Here's my situation, I have a customer who wants me to price a detail on his truck. Was anyone else nervous about their first price quote that they gave? I am wondering what kind of reaction I am going to get when I give him a price. I know the going rates in the area and I am WAY below the going rate. I am not trying to short myself, but this is my first paying detail, and it's my boss at my regular job, and...........he's got a lot of retired friends with a bunch of money :shifty: So I was just wondering if my nervousness was shared among others about the first time (sound like a virgin on prom night)
Was Anyone Else Nervous?
- Thread starter max080
- Start date
Luster
COMPULSIVELY ANAL
I have learned (from experience) that a printed rate sheet is less shocking to the customer than a verbal quote. I try to breakdown each detailing point ... ala-cart... (see example below)...
Package 1
... Wash & Exterior
... Vacuum carpets & upholstery
... Clean interior
... Clean interior glass
... Dress vinyl, plastic and tires
... PRICE ... ... ... ... $75
Package 2
... Same as Pkg 1 plus:
... Claybar paint
... Hand polish paint
... 2 coats synthetic sealant
... Topcoat
... PRICE ... ... ... ... $140
Additional options...
... Engine bay cleaning ... $40
... Steam clean carpets ... $40
ETC., ETC., ETC. You get the idea...
I charge more for trucks, vans, SUV's because they are bigger and I don't like doing them!!!! Give me a Vette every time!!!
Package 1
... Wash & Exterior
... Vacuum carpets & upholstery
... Clean interior
... Clean interior glass
... Dress vinyl, plastic and tires
... PRICE ... ... ... ... $75
Package 2
... Same as Pkg 1 plus:
... Claybar paint
... Hand polish paint
... 2 coats synthetic sealant
... Topcoat
... PRICE ... ... ... ... $140
Additional options...
... Engine bay cleaning ... $40
... Steam clean carpets ... $40
ETC., ETC., ETC. You get the idea...
I charge more for trucks, vans, SUV's because they are bigger and I don't like doing them!!!! Give me a Vette every time!!!
Luster
COMPULSIVELY ANAL
Here's one more tip...
I kind of lean toward charging by the hour at a rate of $35.
If you can estimate the duration of time for the vehicle, you will usually come out OK.
(Remember... A trashed Suburban or Expedition = 10 hours!!!!!)
I kind of lean toward charging by the hour at a rate of $35.
If you can estimate the duration of time for the vehicle, you will usually come out OK.
(Remember... A trashed Suburban or Expedition = 10 hours!!!!!)
Beemerboy
Just One More Coat
I lean on what Luster says...I charge based on what hours I think that it will take to complete...if your not sure, give them a range.
Do your best job and remember that the customer in most cases dosen't look at a car with the same eye that detailers do.
Do your best job and remember that the customer in most cases dosen't look at a car with the same eye that detailers do.
Brenton
aka PEI Detail
Right now I'm in the building business stage, so I feel out the customer to see what they want and what they'll pay. I noticed in PEI that anything over $200 is off limits. I can upsell later, but $199 is my top price. If I can't do it for $199, I give them full price.
Below that, I have room to move. I want about $25/hour, so I work it out like that. If they start adding things, I reconfigure the price. There are emotional barriers, so I quote $99 rather than $106, eat the $7 and land the job.
I still screw it up. Yesterday I quoted $110 and ended up spending about 7 hours on it. It took longer than I thought it should. $49.95 for wash & was + $5 for sealant allows me to encounter dirty wheels or a little tar without getting into trouble.
I try to get people to accept the $25/hr, but not all go for it. Then I give a price and do my best to make it in that reality. I find I'm short changing myself on the interior often.
I'll learn, I hope.
Below that, I have room to move. I want about $25/hour, so I work it out like that. If they start adding things, I reconfigure the price. There are emotional barriers, so I quote $99 rather than $106, eat the $7 and land the job.
I still screw it up. Yesterday I quoted $110 and ended up spending about 7 hours on it. It took longer than I thought it should. $49.95 for wash & was + $5 for sealant allows me to encounter dirty wheels or a little tar without getting into trouble.
I try to get people to accept the $25/hr, but not all go for it. Then I give a price and do my best to make it in that reality. I find I'm short changing myself on the interior often.
I'll learn, I hope.
onemeanmachine
New member
As a small business owner who recently started up, I can admit that the first few times you give a price quote does tend to be a little scary. First of all, be confident, if you don't seem confident that your price is fair, the customer won't feel that way either. Secondly, you can always come DOWN...not UP, so if you're giving a rough estimate start higher than you really want to do it for and then tell them "you can work out a deal with them" and give them a discount of some kind (Retail does that all the time when they have sales on things that they originally jacked the price way up on). This does two things: allows the customer to feel like he's getting a better deal and keeps you from having to actually raise the price on the next detail. Not to mention when you do get the first price you give them, you actually end up ahead! Lastly, work out what the exposure of doing that vehicle is worth. Figure out the lowest you can do the job for and try to predict how much other business you might get through that customer (Your boss for example might be a great candidate to get a little word-of-mouth advertising around the office). I have one contract that I actually lose money on, but I get it back ten-fold from the exposure.....just something worth thinking about!
Coastal Eddie
Ambivalent
The keywords in your post were it's for "your boss at your regular job, and he has lots of friends with a bunch of money".
That being the case, I'm thinking you'll probably end up giving him a "real good" deal, do a great job on his vehicle, and then go after his friends business. Obviously your good work is the key.
Bear in mind that if you do give him a sweet price, then you should ask him not to broadcast it, because your prices are higher than what you did his for. I've done this in the past and it works.
I don't do many details these days unless I see the vehicle first.
That being the case, I'm thinking you'll probably end up giving him a "real good" deal, do a great job on his vehicle, and then go after his friends business. Obviously your good work is the key.
Bear in mind that if you do give him a sweet price, then you should ask him not to broadcast it, because your prices are higher than what you did his for. I've done this in the past and it works.
I don't do many details these days unless I see the vehicle first.
hemin8r
ShineTech Auto Detail
max080 said:
I'm totally with you on this one. I started out charging $50.00 for claying, SSR layer, polish, vac, & dressing. I know I was WAY BELOW what the shops in my area were charging. Now I know what it takes to detail a car & it's a whole lotta work. I still haven't learned even though my pricing went up a bit. I'm detailing a friends Suburban in a couple weeks & I'm planning on charging $150.00 for wash, clay, ssr, vacuum, dressing & he wants his engine detailed as well. Should I charge more? He's a co-worker & I don't want to go too overboard. I know he plans to help me detail his suburban to help lower cost. Wutcha guys think?
wifehatescar
My L5-S1 is killing me!
I think it it's ok to cut your boss a deal but make sure to tell them you are giving them a deal off your normal prices. That way you are free to charge his friends normal prices.
3Dog
New member
I always get the feeling from a lot of these type posts that everyone is part-time and doesnt really need the money.
lets say you are charging 35.00 an hour and you are not operating illegally and you in fact do have a business......ie..you pay taxes on income, business taxes, have the required general liabilty insurance, worksman comp, telephone, vehicle, gas, utilities etc, etc. You will find that the 35.00 hr you charge will not be what goes in your pocket...more than likely you will walk away with 20%. If you sit down and look at operating and living expenses, you will probably be surprises at what you really end up with.
As always........IMO
lets say you are charging 35.00 an hour and you are not operating illegally and you in fact do have a business......ie..you pay taxes on income, business taxes, have the required general liabilty insurance, worksman comp, telephone, vehicle, gas, utilities etc, etc. You will find that the 35.00 hr you charge will not be what goes in your pocket...more than likely you will walk away with 20%. If you sit down and look at operating and living expenses, you will probably be surprises at what you really end up with.
As always........IMO