How to justify prices to new clients?

203 is great all in one but then you have to put selant on or something and wax. apo is all in one for some of your cheap customers. it also can be final step after polish since it does have some abrasives in it. its for you to decide
dont think i would be able to work with your clients couse i would not be able to let car go if its not in its top shape. i try very hard not to polish my dads car since he doesnt care about it

 

Thats the dilemma I am facing, every car I churn out is a part of my marketing. I don't want to do a simple job and say I did a polishing job and be labeled as a hack if the customer bumps into another detailer. Everycar I do I put all my effort into doing and try to do the best possible. Kind of disheartening when people don't appreicated it.

 

also. take a lot of before and after pictures to show customers what was done. couse sometimes its hard to see how good of job you did just by showing customer clean car. specialy if it was diry cose they can say oh you just washed it. if you know what i mean
those 50/50 shots will be best.
make yourself website and see if there is local car forum you can post them on.

 

How often do you guysgive out test panels?

 

I agree. Customer is paying for experience.

 

I agree!!! Also - presenting a professional image plays a huge part in the earning potential of any business. This has been discussed many times and I totally agree.

Just an example...Detailer "A" pulls up at my place of business with a recent model truck that is clean and shiny pulling an 6'x12' enclosed trailer which has his company logo on it and is fully loaded with equipment and chemicals, very neatly organized. He is dressed in his company uniform and is well groomed. He presents me with brochures about his company that include the different packages he offers - including price starting points. Detailer "A" takes to time to discuss with me my expectations and together we are able to choose a package I will be happy with and improves the look of my car.

Detailer "B" shows up in an old - dirty - in need of serious body and mechanical work vehicle. Opens up the trunk to "gather up & reorganize" his wash bucket, sponge, bath towel and turtle wax in order to produce a wet sales flyer and business card. He is dressed in a poor fitting pair of baggy pants and old t shirt. He informs me he has been cleaning cars for 10 years and is the best around. As I read the soggy flyer, I find he only has 1 package, and he is not able to explain his process or answer my questions.

Both Detailer "A" & "B" prices are the same. Who do you think I would hire? :shead:

I am in no way trying to say Detailer "A" is the better guy. But, IMO... perception is everything and goes along way to receiving the money we all seek! :thumb:

I also am fully aware that we ALL had to start somewhere and that DID NOT include a fully decked out detailing rig or a 10, 000 sq. ft. ultra modern facility complete with showroom and a customer lounge.

Experience + Reputation + Appearance + Clientele = "The BIG dollars".

Good luck! :headbang:

 

If I may add, you shouldn't have to justify your pricing to your clients. Let me explain. When you start out, my advice is to have a weekly wash and vacuum type package and offer clay/wax as an upsale. Thats it. No polishing. And price your packages to suit your experience. You should be charging no less than $20 -25/hr for your services. There are two reasons for this. One, the pricing is relatively low which will make it easy for potential clients to afford so you should be able to build a steady business fairly quickly. Two, the wash and vac package is the base of every detailing package. If you can't do it properly, you'll never be able to command the larger dollars for detail packages. Now, as your client list grows and you become busier, you can bump your pricing up a bit at a time. If you are doing good work, people will pay the increase without issue but the biggest thing is you will start to attract clients with nicer cars and more money. Wealthy people don't hang out with poor people. Now where does polishing fit into all this? First off, if you are relatively new to detailing, you have no business offering polishing services. Polishing takes a lot of practice and should not be offered until you are proficient at it. My advice would be to start with a PC. With the pads and polishes available today, its easy to do correction work in the 80-90% range which is more than good enough for the average client. Base your pricing on what it would take to do the job with a rotary. Any of the pros here can give you average times involved. In the beginning it will take you longer (only a bit) than you are being paid for, but eventually it'll even out as you get more experience. Practice on friends and families cars until you can produce a good finished product and then offer it to clients. Most important thing to remember is to under promise and over deliver. Don't ever tell a client that you can make his car absolutely mint. Its impossible to tell what you've got until you get into it.

 

^ ^ ^ Very good advice 911 Fanatic! :thumb: :applause:

 

creat your own website. its not hard. post pics up of cars you did and pricing info. this helps if you put it on your business card so ppl can see your work before they hire you

check any of out sponsoring verndors website who offer detailing as well and see how their sites organized

also check local google for local detailers and see what they charge and products they use

DLR explained good for mobile detail. as long as your car looks good when you go to client it all that matters. not everybody has trailer and stuff. first impression is the key

 

dont do friends or acquaintances cars they always want you to do i for free or next to nothing then theyll tell there friends how much they paid and then there friends wont expect to pay very much

 

Just explain to them that you will be fixing a problem rather than covering it up.

 

All the advices were very helpful, I'll stick to the simple stuff for now. Maybe I am just getting a bit ahead of myself.

 

One thing I will be doing next Spring is performing a 1-step on my vehicle to show people how good a car looks when it's polished. It's free advertisement and it also shows how serious you are about detailing. The problem is finding the time to keep your car clean while working on everyone else's car ... lol.

 

I think $275 is good for a one step WITHOUT engine bay and leather conditioning.