does the rupes have you reevaluating your pricing?

Still doesn't get it

This is not a discussion

Just you using names of bob and KB to defend yourself and your thoughts.

What about the times you were not as efficient?

Are you going to give back the customers money? Why not? It's a two way road, not one way

When you were not as efficient as you say you are now, do you not think you costed the vehicle owner money? Give and take, always wanting more and more just because you got a tad bit better is not good ethics

I don't believe the cutting corners part, lots of evidence in the pictures.

 

Im not sure who you are are or what you are trying to prove. Bryan is trying to have a discussion regarding the time savings of his new piece of equipment and with zero posts, you come on here and attack his position. If you haven't got something productive to add to the conversation, keep your mouth shut.

 

This forum needs a like option!

 

I can use "names like bob and KB" because I actually talk to Bob and KB. In fact I never asked either to post in this thread. Bob will always provide a straight up answer, no fluff with an extra topping of no bs. As far as the evidence in the pics, not even sure to answer that one. Would you like to say that all the others using this machine have just starting lying to the community? Some of the best detailers in north america have purchased and use this machine. How about you buy one, and run it against your current machine like mike Murphy, and then tell yourself you just cut a bunch of corners.

Businesses save money all the time through advances in technology, streamlining processes etc, do you think they pass the savings on to you every time? I charged less a few years back so no, I don't owe my customers money. That logic doesn't even make any sense, even if you were blind to inflation. As far as being in it for the money, well duh its how I make a living.

sent using my thumbs, mispelling most words

 

I have been to numerous meguiars classes and I I have learned it really is better to work smarter and not harder! I ordered one because I feel it will let me do just that and more efficiently.

 

What will you do with that time Mike?
I cant remember if you charged by the car or by the hour.
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In this case you have now gone from hourly to per car. A paradigm shift so to speak. This is what I am getting at though, you deserve $80/hr based on results and time, but the customer will only give you $400 for an end result. I believe its easier to deliver the end result rather than trying to educate customers on your hourly fee. If the avg market price is $300, and through years of good work and around business skills you can charge $400, would it not be easier to just charge $400 and forget how long it takes?

Now for those that know my business I "was" a per hour guy making a decent hourly rate. I believe that if I can deliver the same quality that built my business, in less time I can increase the bottom line. That's "american" thinking from a guy north of the border.
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I went to bed early(Due to oldness and being filled with a few slices of quality pizza) and read this, it's true the discussion Bryan and I were having I thought was good and Bryan and I do keep in touch outside of the forum. I have strong opinions on a few things in life but only comment if I feel I really know that the subject matter being discussed is in my realm of knowledge as their are a infinite amount of things I have no business commenting on.

I have a focused specific type of detailing business that caters not only to a certain type of vehicle but client mindset as well, in years past I did the employee thing with higher volume as I believed(Proved to be wrong much to my un-doing) that if I trained guys to do tasks as I do them I could duplicate myself so to speak and expand thus make more money. I would find out this did not work as beyond a skillset I could not find people with the standard and work ethic to do it a certain way.

Auto detailing is broke up into three categories in my opinion, Ultra high end perfection type, really good work but not to the Nth degree, and high production "Car wash" or "Dealership" style get it "Right now" as opposed to right.

Sometimes younger guys being that they have not experienced certain scenarios themselves will think that if adjustments are made they can be more profitable, this mindset can be good and other times the person might be fooling themselves with "Diminishing returns" much like the guys I see in the gym where I work out that are "Juiced up" and look good but have a false foundation in their build and later have the setbacks that come from that choice they have made(Health issues, roid rage, shrinking body parts besides their arms, chest................etc.) and give back their "Leased muscle gains".

I do not have all the answers, far from it and I am not "Ballin outa control", but my service is built on quality, integrity and zero amounts of "Fluff". The choices I make sometimes do not equate to big dollars but I am profitable and more importantly "Comfortable in my own skin", for ME I like to take a car to the highest level providing the client feels the same way and those people are few and far between but if you are a one man show starting out I feel establishing a higher level of quality and a reputation for being someone "Who comes thru firstime everytime" is important........................then later you can adjust the focus and add personal or have a multi-tiered service with the capability to do perfection work and production much like John @ Metropolitan in Seattle.

Some might say "Tomato/Tomahto" but traditional hard work and doing things properly takes longer in every sense and people who "Fast track" and avoid paying their dues up front pay later and with a higher interest rate(Misery index) and sometimes just go away. Just because I SAY do it this way does not mean you should, vet things and think for yourself...........................(Even though I am right with a high probability lol) but how many times do you hear or see Wall Street multi-millionares going to jail or killing themselves and they were "Doin it big"........................... quality stands the test of time in all things be it business or relationships with people.

Conclusion of "Self-important rant" from Me aka "The detailing forum bully".

 

Its true people will make their own choices. The point of forums is to discuss and not necessarily end up with a right or wrong. If Bob is successful and happy with the current state of business I doubt anyone could sway him or anyone else for that matter in the same situation . My main idea is who should benefit from all this new found efficiency. Which has no right or wrong answer but may get a few peoples synapses crackling. Funny bob mentioned john because I think john is a hell is a business man himself and could probably not be more different than bobs business set up. Other than believing in quality there isn't much similar between the two.

In the end a clean window is a clean window whether you took 2 minutes or 20.
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bryan i am still looking for the 2 minute window after 40 years.

 

Aren't we all Dave.

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The quickest and the cleanest I've ever been able to do windows is with a vapor cleaner. However, I am just less motivated to get it running versus grabbing another form of cleaner. Also, if you live in colder climates, a vapor cleaner on cold glass is a formula for disaster.

 

I was gonna say...........

 

Were you going to say that while you polished your guns. Hahahaha

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Guns? what guns?................ LOL

 

If I had the funds and I did not live in Kaifornia....................................... I would have a room which looked like a Dev Group Gold platoon assault members ready locker, filled with costly shooting tightness!!.

 

^^^^ you and me both.

HK416 FTW

 

Some could say we got slower for a while after the invention of automotive clay. Didn't do it before the invention but obviously for quality improvements we all adopted it. So we got less efficient for the sake of better quality. This can happen as well. Now the nanoscrub seems to have brought us back and maintained the improvements clay has given.

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Here's another open ended situation that uses hourly rates.
Say you charge $60/hr and you take six hours to do a car. Now your streamlined and decide on $80/hr. And take four hours. Before the customer receives a bill for $360 and is happy paying for it. Now with your new rate and new found quickness, you hand them a bill for $320. Who is happy in this situation?
Remember we are talking equal levels of service.
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Here's what you do Bryan. Have set package pricing for waxing, Opti coat etc and charge hourly for polishing. Most good shops are getting $75 for polishing. Would that cover the difference in time savings?