Discussion
I've recently started Valeting and detailing as a business and I think I'm very good at it.........too good maybe!
The problem lies when customers don't appreciate how much detail and time I go into to make their car fantastic. Some have used other detailers and are not impressed with the quality of work and others I have done think the work is amazing but the price is high, some think it's too cheap...........I charge £20 per hour and it takes me anywhere from 4 to 14 hours to fully detail a car, the 14 if it needs stage 1 paint correction.
I'm up against guys that charge £60 for a full valet and all sorts of fixed prices around that. It can't be done.............the quality products needed to do the work are not cheap, like £40 for 5 litres of snow foam and lots of equipment like it.
What I get very often is...........
"How much to clean a Mini Clubman" just last night, and "how much for an interior valet" this morning. I'm not sure how best to answer but it's on my Facebook ads and my website to please call in for a free inspection to let me see the vehicle as every car is different and in different condition. This what I reply with but nearly always get no response.
I'm not busy enough but it's against my grain to half clean a car.............What I'm I doing wrong??? I'm in Northern Ireland btw and it's a really hard market, I know detailing in England pays £30-35 per hour.
Btw, I enjoy cleaning cars and am middle aged with a good skill set, I can earn far more working in my old job in a factory but I don't want to do that again until I give this Detailing a fair crack.
The problem lies when customers don't appreciate how much detail and time I go into to make their car fantastic. Some have used other detailers and are not impressed with the quality of work and others I have done think the work is amazing but the price is high, some think it's too cheap...........I charge £20 per hour and it takes me anywhere from 4 to 14 hours to fully detail a car, the 14 if it needs stage 1 paint correction.
I'm up against guys that charge £60 for a full valet and all sorts of fixed prices around that. It can't be done.............the quality products needed to do the work are not cheap, like £40 for 5 litres of snow foam and lots of equipment like it.
What I get very often is...........
"How much to clean a Mini Clubman" just last night, and "how much for an interior valet" this morning. I'm not sure how best to answer but it's on my Facebook ads and my website to please call in for a free inspection to let me see the vehicle as every car is different and in different condition. This what I reply with but nearly always get no response.
I'm not busy enough but it's against my grain to half clean a car.............What I'm I doing wrong??? I'm in Northern Ireland btw and it's a really hard market, I know detailing in England pays £30-35 per hour.
Btw, I enjoy cleaning cars and am middle aged with a good skill set, I can earn far more working in my old job in a factory but I don't want to do that again until I give this Detailing a fair crack.
Edited by mike150 on Wednesday 11th May 10:44
Always a problem starting a small business.
Your initial financial outlay will be large as you need to buy equipment.
You are just another unknown quantity in a large pool of people offering what the general customer sees as just another car cleaner so they won't be prepared to pay what they consider to be over the odds.
As you work you will - hopefully - find that you will get regular customers with high end cars who want a top job & aren't bothered about paying higher prices to get exactly that. These will pass your details to their friends.
Valeter friend of mine in the Leicestershire area found much the same when he started. After a couple of years he no longer needed to advertise & has had to turn away business as he is just too busy.
Good Luck!
Your initial financial outlay will be large as you need to buy equipment.
You are just another unknown quantity in a large pool of people offering what the general customer sees as just another car cleaner so they won't be prepared to pay what they consider to be over the odds.
As you work you will - hopefully - find that you will get regular customers with high end cars who want a top job & aren't bothered about paying higher prices to get exactly that. These will pass your details to their friends.
Valeter friend of mine in the Leicestershire area found much the same when he started. After a couple of years he no longer needed to advertise & has had to turn away business as he is just too busy.
Good Luck!
If I charge any less its not worth doing it at all.
The minimum age is £9.50 per hour
The employer then pays insurance, work wear, a pension, holiday pay, maybe sick pay and the premises to work in.
I charge £20 per hour
I then have to pay for everything out of that and if take a holiday I get nothing.
I think the best way is to do a less 'detailed job' but that goes against my principles although it would then be cheaper. I think what I am going to do is just keep going the way I am for a few months and see where it goes.
The minimum age is £9.50 per hour
The employer then pays insurance, work wear, a pension, holiday pay, maybe sick pay and the premises to work in.
I charge £20 per hour
I then have to pay for everything out of that and if take a holiday I get nothing.
I think the best way is to do a less 'detailed job' but that goes against my principles although it would then be cheaper. I think what I am going to do is just keep going the way I am for a few months and see where it goes.
Welcome to the world of the self-employed/small business.
Social media is a double-edged sword in many respects. You only have to look on here - threads asking for advice varying from car repairs to house repairs throw up comments from people (sometimes) with very little knowledge suggesting that a particular job can be done for much less. There's also the danger that more people are likely to post a bad experience than a good one.
I don't have any knowledge about your market (although I do run a farm and a couple of agriculture-related companies), so I can't really give you practical advice.
I would encourage you to stick at it. Don't be tempted to lower your prices - if you only end up working for free you might as well not bother. If your work is as good as you say, it will come right. Word-of-mouth advertising will do the rest. Don't be tempted to drop prices.
Maybe try contacting some car clubs - you might be able to get a group of cars together and do a demonstration of your services.
Good luck!
Social media is a double-edged sword in many respects. You only have to look on here - threads asking for advice varying from car repairs to house repairs throw up comments from people (sometimes) with very little knowledge suggesting that a particular job can be done for much less. There's also the danger that more people are likely to post a bad experience than a good one.
I don't have any knowledge about your market (although I do run a farm and a couple of agriculture-related companies), so I can't really give you practical advice.
I would encourage you to stick at it. Don't be tempted to lower your prices - if you only end up working for free you might as well not bother. If your work is as good as you say, it will come right. Word-of-mouth advertising will do the rest. Don't be tempted to drop prices.
Maybe try contacting some car clubs - you might be able to get a group of cars together and do a demonstration of your services.
Good luck!
stinkyspanner said:
Why don't you offer both and make it clear that the bells and whistles job is awesome but comes at a price, or if they want a spit and polish with a free air freshener then cater for that too.. over time hopefully people will recognise the bells and whistles is worth it
I have recently advertised that a wash, dry and tyres dressed is from £20, that's about an hours work and that includes door shuts and boot surround............That's cheap, but not as cheap as the Euro wash a mile from here that does it for £8, uses acid and doesn't do door shuts and boot surround. I had a 3 year old Alfa Romeo in last week and I called the guy to tell him it was done and asked him how often he uses the Euro wash and he wanted to know how I knew. I told him that it was because the gloss trim around the car was all stained although I had managed to get most of it off and his callipers that used to be glossy yellow when he bought it new where matt yellow and stained, I showed him when he was lifting it. It just proves to me most don't notice what I do.
I'm just different from most people in that I'm happy to pay for quality work or product, most people just want cheap or free above all else.
mike150 said:
If I charge any less its not worth doing it at all.
The minimum age is £9.50 per hour
The employer then pays insurance, work wear, a pension, holiday pay, maybe sick pay and the premises to work in.
I charge £20 per hour
I then have to pay for everything out of that and if take a holiday I get nothing.
I think the best way is to do a less 'detailed job' but that goes against my principles although it would then be cheaper. I think what I am going to do is just keep going the way I am for a few months and see where it goes.
That's the world of the self-employed. The minimum age is £9.50 per hour
The employer then pays insurance, work wear, a pension, holiday pay, maybe sick pay and the premises to work in.
I charge £20 per hour
I then have to pay for everything out of that and if take a holiday I get nothing.
I think the best way is to do a less 'detailed job' but that goes against my principles although it would then be cheaper. I think what I am going to do is just keep going the way I am for a few months and see where it goes.
Many don't realise just how tough it can be - people believe that if you have your own business you must be minted.
Both my parents were self employed, as were their parents (my paternal grandfather & maternal grandmother) so when I went self employed I had a pretty good idea of what I was letting myself in for.
Not uncommon for small businesses to make an operating loss in their first year due to capital expenditure setting up.
I said to both of my sons if you want to work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, weekends off, have paid holidays & know how much you're going to be paid at the end of every month then work for someone else.
If you're happy to work long hours, lose all idea of 'the weekend', with unpredictable income & when you do have a holiday it's at the back of your mind that you're not making any money but the bills are still rolling in then consider working for yourself. If you employ people you are adding another level of things that can go wrong.
Neither son is self-employed!
There are some plusses working for yourself but sometimes, when things aren't going right, I'm hard pushed to think of any.
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 11th May 15:30
mike150 said:
stinkyspanner said:
Why don't you offer both and make it clear that the bells and whistles job is awesome but comes at a price, or if they want a spit and polish with a free air freshener then cater for that too.. over time hopefully people will recognise the bells and whistles is worth it
I have recently advertised that a wash, dry and tyres dressed is from £20, that's about an hours work and that includes door shuts and boot surround............That's cheap, but not as cheap as the Euro wash a mile from here that does it for £8, uses acid and doesn't do door shuts and boot surround. I had a 3 year old Alfa Romeo in last week and I called the guy to tell him it was done and asked him how often he uses the Euro wash and he wanted to know how I knew. I told him that it was because the gloss trim around the car was all stained although I had managed to get most of it off and his callipers that used to be glossy yellow when he bought it new where matt yellow and stained, I showed him when he was lifting it. It just proves to me most don't notice what I do.
I'm just different from most people in that I'm happy to pay for quality work or product, most people just want cheap or free above all else.
By advertising £20 jobs, you are advertising yourself as a valeter and will be known as (an expensive) one.
If you want to be a detailer, you need to stick it out and focus on the higher end work.
Go to car shows, car clubs, car events, get some work on decent cars. When you get that work, promote the hell out of it on social media.
If you are doing the above already, or still can't get enough work, you need to consider if your business is viable in your area.
Most proper detailers travel...a lot. Some go all over the country. Do you / would you? Do you pursue work all over the country?
If you restrict yourself to Northern Ireland only, that's a small target market.
I find detailing a bit strange, sure a good paint correction is well worth the money but trying to convince someone to pay £60 for a valet must be hard work.
Most people don't care enough about their cars to spend more than £5 at a local car wash.
As said you need to build up a reputation with repeat custom and hope the work comes in.
Good luck with it all, a job I'd love to do myself as its very satisfying.
Most people don't care enough about their cars to spend more than £5 at a local car wash.
As said you need to build up a reputation with repeat custom and hope the work comes in.
Good luck with it all, a job I'd love to do myself as its very satisfying.
I've a black Audi coming in an hour and that's a full paint correction, I quoted the man £200 roughly. Most people don't notice the difference or as some say, just don't care.
Here's a Range Rover I did .........
Here's what all the paint looked like before and after
I've done a few cars to this level and that's the work I like doing. The car I'm getting in an hour will be the same. £20 washes and full details at a few hundred pounds all have to be offered in my area as there aren't that many people willing to spend a few hundred on their car. Ironically the most I've ever charged was on an 07 Focus worth a couple of thousand!!!
Here's a Range Rover I did .........
Here's what all the paint looked like before and after
I've done a few cars to this level and that's the work I like doing. The car I'm getting in an hour will be the same. £20 washes and full details at a few hundred pounds all have to be offered in my area as there aren't that many people willing to spend a few hundred on their car. Ironically the most I've ever charged was on an 07 Focus worth a couple of thousand!!!
It looks like you're in a bit of a no man's land between a valeter and a detailer. If you quoted me £200 for a full paint correction, I'd run a mile for fear that you're going to rock up with with a bottle of g3 and 'mop' the paintwork.
I'd suggest being clear with yourself who your target audience/market is and sticking to it. If detailing is what you aspire to do then you'll have to learn to accept that most of the general public won't be your customer - a clean car, which is what most want, can be had for buttons.
As others have advised, focus on turning out quality work and push it on social media. I'd also make sure that you know your limitations so you don't risk turning out work that isn't up to scratch 😉. There are detailers in my area who I'd entrust to do an enhancement on a daily but not to tackle things like wet sanding or ceramic coating on my p&j.
I'd suggest being clear with yourself who your target audience/market is and sticking to it. If detailing is what you aspire to do then you'll have to learn to accept that most of the general public won't be your customer - a clean car, which is what most want, can be had for buttons.
As others have advised, focus on turning out quality work and push it on social media. I'd also make sure that you know your limitations so you don't risk turning out work that isn't up to scratch 😉. There are detailers in my area who I'd entrust to do an enhancement on a daily but not to tackle things like wet sanding or ceramic coating on my p&j.
Mr_Webb said:
It looks like you're in a bit of a no man's land between a valeter and a detailer. If you quoted me £200 for a full paint correction, I'd run a mile for fear that you're going to rock up with with a bottle of g3 and 'mop' the paintwork.
I'd suggest being clear with yourself who your target audience/market is and sticking to it. If detailing is what you aspire to do then you'll have to learn to accept that most of the general public won't be your customer - a clean car, which is what most want, can be had for buttons.
As others have advised, focus on turning out quality work and push it on social media. I'd also make sure that you know your limitations so you don't risk turning out work that isn't up to scratch ??. There are detailers in my area who I'd entrust to do an enhancement on a daily but not to tackle things like wet sanding or ceramic coating on my p&j.
This. Starting a detailing business is tricky. I thought about it myself a few years ago. Many detailers start off as valeters simply to keep the cash flow going at first. Over time they can drop the low end work to concentrate on the higher end detailing jobs. As time goes by you’ll be detailing the better cars owned by customers who have a better understanding of what detailing actually means. Many, many people won’t really appreciate the time involved in detailing and will struggle to see the difference between a detail and an £8 wash at the local garage. Even if they are impressed with the quality of the work they won’t be willing to part with the cash for the better service. I'd suggest being clear with yourself who your target audience/market is and sticking to it. If detailing is what you aspire to do then you'll have to learn to accept that most of the general public won't be your customer - a clean car, which is what most want, can be had for buttons.
As others have advised, focus on turning out quality work and push it on social media. I'd also make sure that you know your limitations so you don't risk turning out work that isn't up to scratch ??. There are detailers in my area who I'd entrust to do an enhancement on a daily but not to tackle things like wet sanding or ceramic coating on my p&j.
Stick it out. If you’re doing a good job then people in the know will notice. It all depends on your marketing and how long you can put up with washing Nissan Qashquis and haggling over the cost.
As usual, people want their car detailed for valet money.
They are not your market. And they are most of the
s who call/contact you.
As others have said, target your market more. Facebook may not be the best place to start. It's populated by mouth breathers and life's victims.
If you were closer, I'd get you to do my TVR and Rangey. Northern Ireland has a lot of people always looking for an edge. I lived there for eight years, there is a huge expectation of a 'deal'. As I said, most just want a car washed and cleaned, they don't see the swirls have gone, there is a depth to the shine, they just think it's a good job because the car 'needed washed'.
They are not your market. And they are most of the
s who call/contact you.As others have said, target your market more. Facebook may not be the best place to start. It's populated by mouth breathers and life's victims.
If you were closer, I'd get you to do my TVR and Rangey. Northern Ireland has a lot of people always looking for an edge. I lived there for eight years, there is a huge expectation of a 'deal'. As I said, most just want a car washed and cleaned, they don't see the swirls have gone, there is a depth to the shine, they just think it's a good job because the car 'needed washed'.
The problem with Facebook is that it is a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. You might charge £60, and someone else will do it for £50, and another for £40. Whilst you may use decent products, the £40 guy might use general APC for everything as long as the car looks good after a wash for a few days. It really is about holding out, building a reliable customer base who appreciate and value your service.
I occasionally watch Tino Car Care on YouTube, where he travels across London to clean supercars. Someone asked him how much for a mini-valet and I think he said £60. I thought that was cheap for cleaning something so valuable. He does have an online mail order business and YouTube channel to offset his costs.
I occasionally watch Tino Car Care on YouTube, where he travels across London to clean supercars. Someone asked him how much for a mini-valet and I think he said £60. I thought that was cheap for cleaning something so valuable. He does have an online mail order business and YouTube channel to offset his costs.
I woke early this morning and I've one car sitting in the shop to do but I think this has all been eating me up and I almost applied for a factory maintenance job in a place I'd like to work, the job was closing today but I'm very good friends of the hiring manager. Undecided I ended up thinking I'll just keep going for a few months partly as I wouldn't let a friend done by starting a job and leaving in a few months. An hour later I've another call and a car coming in next week so that lifted me a bit.
I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
mike150 said:
I woke early this morning and I've one car sitting in the shop to do but I think this has all been eating me up and I almost applied for a factory maintenance job in a place I'd like to work, the job was closing today but I'm very good friends of the hiring manager. Undecided I ended up thinking I'll just keep going for a few months partly as I wouldn't let a friend done by starting a job and leaving in a few months. An hour later I've another call and a car coming in next week so that lifted me a bit.
I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
Setting up any business is a long slog. It’s not going to happen overnight, it’s not going to happen in weeks or months. You have to think in terms of years. If it’s a question of money why don’t you work part-time on the detailing until you start building up the business? You can then take on a factory maintenance job the rest of the time. I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
mike150 said:
I woke early this morning and I've one car sitting in the shop to do but I think this has all been eating me up and I almost applied for a factory maintenance job in a place I'd like to work, the job was closing today but I'm very good friends of the hiring manager. Undecided I ended up thinking I'll just keep going for a few months partly as I wouldn't let a friend done by starting a job and leaving in a few months. An hour later I've another call and a car coming in next week so that lifted me a bit.
I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
If you look at the Epic Car Detailing channel on YouTube, he did an episode on the ups and downs of being a car detailer (mainly weather) and how vital it is to build a decent client base. I have Facebook, a website and Nextdoor all of which get me jobs, it's just not enough jobs.
I'm currently doing paint correction on a black Audi and paint is a hard as the hills! It's gonna to be a long job. Using a wool pad and Carpro ultra cut, as aggressive as you can get!!!!!
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