|
Detailing Business Help
Hey guys! Well I am finally trying to get this detailing business up & running. My dad said I could run it in Troy as a branch off of his business so that way I'd have the huge garage there to work in & I won't rack up the water bill here in Wentzville :rolleyes: I think I have decided on the name as The Final Touch since so many people liked it & all. But anyway so I need help with pricing. I want to be fair & somewhat cheap but have it priced to where I can still make a profit somehow. Since my dad is known for the fairest/cheaper prices in the area, I thought I would try the same thing with the detailing thing.
So yeah here is what I just typed up price wise. Note that once I learn how to use a buffer right, I will add paint buffing & headlight restoration to the list. I am also thinking about doing touch-up paint as an add-on but idk, what do you guys think about that? & eventually depending on what kind of cars I get, I may have a engine cover painting section or something like that. Okay yeah so on to the pricing ideas.... Solo Interior Package: $35 · Vacuum · Shampoo carpets & mats · Deep seat clean (fabric or leather) · Complete dash & plastic protector/shine · Door panels & door jambs (includes underside of door) · Windows · Choice of air freshener Solo Exterior Package: $30
(Bronze) Package: $30
(Silver) Package: $60
(Gold) Package: $100
(Platinum) Package: $130
What do you guys think? Are those fair enough prices? Should I go lower? Should I go higher on some? Should I add any "services" to any of the packages? Also I need new, more cool names so to say, for the names of the packages. That's why they are in (). I kind of wanted a racing theme name thing going on but idk how I'll do that :confused: Okay so I realized that I'm asking a lot out of you guys here so I'll stop for now lol. Any help would be awesome! Thanks guys <3 :) |
how about:
power wheels package go cart package nascar package formula 1 package i've become somewhat of a expert at polishing headlights lately :D seriously, i think that's a pretty good start. but what if customers want you to use their own products? i can be your guinea pig. |
ooo i like those title names! thanks! u guys are a lot more creative then me lol or maybe i'm just lazy.
ha yeahh i saw that thread on your headlights & all, i meant to comment on it but my net has been all jacked up tonight from the storms hitting us. own products? sure that's cool, i could most def do that. i use all meguiars stuff besides the mother's ball & other things like windex & rain-x but the majority is meguiars |
Hey Brittany,
There is one problem I see here. If I was looking at your price list/ packages, I would say "can I get a solo interior, a solo exterior, add wheel buff, and add paste wax!?!? That would be $35+$30+$10+$10= $85 total. Now I think (unless I missed an important detail) all of the above purchased on a seperate basis would be the same as getting the Gold Package, which cost $100. So essentially, buying everything all at once, cost more than buying stuff solo. I think it should be the other way around. It should cost more if you added all of the solo's together, and less if you purchased them as a package. I think your package prices seem very reasonable, but I think you will find that your prices for the solo packages are pretty low. I mean steam cleaning the interior is a pain in the ass, and you are doing that, along with the rest of the interior for $35? I think you should leave the package prices alone, and raise the solo prices so that if you were to bundle all the solos together, it would cost more than if you purchased the WHOLE package. This encourages people to buy everything when they think they can get a discount by purchasing more. My suggestion: Solo Interior- $50 (i think that is still really fair for a package that includes steam cleaning interior) Solo Exterior- $40, add $10 for paste wax, and add $10 for wheel buff. Therefore, if you were to purchase all of those together, you ended up spending $110 total. But if you just buy the Gold package, it saves you $10.00 and you still get everything. Oh, and one more thing. DO NOT USE WINDEX on your customers windows. People like myself with tinted windows would literaly not go to you for a detail job because of that. Windex (most windex anyway) has ammonia in it, and anyone with tinted windows wants to stay far away from glass cleaner with ammonia in it. Ammonia glass cleaners is what makes tint turn purple. You need to use a glass clean specifically ment for automobile windows, or a Windex that is ammonia FREE. :) |
hmm okay i see what you are saying on those solo prices now. thanks for pointing that out mike =)
well i got tinted windows in my car so i only use ammonia free windex anyway lol & eventually i'm prob look around for a window cleaner that is specifically for car windows. ohh & one more thing, do you guys think that i should throw in convertible top conditioning & cleaning to any of the packages? or just have it as an add on like the engine bay cleaning? |
he he looks alot like my packeges n prices it's cool i used/ modified someones too!, u'll get some odd request i just had a guy request decal removal and detail on a 30 ft motor home and don't be afraid to barter it's how u get some of your best customers and will make more money in the end! don't forget word of mouth is an awsome marketing tool also
|
hit up the used car lots if you get in to the rock chip repair for the paint touch up.. I have a friend that does it and he makes a killing he does a car for 75$ take care of 3 towns close by and was able to quit his day job
|
The average detail can last 3-5 hours and range from 100 - 500 dollars depending on the work envolved.
I would also call other detail/ body shops and see what they charge, and ask a few auto dealer shops and ask what products they use. Then get the number for there supplyer, Meguries is a good product but the shine doest last very long. Here is a websites that gives some good advice http://thedetailinghandbook.com/default.aspx http://www.detailingtricks.com/ |
For my windows I use the product Invisble Glass... It works WONDERS! Im not 100% sure but I don't think it has any bad stuff in it!
|
My fiance charges about $75 per hour. You almost need to assess every vehicle and decide what it needs.
|
I wanna be one of your customers, you DO have a mobile detail van don't cha?
Cuz i live near by, Maryland. :D |
wow 30 bucks for my whole interior
thats amazing. how do you make money off that when you have to buy the product. plus hours involved. to answer your ?, yes i think those are amazing prices, but i also think that you wont make any profit. maybe for a company thats established and buys product at cost, and by the 55 gallon drum. plus you have to pay rent/morgage. there are a lot of ppl that want a clean car but hate to do the work. you would get great business uf your albe to keep those prices. |
lol well jose come over to missouri sometime =p
& yeah i've had people ask me bout the whole profit thing so i'm still toying with the prices but i think i'm on the right track so far. I gotta week or so still to mess with everything & all |
I have my own detailing business and noticed one service missing from your roster, polishing! I don't know how skilled you are and if you're planning on using a machine doing all this by hand but I would highly suggest you add polishing to your services. Especially on those packages where you clay the car. However, doing so has it's pros/cons. Some of the pros are:
Better results More of a money maker Easier to upsale a package Cons More time consuming Another product to carry Can unreasonably raise expectations (depending on how you explain expected results) I think anybody can wash/wax a car, but how many can make paint that seemingly has no hope look brand new again? That's what will set you apart from the pack. This is what I specialize in. If you're going to add polishing to your menu, you will definitely need to inspect the car to determine what you will need to do to get the results the client wants. But if polishing is going to be left off, you're good as is. Good luck, hope this venture works out for you and let me know if you have any questions. |
Ya if the customer doesn't expect to get deep scratches out then you have everything covered. Wet sanding and buffing with a machine (not an orbital) buffer is the only way to get deep scratches and really bad swirl marks out of the paint.
|
kk thanks! yeah when i said buffing & all I also meant polishing, idk why i left it off lol. i have my eyes on a polisher that my buddy on the GM Forum is selling so I'll prob get that once I get the money & my dad already has a buffer that works wonders on both the paint & headlights
|
So you will be offering your client a very clean car but not a show room new car - you need to make sure the client understands that.
|
yeah dont worry i will bcuz i dont want any problems to rise up & all ya know
|
I say add an option to every package where for an extra $75 you do all of that, but in a bikini. :D !!!!! You would just rake in the dough haha.
|
lol ohh yeah i'm sure i would but that would be soooo awkward to do that around the employees & most of all my dad
|
Hey whatever it takes XD , your dad could wear one too LOL!!
|
lol ohh man thanks for the mental pic brock
|
hey brit, there's a car show/cruise this sat. just past mid rivers mall next to all the dealerships. it's at 4750 North Service Road St. Peters, MO 63376 in the St. Charles Assembly of God parking lot. times are 6-10pm. after i get off work i might head over there. i gotta clean my ghetto cruiser first though :D
http://lothangout.com/Wordpress/ |
can u add a "build your own package" like build your own bear workshop..:D
i think one of those would be pretty cool, and what if i have a small mazda mx-5 with only two person seating? will there be discounts compaired the the person behind me with the pontiac montana seating up to 8? dont wanna talk prices because i dont want to make you lowball or charge too much |
Originally Posted by jimbo7
(Post 225497)
hey brit, there's a car show/cruise this sat. just past mid rivers mall next to all the dealerships. it's at 4750 North Service Road St. Peters, MO 63376 in the St. Charles Assembly of God parking lot. times are 6-10pm. after i get off work i might head over there. i gotta clean my ghetto cruiser first though :D
http://lothangout.com/Wordpress/
Originally Posted by lucian*91
(Post 225512)
can u add a "build your own package" like build your own bear workshop..:D
i think one of those would be pretty cool, and what if i have a small mazda mx-5 with only two person seating? will there be discounts compaired the the person behind me with the pontiac montana seating up to 8? dont wanna talk prices because i dont want to make you lowball or charge too much yeah i see what you are saying. well dan off of the GM forum pointed out that maybe i should just use those prices at an average price or something & that i should look at the cars first & do a price quote for the customer & all. |
what brand wax and stuff u getting. i detal and i get from 100+ for anything i do.
|
Originally Posted by johns85mcss
(Post 225608)
what brand wax and stuff u getting. i detal and i get from 100+ for anything i do.
|
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:51 AM. |
© 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands