGEST pet peeve in this business, all the people who say they want this and that done, but never pony up to make an appointment or keep it in the long run.
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Price is way too low, probably thought you would do a crappy job!



On the other hand, I did receive a call for a wash and wax and a full interior on a F150 today and quoted 200 without seeing it...didnt get it, but dont really care! I should have probably quoted more because the term "not bad" was thrown out.... = extra work needed...lol
 
LOL @ the "not bad" line, can't tell you how many times I've wanted to faint after hearing that.



@ the OP, you did underbid yourself, dunno how you can do this for $13/hr but our community shouldn't.
 
I agree with the others here; your pricing is way too low. If your skills are at Autopia levels, you should be $250 minimum on that car. That will quickly separate the non-serious price shoppers from the serious customers.



Your clue that she was not 100% serious was when she didn't confirm the appt. If you have to chase a customer, you know your chances are decreasing. It's OK to say, "due to my tight schedule, if I do not hear from you by 6PM today, I will have to reschedule your appt". Then leave them and call the next customer. If the first one calls too late, you can always tell them sorry, I had to give it to someone else and the next opening I have is _____



Remember, never count your chickens before they've hatched...... or never count on your sealant before its crosslinked.... you not only counted your chickens, you bought them a present. No worries, you can always resell the top cleaner, or return it.



It happens to us all so don't feel bad. Looks like there are a couple of small tweaks you can do to your appt setting process. I'm sure things will improve moving forward.
 
bretfraz said:
I agree with the others here; your pricing is way too low. If your skills are at Autopia levels, you should be $250 minimum on that car. That will quickly separate the non-serious price shoppers from the serious customers.



Your clue that she was not 100% serious was when she didn't confirm the appt. If you have to chase a customer, you know your chances are decreasing. It's OK to say, "due to my tight schedule, if I do not hear from you by 6PM today, I will have to reschedule your appt". Then leave them and call the next customer. If the first one calls too late, you can always tell them sorry, I had to give it to someone else and the next opening I have is _____



Remember, never count your chickens before they've hatched...... or never count on your sealant before its crosslinked.... you not only counted your chickens, you bought them a present. No worries, you can always resell the top cleaner, or return it.



It happens to us all so don't feel bad. Looks like there are a couple of small tweaks you can do to your appt setting process. I'm sure things will improve moving forward.
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Thanks Everyone. As far as the top stuff goes, I have a friend who has a convertible BMW that might benefit from this so it's not all bad I guess.



As far as higher prices the majority of my clients while having nice cars, would often not shell out more :( I've done the majority of what I've posted on here for roughly that price.



Thanks everyone for the great pieces of advice.
 
smoknfastlegend said:
As far as higher prices the majority of my clients while having nice cars, would often not shell out more
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And you know that how? Have you ever tried asking for more, or are you just afraid to offend someone by asking for a higher rate?
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
And you know that how? Have you ever tried asking for more, or are you just afraid to offend someone by asking for a higher rate?
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Seriously, if your work is good, people will pay. Don't gouge them, of course but if you do good work, you should be able to price it out at $35-60 an hour depending on the cost of living in your area.
 
I know it sounds strange, but - if it's not a family member or friend, you need to charge like you mean it. People will pay more if they are looking for quality and price indicates that. You'll get a bunch of "that's crazy" but those customers want you to bust your balls for 8 bucks a hour, no tip, and nit pick to death.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
And you know that how? Have you ever tried asking for more, or are you just afraid to offend someone by asking for a higher rate?
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I have asked and when i quoted more they are put off by a higher price. I mean i have had one or two tip me more and told me that I am rather cheap, but most just dont want to spend more then they have to. Most of my clientel is word of mouth, and they are told what I charged a previous customer, so they also have a mindset when they want work done. And in a way I am afraid of offending someone by asking for a higher price, though I know my work calls for more than i charge. I am also not one to turn down work, id rather bust my butt a little and make a little then do nothing and have nothing.



But i am more concerned when people are inconsiderate and dont call to confirm or refuse an appointment, then I am with the price I charge. As long as I am making more then I am spending I am happy. And in this case, I put out for something I thought was a sure thing only to be denied. Lesson learned.
 
Hate to hear that Joe. Now I don't disagree with Joes price....to each their own. But if a person does autopia level work at a cheap price but like Joe who does great work just to make some extra cash.
 
When getting started in the business I charged close to what you are charging and I got a lot of work but it was usually beaters and really dirty stuff. As I got busier I started to raise my rates (up 40% over last spring) and the quality of vehicles I get now has gotten much better. I used to book nearly 100% of jobs I quoted on and now I probably book 70%. It's funny how it works...I guess people equate cheap price with cheap work.
 
People don't all necessarily equate cheap price with cheap work. How many of you have had vehicles come your way that were hacked up by a "detailer" that didn't know what they were doing ? Why do you think the vehicle owner went to that hack to begin with ? Because they were half the price of everyone else. There are TONS of people out there who expect the world for nothing, so I don't believe with any degree of certainty that this client didn't show because she thought the price was too cheap. Sometimes people just don't show. This person might do the same thing with hair cut appointments, spa appointments, dentist, etc. That's just how some people are, and all of us have / will come across them. Better to just forget about it and move on.



As for your prices, I understand where you're coming from with new clients being told an existing client's price and then wanting the same thing. The only thing you can do is VERY slowly raise your prices. Start with, say, $5. Someone expecting a price of $125 isn't going to say anything about $130. Then, go from $130 to $135, and so forth. If you space the raises properly, you won't see any decline in customers. If someone truly does ask why you're $5 more (aside from the fact that you wouldn't want this person as your customer anyways), just say your cost in materials went up, plain and simple (which actually, depending where you're buying from, has been happening all year now like it has been for me).
 
I am getting into the flat hourly rate quotes now....make more, work less! instead of two cars at 25 hours to make 800 bucks, its one car at 12 hours to make 600-700. Of course its more intensive work than the wash and wax job, but when a drastic turn around is needed, but a repaint is not wanted, paint correction is preferred and paid for!!!!! (Plus paint correction saves them money from a repaint, and saves them from lowering the value of a car due to being repainted!)
 
toyotaguy said:
I am getting into the flat hourly rate quotes now....make more, work less! instead of two cars at 25 hours to make 800 bucks, its one car at 12 hours to make 600-700. Of course its more intensive work than the wash and wax job, but when a drastic turn around is needed, but a repaint is not wanted, paint correction is preferred and paid for!!!!! (Plus paint correction saves them money from a repaint, and saves them from lowering the value of a car due to being repainted!)
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I too have just recently started quoting this way; especially on jobs where heavy correction work is needed it makes life far easier.
 
I hate it when they say that.... I'll be in touch. And the (intended to disarm you) comment... Its not bad!



I had someone call yesterday asking how much for a car wash! Who the heck gave HIM my number?? I told him, sorry I don't do car washes. His reply? "Ok, I'll be in touch." And the dumbing down (slang word used intentionally) of America continues...
 
toyotaguy said:
I am getting into the flat hourly rate quotes now....make more, work less! instead of two cars at 25 hours to make 800 bucks, its one car at 12 hours to make 600-700. Of course its more intensive work than the wash and wax job, but when a drastic turn around is needed, but a repaint is not wanted, paint correction is preferred and paid for!!!!! (Plus paint correction saves them money from a repaint, and saves them from lowering the value of a car due to being repainted!)
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Enlightenment has been achieved :clap1: now you are starting to make some money Eric, although this number is a little light if you are doing correction. I have talked about the "Hourly" way to charge for years now.
 
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