{"id":26422,"date":"2019-11-19T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=26422"},"modified":"2019-11-22T14:18:02","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T19:18:02","slug":"legitimizing-the-detailing-industry-part-2-of-5-an-open-letter-to-a-frustrated-detailing-business-owner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/legitimizing-the-detailing-industry-part-2-of-5-an-open-letter-to-a-frustrated-detailing-business-owner\/","title":{"rendered":"Legitimizing The Detailing Industry Part 2 of 5: An Open Letter To A Frustrated Detailing Business Owner"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a five-part article series. Click here for parts 1 through 5!<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I want you to give me $400, $600, $1200, or $2000 of your money.\u00a0 I also would like you to give me the keys to a car that you care enough about to have detailed.\u00a0 You also very likely do not know what goes into a properly detailed vehicle.\u00a0 You have hundreds of other detailers advertising allegedly similar services for $20, $50, or $100.\u00a0 You have (non-car people) friends telling you detailing is all the same and overpriced.\u00a0 What are you waiting for, book now!<\/p>\n

Oh well, but if I can get enough word of mouth, I can continue to take the easy way out while living lavishly.\u00a0 Fine, maybe I will post one ambiguous before and after picture on my Facebook page.<\/p>\n

Reality Check<\/h2>\n

You cannot successfully run a business that is only professional by title.\u00a0 Are you going to tell me a high quality potentially loyal client for life is going to sign off on you spending hours of grueling intimate time with his or her vehicle and not care what kind of human being you are?\u00a0 Starting a professional detailing business means much more than just a half-hearted marketing plan and showing up with a Rupes polisher.\u00a0 There is a legitimate issue we as detailers face out in the world.\u00a0 Legitimacy!<\/p>\n

Being A Responsible Business Owner<\/h2>\n

Let us say you knowingly develop a habit of ordering products to be delivered the day prior to you desperately needing them.\u00a0 If they come a day late, THAT IS YOUR FAULT!\u00a0 Not only is that your responsibility to not put yourself in that position, blaming the suppliers says so many negative things about you (the business owner).\u00a0 People, including myself, make mistakes.\u00a0 But making the effort for better inventory management is essential.<\/p>\n

Do You Charge Like A Legitimate Business?<\/h2>\n

Let’s be honest.\u00a0 That thrift shop detailer that leads you to saying, “how can I compete” is merely exposing your lack of care in marketing your services.\u00a0\u00a0Be honest with yourself, are the rates you are charging only a crutch?\u00a0 Are you undercharging to take the easy way out of marketing your services?<\/p>\n

Do you know who you are targeting?\u00a0 Your market, without a doubt, has a legitimate influence on prices and potentially services you may offer.\u00a0 This influence is often greatly exaggerated.\u00a0 To be blunt it is often used as an excuse for not trying to run a legitimate and profitable business.<\/p>\n

Digging deeper; are you making an honest effort to be noticeable to those people?\u00a0 Many would say ‘you are only worth what someone is willing to pay you’.\u00a0 Perhaps most people will not pay your worth.\u00a0 In a population of 100,000.\u00a0 10 percent of that population is 10,000 people.\u00a0 That is more people than you could ever imagine serving.\u00a0 Within reason what you believe in yourself, you will make true.<\/p>\n

There has been a push for $100 per hour in the detailing community.\u00a0 I support this movement, not because there is something wrong with not charging at that level, but because it is bringing awareness that we need to respect our day to day operations as a legitimate business.\u00a0 The number to me is not as important as the message behind it.\u00a0 The person running a business for less profit than a near minimum wage employee may now have the audacity to treat him or herself like a business owner instead of an employee.\u00a0 Yes, you are actually worthy to reap the benefits of a successful business and live a good life.\u00a0 Because I promise you those same customers that do not value you as such will remember you are a business owner when it is convenient for them.<\/p>\n

You have to do what you believe is in your best interest.\u00a0 With that said, if you are starting out charging significantly less than $35 as your base price as a starting business I would ask you to really evaluate your business.\u00a0 I believe it is reasonable to at the very LEAST ascend to a minimum $50 per hour over time.\u00a0 Owners who operate out of a commercial residence I would recommend setting those numbers even higher due to the overhead.<\/p>\n

What Is Your Character<\/h2>\n

If someone, who is clearly a private person, communicates he or she is embarrassed by how their car looks, don’t post pictures of their interior on social media.<\/p>\n

I have potential customers who are clearly not a fit for my services inquire about pricing.\u00a0 I deal with degrading remarks at times.\u00a0 There is a professional and non-professional way to conduct yourself.\u00a0 I always try to conduct myself with class.\u00a0 If you are getting into a belligerent exchange, texting laughing emojis, and communicating with slang (hey bro, etc) you are on some level validating their opinion of you and detailers in general.<\/p>\n

In this niche, there is a shared humanity between you and your client, connected by the intimate cosmetic care of someone’s car.\u00a0 If you do not exhibit a certain level of professionalism you will NOT find people who care enough to have their car detailed no matter how much or how little you charge.<\/p>\n

Congruence<\/h2>\n

If you use the cheapest microfiber towel you can find with rubbing alcohol as your final wipe to save $6 on a $2000 coating job, the black paint did not conspire against you.\u00a0 That is your fault.\u00a0 If you invest in the cheapest business cards you probably are not going to get the trust of the most affluent clients.\u00a0 I am not suggesting you buy the greatest and latest luxury item.\u00a0 But as I advanced in my business I have made it a priority to not be a hypocrite.<\/p>\n

Boundaries<\/h2>\n

You have someone request you do something you are very uncomfortable doing, dangerous, or simply clashes with your values.\u00a0 You can say NO!<\/p>\n

Your customer casually but quite intentionally requests you to do extra work not signed off on, significantly more labor-intensive.\u00a0 It is okay to immediately and formally inform that person of an up-charge.<\/p>\n

Some people are concerned about deposits, with respect to losing customers.\u00a0 The if, when, and how much of a deposit should be a personal choice based upon the reliability of your clients.\u00a0 If you are simply afraid of the consequences of a deposit on a high-end service, I will give my perspective.\u00a0 If someone does not trust me for a good faith payment to cover the cost of a product, that person should not trust me spending multiple days touching their car for a $1,400 service.\u00a0 If I am committing multiple days of my schedule to someone, what does someone’s reluctance to accept a good faith deposit say about his or her reliability?<\/p>\n

A lot of detailers who suddenly stopped showing up, bought into the ole adage “some money is better than no money.”\u00a0 That may not be entirely false when you are starting out.\u00a0 But if you are not willing to turn away customers who are not supporting your business you will not be successful.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

If you do not have a plan and a means to analyze your business, how are you going to make adjustments when challenges come.<\/p>\n

Word of mouth advertising is not just about your 50\/50 shots.\u00a0 It is the organic growth from months and years of blood, sweat and tears. It is about all the human interactions that you did not realize you were signing up for.\u00a0 Offering a wash clay and seal without polishing is not going to ruin the industry.\u00a0 Bragging about only offering a full correction before ceramic coating a car is not going to help your business or hurt you.\u00a0 You and your arrogance to think that doing good work can overcompensate for the endless hours of investing in marketing your business will be your undoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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