Hitting a Detail Biz Home Run?

[pitzerwm]

Maybe Waxman's guy can do ads for you too.

[Waxman]

Yes; he'd love to.

[Waxman]

I've been thinking about this.

The real home run comes when you've built a reputation up for high-quality work, combined with the proper price point (perceived value), smiling, positive and cheerful service and ,lastly, community involvement.

That's alot of hard work condensed down to 1 paragraph, and it may be that everyone knows this already and I have stated the obvious.

The challenge for a detail business is to sustain itself during the ramp-up process to where your marketing plan is in full swing. Mine has 14 years so far. Multiple profit centers help.

[Bubbles Galore]

^It's that ramp up period that I'm in right now. You have it exactly right Wax, you run a business that I am trying to emulate. Keep up the great work!

[Waxman]

For now, Bubbles, you should use every cross marketing opportunity you can that exists at your wash.

If the petwash is a hit, go out of your way to create a cross-marketing plan for that and detail, for example.

It's important to under-promise and over-deliver while not spreading yourself too thin or sacrificing quality (like booking too many jobs per day or machine buffing a car you had booked as a hand wax).

The proper price-point right away will ensure you are profiting from the detail work you do get.

It's important to price properly even with dealer and fleet accounts, because there is no sense doing tons of barely-profitable details. Better to make a decent profit on less jobs; that is a more sustainable effort, IMO.

[soapy]

Not sure what a home run is in the detailing business. I have been doing for about a year now and we are up to 6 full time detailers now and we do not do any dealer or used car lot work.

[car_guy]

I ran a detail business for years. It takes some time to build. It is mainly built on word of mouth!

[Waxman]

These days detail shops need to be better than ever and give "above and beyond' service.

The Customers will part with their money but can be very demanding. They want pick up and delivery, extras for same price, buff jobs that look like paint jobs, etc.

Just last week a customer came in with a paint scuff. I gave a price of $10 over retail for a complete detail. She said she expected to pay the regular price and added that someone told her removing the scuff was 'easy'. I asked who. She said her pastor. I said something about being surprised that he was a detailing expert. Couldn't help myself.