{"id":30881,"date":"2020-08-15T00:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-15T04:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=30881"},"modified":"2020-08-11T09:24:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T13:24:20","slug":"my-professional-detailing-journey-part-3-everyone-has-a-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/my-professional-detailing-journey-part-3-everyone-has-a-market\/","title":{"rendered":"My Professional Detailing Journey: Part 3 – Everyone Has A Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over 4 years ago I remember when someone mentioned that I was “going to be on television for detailing cars.”\u00a0 Someone else responded, “that’s stupid!”<\/p>\n

\"1933-Rolls-Royce-Phantom-II\"<\/p>\n

Fast forward a month later, I received an email about performing a detail.\u00a0 He heard about my television appearance.\u00a0 The potential client was interested in my Stage 1 correction package.\u00a0 The Stage 1 is an exterior package involving one dedicated polishing step.\u00a0 The car I was working on was a Ford Mustang with a rare green color no longer available for its model.\u00a0 He told me, as we looked at the car together, that it was his dream purchase.\u00a0 He said he was looking for a great detailer and heard about my television appearance.\u00a0 He booked a date for the following week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

An hour later I received a text from him.\u00a0 He reminded me how much his car means to him.\u00a0 He acknowledged that I was new to detailing yet had good credentials.\u00a0 His largest financial investment in a detailing service was not the easiest decision for a blue-collar employee.\u00a0 His nervousness was apparent.<\/p>\n

I could completely relate to the emotions he was feeling.\u00a0 He was also clearly a loyal (and very likable) guy.\u00a0 I told a friend of mine that I was a little nervous.\u00a0 This would be the first vehicle I ever detailed that was cosmetically in better shape than my own car.\u00a0 Over time, I would end up detailing multiple vehicles for him and his wife including a second time with his Ford Mustang.<\/p>\n

It is often stated that new detailing business owners need to focus on the business side first and detailing second. It is often stated that failure to get this concept is the root of failure in many detailing businesses.\u00a0 This is very true.\u00a0 But there is something more.\u00a0 You can have all the business degrees and be missing something at the heart of your venture.\u00a0 Successfully offering a niche service that you are passionate about in the face of inevitable antagonism requires something no business course or detailing skills training can offer.\u00a0 Being true to oneself.<\/p>\n

Why is that important?\u00a0 I learned the people that are most knowledgeable and willing to be educated about the value of higher-end services are the same people that respond to authenticity.\u00a0 They can tell whether your mind is fixated on this being just a paycheck or if you are really dedicated to the craft of detailing.\u00a0 How do I know?\u00a0 Not only do the actions of this Mustang owner reveal this, but this has been echoed back to me by the many clients who had considered much more established operations before choosing me.<\/p>\n

\"BMW-water-beading\"<\/p>\n

Here is a lesson for anyone using a silica sealant (especially for the first time).\u00a0 All protection products have some sensitivity to the elements.\u00a0 Silica sealants (some more than others) can pose application issues when the humidity is high.\u00a0 They are very similar to ceramic coatings in that respect.<\/p>\n

I worked on this BMW.\u00a0 I remember applying a very finicky silica sealant to the car.\u00a0 I recently gifted the owner a maintenance spray sealant topper for a different car that I polished and ceramic coated prior.\u00a0 My choice for protecting the BMW with this spray sealant was with the intention of giving the owner the flexibility of using the topper (synergistic maintenance option) for both cars.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the BMW was exposed to too much humidity at the time of application.<\/p>\n

I recall the phone call two days later.\u00a0 “Something is wrong.”\u00a0 I went to see the car to access the situation.\u00a0 I remember informing the owner of the BMW that I know exactly what happened; easy fix, “just embarrassing.”<\/p>\n

I received a text minutes later from my client stating “don’t beat yourself up.\u00a0 You are a stand-up guy.”<\/p>\n

So, for those that are reading this, enthusiasts or budding professionals still learning about car care who have been attacked by trolls for not being a perfect detailer, don’t beat yourself up.\u00a0 It is just a car.\u00a0 I can’t believe I said that, but you get the point.<\/p>\n

This was a time in my life I recently became increasingly unaffected by outside influences.\u00a0 It was an incredibly liberating feeling!\u00a0 I was making it easier on myself to do what I was naturally gifted to do.\u00a0 Those core values and mission statements we see on businesses aren’t supposed to be superficial hallmark moments.\u00a0 They are supposed to serve as a foundation to keep us centered and serve as a heartfelt professional expression of why a business exists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Professional Detailing Journey: Part 3 – Everyone Has A Market<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":32168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1412],"tags":[2812],"class_list":{"0":"post-30881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-running-a-detailing-business","8":"tag-running-a-business"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20160311_171609-1024x576-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1kPO7-825","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30881"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32170,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions\/32170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}