Time for a career change!

[imported_rydawg1]

Thanks everyone for replying to my winter situation. While I do have a bunch of gigs lined up, I am still open for other ideas as well. I have had some very good offers to travel in which I may be doing next. I also have a magazine publishing company that wants to do a write up on real pro results along with proper how to's. It's funny cause I read these body work magazines and how they teach you to properly prep a car is still 1980:bounce . I think the days of heavy cut compound with rocks and glaze are over:wall .

:har:



I may still go out and teach guys proper technique hands on.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Hey Ryan - do you have any high end tuning/interior/paint shops near you that you could do work for, or are they all a victim to cheap detailers too? In the winter I do work for a couple interior/tuning shops that offer details as a part of their services. They pay me 90% of my full rate and it's usually 5-7 cars a week; for them it works because they're doing ~$5,000+ in work to a car already, so ~$200-$400 for a detail is worth the extra satisfaction from the clients. Just a thought?

Thanks for the reply Kevin!!!!





I am going to go out to specialty shops as soon as I have a day off. I do have a BMW specailist down the street near me and I will have to meet with the owner.



I did talk to two other places and told them they could even make a profit off of me and they said that most of thier customers can barely pay for the work on their cars, but will try anyway to sell my services cause they need the extra money.



Thanks for the great advice Kevin!

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Do you have an extractor? Put it to use at your regular customer's homes. You also might want to look into granite counter top polishing. Use your equipment and knowledge that way.

I have been thinking of this also Scott and this is a great idea.

 

[wannafbody]

The first thing is to know the economy of your area. In my area in the bad section of town a detailer charges $50 (fixed location). In the upscale area the fixed location detailer charges $150. You can only charge what the local market will pay. If you can't make enough money per detail then you need increased volume. I'd suggest checking with higher end trucking companies(work inside at their location) and trying to work volume pricing for quick washes and waxes. Z8 or AW would work great for weekly or bi-weekly washes.

 

[imported_Picus]

Thanks for the reply Kevin!!!!





I am going to go out to specialty shops as soon as I have a day off. I do have a BMW specailist down the street near me and I will have to meet with the owner.



I did talk to two other places and told them they could even make a profit off of me and they said that most of thier customers can barely pay for the work on their cars, but will try anyway to sell my services cause they need the extra money.



Thanks for the great advice Kevin!

Cool. Weird about them mentioning the owners were tight on cash. The guy I am primarily dealing with mostly does interior work on classics, so it's all extra income. Do you have anyone like that near you? (As in guys who do body work/paint/interiors for classics?). I'd have never thought of it, but he found me. Good luck man!

 

[imported_rydawg1]

The first thing is to know the economy of your area. In my area in the bad section of town a detailer charges $50 (fixed location). In the upscale area the fixed location detailer charges $150. You can only charge what the local market will pay. If you can't make enough money per detail then you need increased volume. I'd suggest checking with higher end trucking companies(work inside at their location) and trying to work volume pricing for quick washes and waxes. Z8 or AW would work great for weekly or bi-weekly washes.

In my area most of the detailers have gone out of business. My other friend who has a shop barely does anymore detailing and focuses more on remote starts. He used to sell stereo equipment, but he even said that took a plunge. People are only spending on what they need.



I really have no competition in the high end details and get quite a few jobs from the Boston, MA area. I have been doing more bikes and Harleys lately, which most of them guys are willing to pay more than car details, granted bikes are very time consuming. So, I know I can atleast still do Harleys in the winter. Not many detailers even know how to do bikes or want to do them. There are thousands of Harleys around me.



I will start getting out to more car shows and talking to more people. I always have great luck at car shows. I will also start focusing more on the exotic car market which I should be focusing on the most.



Other than that, the regular detailing market is dead and I would not even want to be in that class anymore. The customers are terrible, the cars are terrible, especially the interiors, and they do not tip, are ungreatful, and are not willing to learn anything.



Now the high end corrections customers are excellent to deal with, pay very well, get me tons of jobs, know how to take care of their cars, listen to valuble information, and the tip is more than what average detail is....go figure. But the time into the car is 8-20 hours.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Cool. Weird about them mentioning the owners were tight on cash. The guy I am primarily dealing with mostly does interior work on classics, so it's all extra income. Do you have anyone like that near you? (As in guys who do body work/paint/interiors for classics?). I'd have never thought of it, but he found me. Good luck man!

I do have a few in the area, but I know most of them are very slow.



I do have a friend that owns a muscle/classic car monthly magazine and I am going to talk to him and maybe have him do an article on me. I have my buddies 67 Shelby GT500 to use as the write up car.



I have not talked to him in years, but I will be talking to him very soon. I just can't wait for a day off to get some stuff done.

 

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

In my area most of the detailers have gone out of business.



...the regular detailing market is dead and I would not even want to be in that class anymore. The customers are terrible, the cars are terrible, especially the interiors, and they do not tip, are ungreatful, and are not willing to learn anything.

Ryan,



Who are the people you consider to be the regular detailing market? You make them sound like a bunch of low lifes. Why in the world would any professional detailing business owner want to go after that type of person? Sounds like a waste of time and probably the reason why most of the detailers in your area have gone out of business. Why would you want to follow their lead and think the way they think?



Surely you must have well educated men and women, such as; doctors, attorneys, and

business owners and other professional people including dentists, financial advisors, stock brokers and small business owners in your area. To most successful detailing business owners, these are the people who make up the regular detailing market. And they are also the people who can afford to take care of maintaining their vehicles.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Ryan,



Who are the people you consider to be the regular detailing market? You make them sound like a bunch of low lifes. Why in the world would any professional detailing business owner want to go after that type of person? Sounds like a waste of time and probably the reason why most of the detailers in your area have gone out of business. Why would you want to follow their lead and think the way they think?



Surely you must have well educated men and women, such as; doctors, attorneys, and

business owners and other professional people including dentists, financial advisors, stock brokers and small business owners in your area. To most successful detailing business owners, these are the people who make up the regular detailing market. And they are also the people who can afford to take care of maintaining their vehicles.

Frank, you do have some great points and knowing that you have been in this business for such a long time, I know for sure you have seen and heard it all. I am sure you worked very hard through the hard times also and I give you lots of credit for doing it for such a long time.



While I do deal with people with money mostly, if they know about car care then they are the ones that will pay for the extra effort on a perfect finish. The people who do not know anything and think it is only a buff and wax and anyone can do it, they are the ones wh want it done for under $99 and under 2 hours. They are usually the ones that come in with severe scratches, sap, filthy stained interior, etc... It seems like the people that do not care for their car want it done cheap and the people who take care of their car are willing to pay for the best and tip the best.



I am in a very populated area, but there are still guys who advertise $99 and even them can barely make it with their overhead. I have been focusing more on car show events which I land quite a few jobs at and need to focus more on. It seems like I always have a big job going on whenever the car shows are going on so I need to start planning on going to more shows.



I am mostly worried about the cold winter snowy months when it all dies down. I am just planning ahead as it will be coming in a few months. I do have a few dealers that want me to do their work without a doubt and pay me pretty good. But I need to get more dealers just in case it does happen to get slow.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

It's funny this one dealer who is very cheap had a bunch of cars sent out to have done for $75 each and they all came back looking worst with oily swirls everywhere. He had me come down and look at them and wanted to apologize to me and now wants me to do his cars. He deals a lot with high end luxury cars which are in good shape, but wants them looking excellent and he is getting top dollar and sells them fast if they look perfect.



He had a dark blue Jag that was sent out 3 times in 3 months (3 different places) and it came back looking worst each time with major swirls. So he had me do it for my price and he was floored by the results. He ended up marking the car up $2000 more and selling it that weekend. A few months go by na d the customer came in for some service and he noticed how great looking the car was still, so he asked the customer what they did to it and they said nothing... So, he gave me a call and told me to meet with him.



Then I was talking to him and his partner and rember the the 86 Vette that I had posted on here? Well it came in for engine work and we were looking it over and the other owner was still amazed that it still looked perfect and told me he wants me to start doing his work again. Oh and the sales person told me they made $9600 profit on it.



The whole moral of the story is...great works pays off in the end!



In the winter I will get back into buying and selling cars again for myself.



Again thanks to everyone for great advice!!!!!

 

[SVR]

Hi Rydawg, I love your ways sir

I think we have alot in common. Moving to florida is one idea I came up with but dunno if you wanna do that.

In my case, I've focused on clubs for work when in actual fact, they are more into buying products to use themselves and the show people are really my market



I need to get the detailing side of the business busier and running well before I can afford to get into product sales again

Got a brilliant new 1000 sq metre shop to work from and I'd rather focus on doing car refinishing (autopian detailing) than wholesale, dealer and general public cars.

My autopian gear is too expensive for them and I ain't going to use my god given talent for that.



The car show people are the key for our market my very talented fellow autopian.

Get known in the show crowd. The shows where show is very important

Some shows are more for go than show so be selective.



Here in Australia, we have Autosalon (ricers with bling bling bits on their cars), All Ford Day, All Chrysler Day, Extreme Horsepower, Summernats (Huge), Holden Vs Ford show and many more



Of all those, the Summernats & Extreme HP are the ones that are our market

Thanks to a nearby show car paint and panel shop owner, I am going to be exposed to all the top SA show cars here and when they build new ones or have their cars repainted or want them readied for a big show, they are going to come to me



I think with your amazing ability, the show people plus your professional businessman, doctors etc as frank said are your market.

A while back I thought about giving up on detailing due to thinking that I wasn't good enough and lacking self confidence. thanks to a friend who said he could see great talent, I stuck it out and kept reading and PMing autopians and guys at DW in the UK such as Dave KG and today can use powergloss with yellow or black foam (strong cut) and get virtually LSP ready finish and polish materials never before able to be polished by hand or machine.



I really hope you stick with it and become successful.

There are going to be tough times for all of us, for us true christians even more than the rest but that's how we all grow.



My trouble has been I'm good at the detailing side but lowsy at some business skills

What I thought was my market was not and I've got to get out there and show the show people what I offer and how good their cars can be.

Sponsor someone's show car and work on it at the show, have my signage on it, speak to passers by, do trade stands now and then and more.

Dad's a great businessman so he will help me out with knowledge.



What I don't want you to do is just give up, move onto a different career and then regret your choice later on.



Street Machine Summernats

(these people are serious about car care and any kind of auto products

I'm sure there are the same type near you.

 

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

I have been focusing more on car show events which I land quite a few jobs at and need to focus more on.



I am mostly worried about the cold winter snowy months when it all dies down. I am just planning ahead as it will be coming in a few months.

Ryan,



Have you given any thought to becoming a guest speaker at local car club meetings during those cold winter months? That could keep you busy at least a couple of evenings a week. That way you will be building a reputation as an expert in the field of detailing and at the same time possibly pick up a few good high paying clients for next spring.



The key for the winter is to do things during those cold days that will bring in more profitable work during your busy season. Let's face it, there are not very many businesses who can stay busy all of the time. Every business has its busy season. It's what you do during your slow time that will make the difference.



Instead of working for less money during the winter, why not plan ahead and figure out from now exactly what you could be doing during the winter that will help you attract more better paying high end clients for next spring. Those high end customers are out there and they are just waiting to hear from you. Why not give them a reason to discover your detailing business?

 

[David Fermani]

Why not rent a garage to do your detailing out of in the cold months? It's not like cars don't need to be cleaned in the winter time, probably more. If you run your business right, it shouldn't fall on it's face when it gets cold. Do you have a database of your clients? If so, call them and schedule them in and cross-market yourself to more clients. I'm sure you can do more work(make more $) being at a fixed location than zig-zagging daily going to them. This way you'll expand your network and probably be busier next year.

 

[wannafbody]

Local cruises can be a good place to hand out business cards. A fixed location may be worth it if you can attract enough hi-end clientel but that would increase overhead. During slow months you might be able to contract some finishing work for hi-end paint shops who are slammed. Also check and see if you have any restoration shops who need finishing details done. I know of a couple local hole in the wall garages who have restored concours winners, these type of places could make for some great referrals.

 

[mcc]

In my area things slow down considerably as the holidays approach and people spend their money elsewhere. People here generally only have one thing in mind when they talk about detailing their vehicle, and that is price. It is the first thing they ask, and usually the dealbreaker.



I spoke with a friend of mine that manages a local auto repair shop that is part of a small local chain with several locations. He said this is the worst business has been in years. People come in with messed up cars, he gives them a quote, and they decide not to fix the problems. People will come in and want pads installed, but turn down an additional $20 charge to turn the rotors. People have money, as Wal-Mart is always packed, along with the movie theaters, the golf courses, etc. More and more though it seems that people have no interest in spending money on their vehicles. They will even buy a nice one, but they won't take care of it.



I don't detail full time, because their simply doesn't seem to be enough work, or at least I haven't found it. Some weeks are great, but I know what the winter months bring, so I do other things as well.



Since you have an eye for detail and know what clean is, maybe you could clean some offices or something like that. Buy a paint sprayer and go paint apartments at a small community part-time. I think you mentioned buying and selling cars, and I am finding that to be fun and profitable. Look into doing field inspections part time for banks and insurance companies on commercial and residential properties part-time.



Why do I suggest the above? Because I do all of them part-time along with my detailing, well, all but the painting, though I have a sprayer and could do it if I had time. Just some ideas. I hope you find something you enjoy (or at least can tolerate), whatever it is.

 

[imported_SHICKS]

Hey Ryan-



I don't have a whole lot to add, but we live near each other and I'll tell you, concentrate on the high end of things around here. They guys with the M5's, AMG 55's, 7Series and so on. There is a Bentley near me, someone has to do it. There are tons of them and they have the $$$. Profile you existing customers and try to find new ones based on what they are like. Get your name in the Manchester HIPPO with a cleaver ad. I am not in the business, but I would never deal with stealerships, they are out for a buck. I guess the catch is the winter months, but there are hidden gems everywhere. I work for a company that has a garage in the basement that no-one would know about and they are all VP and Manager cars waiting for a detail. I know it's hard, but create a brand and set yourself apart, you have the skills.



Steve



P.S. I am one of the cheap ones, otherwise you would have done my car already.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

Hey Ryan-



I don't have a whole lot to add, but we live near each other and I'll tell you, concentrate on the high end of things around here. They guys with the M5's, AMG 55's, 7Series and so on. There is a Bentley near me, someone has to do it. There are tons of them and they have the $$$. Profile you existing customers and try to find new ones based on what they are like. Get your name in the Manchester HIPPO with a cleaver ad. I am not in the business, but I would never deal with stealerships, they are out for a buck. I guess the catch is the winter months, but there are hidden gems everywhere. I work for a company that has a garage in the basement that no-one would know about and they are all VP and Manager cars waiting for a detail. I know it's hard, but create a brand and set yourself apart, you have the skills.



Steve



P.S. I am one of the cheap ones, otherwise you would have done my car already.

Thanks for the info Steve!



The last p.s. comment had me laughing so hard :LOLOL . Send me some business and I will take care of your car:clap:

 

[imported_rydawg1]

This month I have been so damn busy with no days off and this week is so damn hectic, so the business is still strong and people also want their cars sealed for the winter. My biggest worry is the dead of the winter.

 

[imported_SHICKS]

If I run into a guy at work, I'll hit him up. I think he as a Z06 and a modded Hog. He then would be a great contact into the rest of the company, about 200 employees at this site.



Steve

Thanks for the info Steve!



The last p.s. comment had me laughing so hard :LOLOL . Send me some business and I will take care of your car:clap:

 

[imported_rydawg1]

If I run into a guy at work, I'll hit him up. I think he as a Z06 and a modded Hog. He then would be a great contact into the rest of the company, about 200 employees at this site.



Steve

Thanks Steve



You help me with some great customers, I will help you with your car! I'll get that thing to bling! How's that for a deal:grinno: