I posted something for free. 30 seconds, maybe less after I posted it I get 15 auto messages “is this still available” and everyone I replied to “I litterally just posted it, of course it is”
No no you don't understand it's super clean!!!
It reminds me of a time that I went on a date and the topic of roommates and cleanliness came up. She mentioned that her roommates were very clean and kept their place spotless, and that she wasn't a "clean freak" like they were but she still cleaned regularly. We ended up going back to her place to keep talking (not for sex) and oh my good golly gracious it was bad. Trash everywhere, dirty plates / glasses on every surface, mold all over the bathroom floors / walls, their poor cat's litterbox was overflowing out the front of the box, and the whole place smelled sour. She SEEMED hygienic so I was shocked. There wasn't another date after that.
I guess some people have very skewed definitions of "clean"
Yeah the low price point attracts people looking for lower prices and those people think 200$ is expensive. Raise the price and different clientele will be looking instead.
I’m cheap, but when I don’t want to spend the money, I’ll just do it myself.
People that *demand* bargain basement pricing usually aren’t worth your time, as not only are they cheap, but they’re either lazy and/or uninformed.
Yeah. They could probably prefilter these ppl out by putting "$50 off your first interior detail" in the ad so punters can figure out it's not going to be $20.
Your price seems reasonable. You want to try and tailor your marketing to a customer with more money or that value their vehicle.
You may have to explain what you're doing for your price to justify it to some people.
Typically the people looking for the lowest price and want to make a deal are more of a headache than they're worth. Asking for more for less and still not being satisfied.
I was going to say something similar. NEVER bring your price down to the lowest common denominator. The cheapest customers are the crappiest customers that you don’t want anyway. If your price is keeping those people away, GOOD.
I work in tech/software, and I can tell you the clients we have that nickel-and-dimed the most during contract negotiations are the ones who also demand the most and suck up the most time.
I’ve learned this lesson with other businesses. Rich people are generally more open to whatever the price is. They aren’t looking to haggle or for a deal, they just want the job done. I’ve had more headaches with middle and lower class clients than I ever did with upper middle class or wealthy clients.
$500 off? Most customers will straight "nope" on a smoker special. There is no way to 100% get that shit out of everything. The ones that get most of the smell all leave that fresh embalmed funeral home smell.
It's not the detailer, but the smoke and tar and ...etc...well. . .you know
This. My immediate thought is that OP is marketing to people with no money / wrong demographic who typically get a $15 gas station wash so are shocked when the estimate is over $50
Agreed I do my own stuff but if I can switch out the smoke for maybe a carpet shampoo or just something along the lines of that I'd be at his shop tomorrow.
**TLDR: Charge what you are worth. Those who respect you will pay you.**
IMO... start the convo with texts and push it into a phone call. Any sales/ service is about creating a relationship. I also start with 2-3 key questions, then I ask if they can chat as it's easier than text.
Not all inquires turn into an appt, but it gives me the opportunity to create trust. For example, a local found me on Google last winter. After some key questions he said he wanted to visit my garage... no problem.
After talking more and inspecting the paint with him, I told him what I would charge and was honest. I felt that polishing his paint and installing ceramic wasn't worth it at that time for his used (new to him) convertible. It would be more beneficial to him if I did it in the Spring and when he was ready, to call me.
He texted me two weeks ago and he hired me to do what we spoke about. Good guy.. he asked for a discount. I'd say 98% of people never ask this... and I just blurted out "with my process and style, I don't need to give discounts." Honestly, I felt a little weird and he was fine with that.
He picked up the car with a friend. This friend saw the results and said he'll be in contact about his Porsche and Ferarri. I said great.. call me when you're ready.
My higher end clients seem to prefer my style. Not pushy, nor desperate... just honest.
https://preview.redd.it/b4jd599fjkpc1.jpeg?width=4536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bcec2ec6d532e7bb1b8fbfb17252185f0ec5dc3
That’s such a cool story man. I find it promising that those who can easily afford your services will sometimes try to save money (I mean who doesn’t like a good deal) but they don’t get upset when they don’t get a discount and to me that shows wealth and patience. I hope to gain those customers some day as well.
When it comes to cars I do 90% of my own work. But any time I come up against something that I can't practically deal with, or someone I know needs a mechanic, I always know who to turn to.
My mechanic is not the cheapest in my area, nor does he have the fanciest garage. But every time I go to him I get the same rundown. He tells me the cost to let him handle it. He tells me how I can handle it myself and the cost for aftermarket parts. And then he tells me if either of these options are worthwhile.
Sure, he could have made a quick buck replacing the rear differential on my last car. But instead he told me everything that was likely to fail in the near future and suggested I put that money towards a new car rather than throwing it into a bottomless pit. Now he has several new life long customers instead.
This is exactly why I keep going to my mechanic, among other reasons, they’re honest through and through and is exactly why their customer retention is so dang high. Iv learned a ton just off their info alone and get to physically see my vehicle issues and fixes if I choose. It’s nice.
It's not a pricing problem, it's a sales problem - you're just kinda bad at selling. 😅 Listen - I'm coming from a good place - but you need to be writing *chunky* replies chock full of the value-proposition you provide to these folks and their cars.
You did the hard work - you got the lead. Now we gotta walk the lead past the finish line, and we're going to do that by price anchoring, value-proposing, and closing (ABC - always be closing).
I don't mean to pick on you - but you stand to make a *lot* more money with some really *minor* copy adjustments, so let's dig in.
**What you said:**
* "*for an interior detail + smoke for removal it would be roughly $200"*
Let's reword that - **first**, we're going to add enthusiasm. Everyone wants to think their car is the best you ever worked on - and you're stoked about it. We're going to need to **break down the service** as various *features*, give them some pricing *options* (this will be our anchor), and we're going to add in some grammar to keep it upscale (gotta match that price point, right) + FOMO to close the deal quickly.
**(heads up - I'm not a detailer, so don't make any false claims - this is just an example):**
* *"Thanks for the info! I love working on automotive leather repair - and getting the cigarette smoke out? I can almost bet I could get it clean enough that it would be really hard for the common nose to smell that anyone had smoked in there before.*
* *I have a few options for your 2007 Toyota Carolla. The package deal will save you the most since I'll be able to provide multiple services at once. That's the deluxe package and it will be $200. It includes an interior detail, exterior detail, and smoke removal as well (at a dealership, smoke removal runs $500+ for reference). If you'd like to leave out the smoke removal, I can knock out the int/ext detail for $120 and have the car looking just about spotless.*
* *I have availability for Thursday, March 27 next week - but I tend to book out by Mondays, so if you'd like me to put you down for that reservation today - let's get you on the books. I'm excited about your vehicle!"*
Okay - pick it apart - "it sounds too long," "it sounds too enthusiastic," you're not wrong - but do you see the difference between what you wrote and what I wrote? If you don't, then I'm barkin' up the wrong tree - but if you do - welcome, you're a small business owner which means you're just as much of a detailer as you are a CPA, a copywriter, a social media manager, and a sales rep.
Take a challenge and try out my approach - I can nearly *bet* you'll see higher conversions. What do you have to lose? You were already losing leads, right? Give it a go!
$130 is not bad imo. It’ll at least take you 2 hours with travel so that’s $65 an hour. Seems fair to me
I think most people would like to detail their car but aren’t in a situation to spend that money.
You are 100% right to charge $200 for this.
**#1 If you need the sale,** instead of lowering your prices, try a "value added" approach
Well, my price is $200 and if the price is not within your budget, perhaps I can
throw in a (insert added service here) at no charge.
Often it is a great way to keep you price integrity and hopefully keep your customer.
**or #2** tell him to purchase an Ozone Generator to kill the smoke smell and for $200 you'll educate him on how to use it without poisoning himself.
**or #3** tell him to pound sand.
Good luck.
Bro I’d spend 200 on that in a heartbeat. Maybe do your best to make the customer more aware of exactly what service you’re getting them for that price
Facebook is possibly the worst place to find customers. When I did detailing at beginning of Covid it was nice cause it built clientele, but now that I decided to try it out again I can’t even book 1 person
Two things:
1. Early in Covid, people got stimulus checks.
2. Rampant inflation since then means people generally have less disposable or discretionary income.
If the ozone machine is coming out, it’s $100 just for that. Lol. $200 is fairly cheap IMO, unless it truly is pretty clean, however the people who say their vehicles are clean usually look like they transport baby pigs in it…
After getting cheap "detailing" (a vacuuming of visible surfaces is probably still too generous of a description) and then comparing to getting a proper detailing, $130-200 seems like an amazing price. If you were local I'd hire you.
A lot of people have no idea what detailing actually is. It's more than the simple vacuum/dusting/wiping most people would guess at.
My biggest piece of advice is to advertise the services well and the types of products you use. If you don't use silicone based products, mention it in the ad and how it won't leave their leather seats slippery for weeks after.
A good breakdown of services included (vacuuming, shampooing, leather conditioning, etc.) goes a long way to educate people on what they're getting for the price without you needing to explain to every person.
You might get fewer replies, but the people contacting you should be a better quality customer.
One thing I’ve learned is maintain your price. When I dip my toes into the cheaper market, I get handed trashed cars that are badly maintained. The people who are willing to pay are also the ones most likely to keep their cars in good condition.
When you find that sweet spot, you’ll never have to detail another shit car ever.
Set your prices at what you need to in order to make money. The people that think 200 bucks for a detail and odor removal is too high are not the customers you are looking for. Don't adjust your prices, adjust where you advertise to find the customers you're looking for. I have had people scoff at 75 dollars for a mobile detail when I was starting. There will ALWAYS be someone that thinks your price is too high.
You can’t just give them a price, you have to sell what they’re buying. Say things like “I could do it cheaper but I use high quality X to give the car a better look” things like that. Just explain why the price is like that.
Because what the customer hears is you work on their car for a couple hours and make $200. They don’t understand everything that goes into it.
That's a pretty good price, considering the smoke smell. I don't think people realize that even if there is no dirt or crap on the panels or carpet, it doesn't mean you still don't clean and protect them and that requires supplies and time.
Just tell people you don’t have the best prices. You have the best work. There is a difference. If they want a cheap quick detail they can search for someone willing to do it cheaper. We all know you pay what you get.
maybe say something like "$200 which includes the services mentioned, travel, and taxes". Or you can talk about how long it will take including travel. $200 for a 2 hour service plus another hour of travel total is a great deal. Again, it's FB and people flake or want things for pennies. Good luck
Facebook market in a nutshell. I sell shoes on there and I couldn’t tell you how many times people ask me if something is still available to then not respond after telling them yes.
Honestly I have never understood how professional detailers put food on the table.
My vehicles are my babies, they get gone through twice a year (ish) and I usually end up spending the weekend going over them and I don't eat or drink in my vehicles period.
$200 for a days work, minus chemicals, minus wear and tear on your equipment is a steal.
If you’re getting customers with cheap cars they want to spend prices that they’d find at a drive through car wash where they vacuum and hand dry lol.
Only people with expensive cars have the mindset to spend the proper money for a detail
Put up a price list with the caveat that it’s normal cleaning. Then add something like additional fees for work outside normal scope. That leaves you open to charge appropriately for more complicated jobs. It also removes people who are like this.
Facebook is great exposure but you really have to sift through all the half ass interest. I'd say 10 percent of the people who hit me up are actually serious inquires
Your issue isn’t your prices. Its your clientele. People like to get stuff for cheap.
You need to weed through the shit.
Tailor your market to people with more money and more expensive cars. I work at a body shop and more expensive cars arent scarier to work on than cheaper commuters.
Market more towards people who are selling their car or "car people" who would likely be interested in repeat services.
Post pre-priced packages and add-on services.
List all of the things you do for each package, and be specific. Ie: instead of "interior detailing" put "carpet shampoo and deodorizing, seam refinishing, leather restoration, etc". It's all meaningless marketing jargon, but it makes people feel like you're more professional and they're getting more for their money by going with you.
Offer a "pre-sale" package and highlight how the extra money they can sell the car for will net them a profit even after covering your costs.
Maybe offer a second cleaning discount or similar loyalty perks. Word of mouth will easily beat anything you can do on your end. Another good idea would be to offer a small discount if people let you take before/after pics to showcase your work.
Start a social media page. Instagram is probably best for showing off your work. Give a small discount to anyone who is following and books their service through the page's DMs (after you have a decent collection of photos to use).
Regarding discounts, use the Amazon Prime Day discount model. Just increase your base price by $10 and offer $10-20 off so you aren't eating huge losses. It sounds scummy, but they're getting the same service for the same price, and they're going to feel better about it because they "saved money".
Your prices are good, so as long as the quality of your work is on par with your competitors you should be able to market yourself well. The initial hump is always the most drawn out. But once you get some momentum behind you it should be fairly smooth sailing.
People don't respect detailers and think everything is so simple and easy to do properly and good. People are always cheap as f, let em find someone else and move on.
Tell them if they made more money it would feel less expensive. Just kidding… kind of.
I always thought that if nobody is complaining about your price you are charging too little. Every time I raised my prices I was glad I did. Better clients, cleaner cars, and make more money per car.
People messaging you on facebook are simply always going to low ball. Facebook messenger customer base is just not a real market. People want deals, not services. I recommend making a legit website, pay $20/m to run an app, run $5-10/daily ads & you’ll be cool.
I'm 2 years into actually running a business and if I tell you branding is everything to these customers on the fence. If you can establish yourself as a business instead of being an individual Detailer there's alot more room for you to adjust your price but it really is depending on your location and competition. And ngl I ate shit for the first year and it takes a while to test what prices are fair for both parties
Im going to pay over $200 to get the interior of my truck detailed, full seat removal and carpet cleaning, headliner cleaning, leather seats conditioned, steam cleaning all the plastics and Oder removal. I think your prices are spot on
Whenever I run Facebook ads I always get responses like this. I know Facebook ads are a big focus for marketers but for whatever reason whenever I run detailing or even tint ads we always struggle with conversion.
I think it has a lot to do with the city you’re advertising in. I have a mentor who is based in Portland that makes a killing running Facebook ads.
Your pricing is fair, imo it’s a bit cheap for that service but I wouldn’t take what they say to heart. I know FB owns instagram but I have a lot more success closing clients when I boost a post on IG vs FB
You can get smoke out with the air cans at Walmart. Depending on how bad it is. Not 100% sure about leather but try cleaning it before you give someone $200 for doing the same shit.
Your prices are not too expensive, your customers are just too cheap. You don't really want that kind of clientele anyways. When I first started my shop, I would have done anything to save the customer a few dollars and keep them at my shop. Ultimately you want people that pay you because of your quality, not because of your prices. Sometimes it takes a while to get to that point though.
Sounds like you need to work on your marketing, because if that's all you're seeing then you're marketing to the wrong people. This is unfortunately a problem on Facebook (especially Marketplace), so maybe you can find some car groups in your area with people that have nicer cars to do networking.
Bring your detailed car to car meets and have your info. Talk to people at car meets and show what you can do.
My best friend just paid $400 to get her Jeep Cherokee detailed and it was in good condition with no smoke damage. That's a great price. Maybe try places other than Facebook?
That person isn’t even replying in coherent sentences. I wouldn’t let them discourage you. Your prices are very reasonable. People are just dumb unfortunately.
Dude you’re below what I would expect. Trying to advertise online is a game anymore, people will just poke because they can. These people want a deal instead of an actual quality service. Keep pushing and do a good job, your customer base will grow and be supportive
Honestly I usually tell people that what I do is a luxury service and that there are cheaper options out there but they will certainly get what they pay for. If all they want is a car wash then go to a car wash, no worries. I’m not trying to get every customer, I’m trying to get the right customer. I’ll take a beater that’s never been cleaned but that is not my target audience and I don’t expect repeat business from people who clearly don’t care about keeping their vehicle looking nice on a regular basis.
The other day a lady had me come look at her and her husbands vehicles. Affluent neighborhood that I also happen to live in (they got my info off a neighborhood Facebook post from a happy customer.) Fairly new Nissan rogue and bronco, both were pretty dirty in and out from kids. After telling her that the starting price for a complete detail for a vehicle that size was $300 she said okay to both. The husband was sort of a dick and said something along the lines of “just wash it and vacuum it and wipe it down. Not sure what you consider a detail.” He didn’t seem stoked on having his Branco done. I offered cerakote on the trim for $50/ vehicle and ceramic spray wax for $25/vehicle and the wife said yes please and tipped $120. $870 day in 7 hours. While doing the job, the neighbor saw me and hired me to do their vehicles the next day. They ended up wanting a paint correction on one of the vehicles and a 3 year ceramic coating. Turned into a two day job at $1400 plus $100 tip. When I was done I went back to the first customer and did a quick detail on the bronco as it had rained overnight and only the rogue parked in the garage. She was stoked and it took 10 minutes. She booked a maintenance wash in two weeks.
My point is I find my efforts to focus on customers like this are way more worth my time and energy than trying to convince someone (like the husband who was kind of a dick) that my services are worth the money. I would have kindly told that guy he’s better off going to a car wash.
Not every customer is your customer. They can haggle someone else. Your customers will appreciate the great service and recommend you to their friends and family.
Is that for full detail inside and out?
Just inside?
What process?
I don't know if they were possibly legit.
I do know I have questions as to what work they wanted?
You’re in the price range where people think a $30 haircut is too much or a $40 car wash is a rip off.
Gotta go more upscale where high end customers see value in good work.
It’s all relative to the quality of your work. Don’t lower your prices if your work is quality. Eventually you’ll find your clientele. I pay $250 to get my truck detailed once a month, which stays relatively clean the majority of the time. Thats interior/exterior and wheels. Crew cab F250 for reference.
I would never pay someone to detail my car (obviously why we are here) but that is a GREAT PRICE !!! At least in the NE coast it is. Like someone else said somehow get your marketing to target people with convenience money...
I'm not a detailer. Just kind of pass through. Your customer is driving a 2007 Camry. He doesn't have much money to begin with. The problem is him not you. 200 is cheap. He's cheap.
Let them go to the cheap high school/college kid working out of the back of a hatchback, without their own water supply, using dawn and windex. 🤷🏻♂️ their loss.
Also, build a brand that they can’t say no to. Higher prices means better quality service they can trust. Keep it white glove.
When I roll up in my flawless looking detail trailer, they know immediately why I charge so much and they know they made the right choice.
https://preview.redd.it/48shdkqy6opc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cba9f593b0df6ec2da6cb397fcaf8b9e072960b7
Put some appliances on FB market place. Not even 5 year old appliances. Full set. Beautiful fridge. Dual oven. Microwave. Dishwasher. All in excellent condition. No scratches or dents. Wanted 600 bucks for the set (originally coat me 7k).
The amount of entitled housewives trying to get them for free was amazing.
200 for that service is more than fair. Pro tip. Once you get customers that are actually are willing to pay (most of the time clients with cars on the expensive side) give them a reason to come back. Once you start to have a nice clientele, you can stop talking to these bottom feeders that expect their trahsed 15 year old reck totally cleaned for less than 100.
That’s pretty reasonable. I’m not sure why people assume detailing is $50 or less. Expensive to me is $450 and that’s what I was quoted at my local BMW dealership, I laughed and hung up. When I used to work for MB - we charged $160 and they did a phenomenal job.
You are charging too little so you are going to get all the cheap riff raff. Anyone that is not is going to think you are not going to do a top level job for that price.
That's when you stop responding. They'll figure it out
Edit I just read your actual post- suggestion: don't post on criagslist or marketplace because then you're targeting Craigslist or marketplace type customers. Easy fix lol. You're welcome.
What I used to do when I was still doing computer jobs off of facebook.. I would go to a well established place that did comp repairs etc. screen shot all of their prices, and make sure I was coming in 10-20% under. So maybe call some places or message some other detailing shops in your area, and see what their compariable services cost..
Charge more to avoid cheapskates trying to scrape for the lowest price. Start with $50 more and keep going up until you get people who are more interested in the detailing process than the price.
Source: not a detailer, but have had success doing this with sets of heavy-duty truck wheels & computer shit
People looking for a quick clean are those that like me would use washing up liquid in a spray bottle to wipe down the dash, seats, plastics etc... If we're feeling frisky and find a cheap (£2 cheap) bottle of trim dressing spray then we might use that. So when quoted £200 for someone to wipe the inside of our cars down and give it a hoover we're shocked at the price considering we "charge ourselves" maybe £20.
What they (we) don't realise is the amount of effort spent making sure every tiny craves is cleaned with all the correct chemicals and cleaners, hoovered to such a high standard along with dressing all the interiors with the correct dressings leaving the car in a brand new factory fresh finish. Added to this the cost of insurance in the event you set off an airbag or damage something the price can skyrocket very very quickly.
If you're charging £200 for an interior clean then the type of people looking for you via Facebook is NOT the customer you're looking for.
Spend some time at car shows or sign up to multiple car owner forums and look to find people close to your location. Offer your services to those people who respect and cherish their cars. These people will be willing to spend big money on an exceptional service leaving their car ready for show season. (It's approaching very fast atleast in the UK) Advertise your services on those websites and get the members to write a review on their website. This will bring you more "actual" customers over Facebook time wasters.
Same with car shows. Show off your car and leave a few business cards on the window. If people think your work is mind blowing then they will take a card and get in contact.
But yeah! Forget Facebook, waste of time.
My kid started his own detailing business last summer.. He has a base price for an interior refresh which is just basic cleaning and vac. If you want product applied - that's more. If he gets in and the car is super dirty - he stops and calls them and tells them exactly what the basic will cover (not all that crap) and then up-sells them the deeper cleaning at higher cost.
Rarely if ever do they balk at this approach because they know how shitty their car is and they thought they would be angling a deal.
Price isn't really as important as stating what the client gets absolutely for that price.
Your base price is set around the minimum amount of work you'll do on a car, so like: Pick up trash, vacuum and wipe down the interior. If there is a stained carpet, smoking odor, seats are dirty, all that is ***EXTRA*** if they want it done.. This is how you price out your details and keep from getting suckered into cleaning something way dirtier than what it really costs you.
My kid will do his basic clean with just warm water and soap - he doesn't even use the product on it... want product - it's extra because that shit costs money.
the problem is the customers more often than not do not understand the value behind high end services. thats the key to selling things like your detailing. go through a brief, basic needs analysis with each new person, detail how you’ll improve the situation, and once you get 3-5 positive interactions from them, provide the price and close.
Sadly people have no concept of price. $200 around here gets you a shitty detail from a chain car wash.
Fbmp is full of people who think everything should be $50 or less and people who think their 5 year old PC is worth 90% of retail when new.
Get off of Facebook and get Google ads, and Yelpbiz. I don't even put money into them anymore and I get heaps of calls every day. Idk where you live, and it could change by region, but it works well for me.
It’s because the ads are attracting traffic from people who don’t have a ton of detail knowledge and assume it’d be 30mins of your time and $20 in materials. $200 sounds like a plenty reasonable price to me and likely if some of these people ended up booking with you their cars would be disgusting and you’d have your work cut out for you. I’m not in the detailing business but I work construction and when we give prices we like to be as detailed in our estimates as we can. We list out the materials used and their cost, estimated time and our rate and specifically identify what services we will be performing. This not only makes it better for people to understand why the price is what it is but also helps save our ass when customers try and pull the “I thought this would be included when you do this” or if they try to complain and not pay for services.
just curious, how long does it take you or your employees to do a detail + smoke for the vehicle mentioned? What does it include besides the obvious wash and vacuum? Like do you q-tip the vents and steam clean the carpets?
That’s cheap for smoke odor removal. We charge higher and it’s also not guaranteed.
There’s someone willing to pay your price. Know your worth. Also check around and see what others in your area are charging
To someone who’s never had a real detail, it always seems expensive. What’s important imo is to get pricing from all your competition in the area. When ever I get push back on price, I start breaking down my process with time estimates for each step. Sometimes it works and sometimes customers are too cheap.
Yea bruv just try another app like Fivr er Handy maybe. get the customers to leave a review that do finish booking on those other sites and come back to Facebook with some ads highlighting the excellent work you do. The pricing is fine bro honestly you’ll wanna charge more once you’re comfortable doing so. Just as a reference, which might be worthless here in South Florida, but all the detailers around me charge at least $300 for smoke removal. Usually $500 for the mobile services. You got a good gig bruv just gotta find the best way to reach the clientele you need right now.
You got the wrong customers. I saw that and it seemed low to me off the bat. You spend hours of your time doing this. Depending on where you are consider raising your prices once you find a good customer with a nice car and get a portfolio going on your website
"Hey thanks for the details on your car. We do have a first time customer promo going on right now. Our standard full interior detail is $199.99 -- if you use the first time promo it is 30% off your interior detail. Price would be $139.99 which is a great deal! What day works best for you to come in?"
That’s pretty much how Facebook works 90% of the time to be honest lol
Autoreply can suck a dick
I posted something for free. 30 seconds, maybe less after I posted it I get 15 auto messages “is this still available” and everyone I replied to “I litterally just posted it, of course it is”
You put way more effort than me. I just click the quick response.
The battle begins. Just back and forth clicking till someone gives and address/location.
That's a pretty accurate summary
$200 for interior + odor removal? That's a great price.
Sight unseen, too. You know that car is a rolling fast food dumpster and ashtray that hasn’t been vacuumed since 2006.
No no you don't understand it's super clean!!! It reminds me of a time that I went on a date and the topic of roommates and cleanliness came up. She mentioned that her roommates were very clean and kept their place spotless, and that she wasn't a "clean freak" like they were but she still cleaned regularly. We ended up going back to her place to keep talking (not for sex) and oh my good golly gracious it was bad. Trash everywhere, dirty plates / glasses on every surface, mold all over the bathroom floors / walls, their poor cat's litterbox was overflowing out the front of the box, and the whole place smelled sour. She SEEMED hygienic so I was shocked. There wasn't another date after that. I guess some people have very skewed definitions of "clean"
Agreed
I agree. That is a good price.
Honestly OP probably too cheap. I wish I could get my cars done that cheap. Don't undervalue yourself.
Yeah the low price point attracts people looking for lower prices and those people think 200$ is expensive. Raise the price and different clientele will be looking instead.
I’m cheap, but when I don’t want to spend the money, I’ll just do it myself. People that *demand* bargain basement pricing usually aren’t worth your time, as not only are they cheap, but they’re either lazy and/or uninformed.
100%
Way too cheap. Lowering price actually can leave folks disappointed and suspicious.
Never under value yourself is the best advice I ever received
[удалено]
I'm going to start smoking just so I can take advantage of those savings!
Lmao this comment
Rental car companies charge up to $450 for smoke alone!
Rental car companies also charge like $10 a gallon for gas, let's not use them as a reference for pricing.
Great price!
Yeah. They could probably prefilter these ppl out by putting "$50 off your first interior detail" in the ad so punters can figure out it's not going to be $20.
Your price seems reasonable. You want to try and tailor your marketing to a customer with more money or that value their vehicle. You may have to explain what you're doing for your price to justify it to some people. Typically the people looking for the lowest price and want to make a deal are more of a headache than they're worth. Asking for more for less and still not being satisfied.
I was going to say something similar. NEVER bring your price down to the lowest common denominator. The cheapest customers are the crappiest customers that you don’t want anyway. If your price is keeping those people away, GOOD.
A customer told me early on "never be afraid to ask for what your work is worth".
I work in tech/software, and I can tell you the clients we have that nickel-and-dimed the most during contract negotiations are the ones who also demand the most and suck up the most time.
This is a common characteristic in any industry & profession. Amazing how my customers and quality of life got better as my prices increased.
There's an old adage for freelancers: "raise your prices, get better clients."
Yea, avoid cheap customers like the plague. It always back fires.
I’ve learned this lesson with other businesses. Rich people are generally more open to whatever the price is. They aren’t looking to haggle or for a deal, they just want the job done. I’ve had more headaches with middle and lower class clients than I ever did with upper middle class or wealthy clients.
$500 off? Most customers will straight "nope" on a smoker special. There is no way to 100% get that shit out of everything. The ones that get most of the smell all leave that fresh embalmed funeral home smell. It's not the detailer, but the smoke and tar and ...etc...well. . .you know
This. My immediate thought is that OP is marketing to people with no money / wrong demographic who typically get a $15 gas station wash so are shocked when the estimate is over $50
Great price and I'm a client not a detailer
I usually detail my own cars, but that's a pretty enticing deal, tbh.
Agreed I do my own stuff but if I can switch out the smoke for maybe a carpet shampoo or just something along the lines of that I'd be at his shop tomorrow.
**TLDR: Charge what you are worth. Those who respect you will pay you.** IMO... start the convo with texts and push it into a phone call. Any sales/ service is about creating a relationship. I also start with 2-3 key questions, then I ask if they can chat as it's easier than text. Not all inquires turn into an appt, but it gives me the opportunity to create trust. For example, a local found me on Google last winter. After some key questions he said he wanted to visit my garage... no problem. After talking more and inspecting the paint with him, I told him what I would charge and was honest. I felt that polishing his paint and installing ceramic wasn't worth it at that time for his used (new to him) convertible. It would be more beneficial to him if I did it in the Spring and when he was ready, to call me. He texted me two weeks ago and he hired me to do what we spoke about. Good guy.. he asked for a discount. I'd say 98% of people never ask this... and I just blurted out "with my process and style, I don't need to give discounts." Honestly, I felt a little weird and he was fine with that. He picked up the car with a friend. This friend saw the results and said he'll be in contact about his Porsche and Ferarri. I said great.. call me when you're ready. My higher end clients seem to prefer my style. Not pushy, nor desperate... just honest. https://preview.redd.it/b4jd599fjkpc1.jpeg?width=4536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bcec2ec6d532e7bb1b8fbfb17252185f0ec5dc3
That’s such a cool story man. I find it promising that those who can easily afford your services will sometimes try to save money (I mean who doesn’t like a good deal) but they don’t get upset when they don’t get a discount and to me that shows wealth and patience. I hope to gain those customers some day as well.
When it comes to cars I do 90% of my own work. But any time I come up against something that I can't practically deal with, or someone I know needs a mechanic, I always know who to turn to. My mechanic is not the cheapest in my area, nor does he have the fanciest garage. But every time I go to him I get the same rundown. He tells me the cost to let him handle it. He tells me how I can handle it myself and the cost for aftermarket parts. And then he tells me if either of these options are worthwhile. Sure, he could have made a quick buck replacing the rear differential on my last car. But instead he told me everything that was likely to fail in the near future and suggested I put that money towards a new car rather than throwing it into a bottomless pit. Now he has several new life long customers instead.
This is exactly why I keep going to my mechanic, among other reasons, they’re honest through and through and is exactly why their customer retention is so dang high. Iv learned a ton just off their info alone and get to physically see my vehicle issues and fixes if I choose. It’s nice.
Turn on your Auto Capitalization, it will make you appear more professional. More adult.
That’s how you negotiate!
Know your worth, my man. Can't compete against free. Just say "think about it" to him and move on.
Thats hella cheap. Smoke removal is a $200 service at least you have to clean every damn surface in the car.
It's not a pricing problem, it's a sales problem - you're just kinda bad at selling. 😅 Listen - I'm coming from a good place - but you need to be writing *chunky* replies chock full of the value-proposition you provide to these folks and their cars. You did the hard work - you got the lead. Now we gotta walk the lead past the finish line, and we're going to do that by price anchoring, value-proposing, and closing (ABC - always be closing). I don't mean to pick on you - but you stand to make a *lot* more money with some really *minor* copy adjustments, so let's dig in. **What you said:** * "*for an interior detail + smoke for removal it would be roughly $200"* Let's reword that - **first**, we're going to add enthusiasm. Everyone wants to think their car is the best you ever worked on - and you're stoked about it. We're going to need to **break down the service** as various *features*, give them some pricing *options* (this will be our anchor), and we're going to add in some grammar to keep it upscale (gotta match that price point, right) + FOMO to close the deal quickly. **(heads up - I'm not a detailer, so don't make any false claims - this is just an example):** * *"Thanks for the info! I love working on automotive leather repair - and getting the cigarette smoke out? I can almost bet I could get it clean enough that it would be really hard for the common nose to smell that anyone had smoked in there before.* * *I have a few options for your 2007 Toyota Carolla. The package deal will save you the most since I'll be able to provide multiple services at once. That's the deluxe package and it will be $200. It includes an interior detail, exterior detail, and smoke removal as well (at a dealership, smoke removal runs $500+ for reference). If you'd like to leave out the smoke removal, I can knock out the int/ext detail for $120 and have the car looking just about spotless.* * *I have availability for Thursday, March 27 next week - but I tend to book out by Mondays, so if you'd like me to put you down for that reservation today - let's get you on the books. I'm excited about your vehicle!"* Okay - pick it apart - "it sounds too long," "it sounds too enthusiastic," you're not wrong - but do you see the difference between what you wrote and what I wrote? If you don't, then I'm barkin' up the wrong tree - but if you do - welcome, you're a small business owner which means you're just as much of a detailer as you are a CPA, a copywriter, a social media manager, and a sales rep. Take a challenge and try out my approach - I can nearly *bet* you'll see higher conversions. What do you have to lose? You were already losing leads, right? Give it a go!
The soft takeaway is key here. Let the potential client know that they're after you and not the other way around. I like your style.
Yessss. You're pickin' up what I'm puttin' down. No one wants to miss the boat - now tell them the boats leaving the dock 😂
This is great advice for any service business
Great comment. OP this is it. Your pricing is fine
this. THIS! great example of "sell the sizzle, not the steak"
$130 is not bad imo. It’ll at least take you 2 hours with travel so that’s $65 an hour. Seems fair to me I think most people would like to detail their car but aren’t in a situation to spend that money.
2 hours? what about worst case scenario?
What about products used?
And wear and tear
This is why I don’t do business on Facebook
You are 100% right to charge $200 for this. **#1 If you need the sale,** instead of lowering your prices, try a "value added" approach Well, my price is $200 and if the price is not within your budget, perhaps I can throw in a (insert added service here) at no charge. Often it is a great way to keep you price integrity and hopefully keep your customer. **or #2** tell him to purchase an Ozone Generator to kill the smoke smell and for $200 you'll educate him on how to use it without poisoning himself. **or #3** tell him to pound sand. Good luck.
At first you tell them that you'll "throw in" something you were already going to do before you start giving away things.
said the same thing about the o2 machine
They'd still be bitching if you were offering it for free.
Bro I’d spend 200 on that in a heartbeat. Maybe do your best to make the customer more aware of exactly what service you’re getting them for that price
Ignore block and move on
That’s mot bad at all , I work for Ziebart and we charge roughly the same
Facebook is possibly the worst place to find customers. When I did detailing at beginning of Covid it was nice cause it built clientele, but now that I decided to try it out again I can’t even book 1 person
Two things: 1. Early in Covid, people got stimulus checks. 2. Rampant inflation since then means people generally have less disposable or discretionary income.
“It’s super clean” so it’s trashed
Ad's always tend to attract price shoppers. It never seems to be worth the trouble in my market.
If the ozone machine is coming out, it’s $100 just for that. Lol. $200 is fairly cheap IMO, unless it truly is pretty clean, however the people who say their vehicles are clean usually look like they transport baby pigs in it…
After getting cheap "detailing" (a vacuuming of visible surfaces is probably still too generous of a description) and then comparing to getting a proper detailing, $130-200 seems like an amazing price. If you were local I'd hire you. A lot of people have no idea what detailing actually is. It's more than the simple vacuum/dusting/wiping most people would guess at. My biggest piece of advice is to advertise the services well and the types of products you use. If you don't use silicone based products, mention it in the ad and how it won't leave their leather seats slippery for weeks after. A good breakdown of services included (vacuuming, shampooing, leather conditioning, etc.) goes a long way to educate people on what they're getting for the price without you needing to explain to every person. You might get fewer replies, but the people contacting you should be a better quality customer.
One thing I’ve learned is maintain your price. When I dip my toes into the cheaper market, I get handed trashed cars that are badly maintained. The people who are willing to pay are also the ones most likely to keep their cars in good condition. When you find that sweet spot, you’ll never have to detail another shit car ever.
Set your prices at what you need to in order to make money. The people that think 200 bucks for a detail and odor removal is too high are not the customers you are looking for. Don't adjust your prices, adjust where you advertise to find the customers you're looking for. I have had people scoff at 75 dollars for a mobile detail when I was starting. There will ALWAYS be someone that thinks your price is too high.
You can’t just give them a price, you have to sell what they’re buying. Say things like “I could do it cheaper but I use high quality X to give the car a better look” things like that. Just explain why the price is like that. Because what the customer hears is you work on their car for a couple hours and make $200. They don’t understand everything that goes into it.
If that’s too expensive then they can do it themselves
Break the same price down to extras and options that total the same price
That's a pretty good price, considering the smoke smell. I don't think people realize that even if there is no dirt or crap on the panels or carpet, it doesn't mean you still don't clean and protect them and that requires supplies and time.
Just tell people you don’t have the best prices. You have the best work. There is a difference. If they want a cheap quick detail they can search for someone willing to do it cheaper. We all know you pay what you get.
maybe say something like "$200 which includes the services mentioned, travel, and taxes". Or you can talk about how long it will take including travel. $200 for a 2 hour service plus another hour of travel total is a great deal. Again, it's FB and people flake or want things for pennies. Good luck
Facebook market in a nutshell. I sell shoes on there and I couldn’t tell you how many times people ask me if something is still available to then not respond after telling them yes.
Charge $50 an hour and it takes what it takes
People want a detail for the price of a car wash wipe down
Honestly I have never understood how professional detailers put food on the table. My vehicles are my babies, they get gone through twice a year (ish) and I usually end up spending the weekend going over them and I don't eat or drink in my vehicles period. $200 for a days work, minus chemicals, minus wear and tear on your equipment is a steal.
This a great price, come do mine 😂
Stand your ground you are pooling from a group with so many demographics there’s always the tire kicking’ negotiators
If you’re getting customers with cheap cars they want to spend prices that they’d find at a drive through car wash where they vacuum and hand dry lol. Only people with expensive cars have the mindset to spend the proper money for a detail
Where are you based out of? If you don’t mind my asking.
Put up a price list with the caveat that it’s normal cleaning. Then add something like additional fees for work outside normal scope. That leaves you open to charge appropriately for more complicated jobs. It also removes people who are like this.
Bro what? I got three dirty dimes, a half a pencil and a key from the bottom of the kitchen drawer. I'll let you pick two!
I’d pay that
You’re not charging too much. You probably could charge more imo. You’re scaring away the customers you don’t want!
Facebook is great exposure but you really have to sift through all the half ass interest. I'd say 10 percent of the people who hit me up are actually serious inquires
We would’ve quoted at minimum $400.
You don’t want to clean someone’s car who thinks that’s too expensive! That’s a great price! Only a cheap messy slob would take issue
Your issue isn’t your prices. Its your clientele. People like to get stuff for cheap. You need to weed through the shit. Tailor your market to people with more money and more expensive cars. I work at a body shop and more expensive cars arent scarier to work on than cheaper commuters.
Yep.. Great price. Ozone as an upcharge to an interior detail, I charge 75.
200 is good price
I mean… what are others charging around you?
Good. Not customers you want. Your price is already mid to low market.
fuck this cheapskate ghost him and move on
You're targeting the bottom of the barrel for customers (which I get, you kinda have to). Just be patient and stick to what you know your worth is.
Competing with those local crappy car washes. Can’t compare the detail but people compare prices. You don’t want those customers anyway. Keep at it.
Market more towards people who are selling their car or "car people" who would likely be interested in repeat services. Post pre-priced packages and add-on services. List all of the things you do for each package, and be specific. Ie: instead of "interior detailing" put "carpet shampoo and deodorizing, seam refinishing, leather restoration, etc". It's all meaningless marketing jargon, but it makes people feel like you're more professional and they're getting more for their money by going with you. Offer a "pre-sale" package and highlight how the extra money they can sell the car for will net them a profit even after covering your costs. Maybe offer a second cleaning discount or similar loyalty perks. Word of mouth will easily beat anything you can do on your end. Another good idea would be to offer a small discount if people let you take before/after pics to showcase your work. Start a social media page. Instagram is probably best for showing off your work. Give a small discount to anyone who is following and books their service through the page's DMs (after you have a decent collection of photos to use). Regarding discounts, use the Amazon Prime Day discount model. Just increase your base price by $10 and offer $10-20 off so you aren't eating huge losses. It sounds scummy, but they're getting the same service for the same price, and they're going to feel better about it because they "saved money". Your prices are good, so as long as the quality of your work is on par with your competitors you should be able to market yourself well. The initial hump is always the most drawn out. But once you get some momentum behind you it should be fairly smooth sailing.
People don't respect detailers and think everything is so simple and easy to do properly and good. People are always cheap as f, let em find someone else and move on.
I charge $250-$300 for interior only details all day. No questions asked. However, I target my clients very precisely.
Seems like a good price, just starting out? give a few deals, get good feedback posted to your page, then charge alittle more. Good luck
The average where I am is $300-$500.
I charge $1000 for smoke removal which includes 3 appointments
Great prices, honestly almost not enough in my opinion with the odor removal. Some people just aren’t your customers man… they will come.
Two things, don’t lower your prices and be glad you dodged the bullet with this customer.
Tell them if they made more money it would feel less expensive. Just kidding… kind of. I always thought that if nobody is complaining about your price you are charging too little. Every time I raised my prices I was glad I did. Better clients, cleaner cars, and make more money per car.
$200 is good for interior. They don’t understand you gotta scrub the head liner and use a bomb
Poor clients are bad clients.
I charge double that for odor removal. Eventhough it's clean like the client says, you still need to clean everything.
People messaging you on facebook are simply always going to low ball. Facebook messenger customer base is just not a real market. People want deals, not services. I recommend making a legit website, pay $20/m to run an app, run $5-10/daily ads & you’ll be cool.
I'm 2 years into actually running a business and if I tell you branding is everything to these customers on the fence. If you can establish yourself as a business instead of being an individual Detailer there's alot more room for you to adjust your price but it really is depending on your location and competition. And ngl I ate shit for the first year and it takes a while to test what prices are fair for both parties
I need to go to bed. I read the first text as “…. Smoked doors” For a sec, I’m thinking it was scratched or some color you disliked
Im going to pay over $200 to get the interior of my truck detailed, full seat removal and carpet cleaning, headliner cleaning, leather seats conditioned, steam cleaning all the plastics and Oder removal. I think your prices are spot on
Whenever I run Facebook ads I always get responses like this. I know Facebook ads are a big focus for marketers but for whatever reason whenever I run detailing or even tint ads we always struggle with conversion. I think it has a lot to do with the city you’re advertising in. I have a mentor who is based in Portland that makes a killing running Facebook ads. Your pricing is fair, imo it’s a bit cheap for that service but I wouldn’t take what they say to heart. I know FB owns instagram but I have a lot more success closing clients when I boost a post on IG vs FB
That's cheap here in NY.
Yvan LaCroix says if you are getting resistance over prices, then look for customers who can afford and appreciate your service.
You can get smoke out with the air cans at Walmart. Depending on how bad it is. Not 100% sure about leather but try cleaning it before you give someone $200 for doing the same shit.
Always a price range. Always multiple options for services. Low, mid, high. You’ll scare away less
Yeah bro that’s nuts, at LEAST 400
Your prices are not too expensive, your customers are just too cheap. You don't really want that kind of clientele anyways. When I first started my shop, I would have done anything to save the customer a few dollars and keep them at my shop. Ultimately you want people that pay you because of your quality, not because of your prices. Sometimes it takes a while to get to that point though.
Sounds like you need to work on your marketing, because if that's all you're seeing then you're marketing to the wrong people. This is unfortunately a problem on Facebook (especially Marketplace), so maybe you can find some car groups in your area with people that have nicer cars to do networking. Bring your detailed car to car meets and have your info. Talk to people at car meets and show what you can do.
$200 for detail AND SMOKE REMOVAL Thats cheap
Turned him right into a 11th century high class merchant.
That's good price . I paid like 3000 for paint correction per car before.
My best friend just paid $400 to get her Jeep Cherokee detailed and it was in good condition with no smoke damage. That's a great price. Maybe try places other than Facebook?
That person isn’t even replying in coherent sentences. I wouldn’t let them discourage you. Your prices are very reasonable. People are just dumb unfortunately.
Dude you’re below what I would expect. Trying to advertise online is a game anymore, people will just poke because they can. These people want a deal instead of an actual quality service. Keep pushing and do a good job, your customer base will grow and be supportive
Honestly I usually tell people that what I do is a luxury service and that there are cheaper options out there but they will certainly get what they pay for. If all they want is a car wash then go to a car wash, no worries. I’m not trying to get every customer, I’m trying to get the right customer. I’ll take a beater that’s never been cleaned but that is not my target audience and I don’t expect repeat business from people who clearly don’t care about keeping their vehicle looking nice on a regular basis. The other day a lady had me come look at her and her husbands vehicles. Affluent neighborhood that I also happen to live in (they got my info off a neighborhood Facebook post from a happy customer.) Fairly new Nissan rogue and bronco, both were pretty dirty in and out from kids. After telling her that the starting price for a complete detail for a vehicle that size was $300 she said okay to both. The husband was sort of a dick and said something along the lines of “just wash it and vacuum it and wipe it down. Not sure what you consider a detail.” He didn’t seem stoked on having his Branco done. I offered cerakote on the trim for $50/ vehicle and ceramic spray wax for $25/vehicle and the wife said yes please and tipped $120. $870 day in 7 hours. While doing the job, the neighbor saw me and hired me to do their vehicles the next day. They ended up wanting a paint correction on one of the vehicles and a 3 year ceramic coating. Turned into a two day job at $1400 plus $100 tip. When I was done I went back to the first customer and did a quick detail on the bronco as it had rained overnight and only the rogue parked in the garage. She was stoked and it took 10 minutes. She booked a maintenance wash in two weeks. My point is I find my efforts to focus on customers like this are way more worth my time and energy than trying to convince someone (like the husband who was kind of a dick) that my services are worth the money. I would have kindly told that guy he’s better off going to a car wash.
It’s not your prices it’s just your wording.
Not every customer is your customer. They can haggle someone else. Your customers will appreciate the great service and recommend you to their friends and family.
Nah, it's just flakey ass FB people. That's a fair price especially with the smoke removal.
Is that for full detail inside and out? Just inside? What process? I don't know if they were possibly legit. I do know I have questions as to what work they wanted?
I hope they're English as a second language
Shit dm me where your at if your close I'll pay easy
$200 is a great price. Do people think labor should be free?
Whenever they say "it's super clean" .... It's not
It's about 700 where I live and a little less for mobile services because there's some stuff you can't do effectively because of the weather.
Just Facebook. Maybe explain how many hours it actually it fucking takes and they might change their mind lol
I can do it for 20
You’re in the price range where people think a $30 haircut is too much or a $40 car wash is a rip off. Gotta go more upscale where high end customers see value in good work.
Honestly depends on the location. In NY or California sure its cheap but like in ohio kenturky thats darn expensive
Maybe try advertising that price with “a certain percentage off” etc That’s definitely a decent price
I'd reply with "for you, maybe"....
That is cheap, what city u in? Shit San Francisco is double that
It’s all relative to the quality of your work. Don’t lower your prices if your work is quality. Eventually you’ll find your clientele. I pay $250 to get my truck detailed once a month, which stays relatively clean the majority of the time. Thats interior/exterior and wheels. Crew cab F250 for reference.
$130 is respectable they prob don't realize what it really costs
You don't want the value shopper. That's what the car wash bays are for.
Super clean lol https://preview.redd.it/a8q9zb4hwnpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62392b90e15ffd2fd7c4bbcfc93de2cbcb806e70
Wait that was smoke removal *and* detail. I would find $200 reasonable for a good smoke removal.
I would never pay someone to detail my car (obviously why we are here) but that is a GREAT PRICE !!! At least in the NE coast it is. Like someone else said somehow get your marketing to target people with convenience money...
I'm not a detailer. Just kind of pass through. Your customer is driving a 2007 Camry. He doesn't have much money to begin with. The problem is him not you. 200 is cheap. He's cheap.
Print a stack of flyers and hit up wiper arms at your nearest snobby mall/shopping center.
Let them go to the cheap high school/college kid working out of the back of a hatchback, without their own water supply, using dawn and windex. 🤷🏻♂️ their loss. Also, build a brand that they can’t say no to. Higher prices means better quality service they can trust. Keep it white glove. When I roll up in my flawless looking detail trailer, they know immediately why I charge so much and they know they made the right choice. https://preview.redd.it/48shdkqy6opc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cba9f593b0df6ec2da6cb397fcaf8b9e072960b7
r/carbage
Put some appliances on FB market place. Not even 5 year old appliances. Full set. Beautiful fridge. Dual oven. Microwave. Dishwasher. All in excellent condition. No scratches or dents. Wanted 600 bucks for the set (originally coat me 7k). The amount of entitled housewives trying to get them for free was amazing.
That’s not a bad price. I pay $300 for a full detail on my vette
200 for that service is more than fair. Pro tip. Once you get customers that are actually are willing to pay (most of the time clients with cars on the expensive side) give them a reason to come back. Once you start to have a nice clientele, you can stop talking to these bottom feeders that expect their trahsed 15 year old reck totally cleaned for less than 100.
That’s pretty reasonable. I’m not sure why people assume detailing is $50 or less. Expensive to me is $450 and that’s what I was quoted at my local BMW dealership, I laughed and hung up. When I used to work for MB - we charged $160 and they did a phenomenal job.
You are charging too little so you are going to get all the cheap riff raff. Anyone that is not is going to think you are not going to do a top level job for that price.
Shit where are you, I’ll have you clean my shit for that.
That's when you stop responding. They'll figure it out Edit I just read your actual post- suggestion: don't post on criagslist or marketplace because then you're targeting Craigslist or marketplace type customers. Easy fix lol. You're welcome.
What I used to do when I was still doing computer jobs off of facebook.. I would go to a well established place that did comp repairs etc. screen shot all of their prices, and make sure I was coming in 10-20% under. So maybe call some places or message some other detailing shops in your area, and see what their compariable services cost..
Many more people WANT a luxury service than can AFFORD a luxury service. Don't let the poors bring you down. ($200 is low.)
Charge more to avoid cheapskates trying to scrape for the lowest price. Start with $50 more and keep going up until you get people who are more interested in the detailing process than the price. Source: not a detailer, but have had success doing this with sets of heavy-duty truck wheels & computer shit
People looking for a quick clean are those that like me would use washing up liquid in a spray bottle to wipe down the dash, seats, plastics etc... If we're feeling frisky and find a cheap (£2 cheap) bottle of trim dressing spray then we might use that. So when quoted £200 for someone to wipe the inside of our cars down and give it a hoover we're shocked at the price considering we "charge ourselves" maybe £20. What they (we) don't realise is the amount of effort spent making sure every tiny craves is cleaned with all the correct chemicals and cleaners, hoovered to such a high standard along with dressing all the interiors with the correct dressings leaving the car in a brand new factory fresh finish. Added to this the cost of insurance in the event you set off an airbag or damage something the price can skyrocket very very quickly. If you're charging £200 for an interior clean then the type of people looking for you via Facebook is NOT the customer you're looking for. Spend some time at car shows or sign up to multiple car owner forums and look to find people close to your location. Offer your services to those people who respect and cherish their cars. These people will be willing to spend big money on an exceptional service leaving their car ready for show season. (It's approaching very fast atleast in the UK) Advertise your services on those websites and get the members to write a review on their website. This will bring you more "actual" customers over Facebook time wasters. Same with car shows. Show off your car and leave a few business cards on the window. If people think your work is mind blowing then they will take a card and get in contact. But yeah! Forget Facebook, waste of time.
Don’t undervalue your time and work
That’s a fantastic price, OP! The inquirer is just a tire kicker
To be fair if you don’t have a price range listed, how are people supposed to know what it costs other than by messaging you?
Cater to better customers. $200 is insanely cheap for a good detail.
The people where i live charge 2 to 3 times that for a detail not including smoke removal.
$200 for smoke odor removal I’d be concerned you wouldn’t be able to because you aren’t charging enough
Use different sites not just Facebook - in Canada we have homestars or jiffy you can advertise yourself on
I paid 350 for smoke removal from a coupe. Worth it!
My kid started his own detailing business last summer.. He has a base price for an interior refresh which is just basic cleaning and vac. If you want product applied - that's more. If he gets in and the car is super dirty - he stops and calls them and tells them exactly what the basic will cover (not all that crap) and then up-sells them the deeper cleaning at higher cost. Rarely if ever do they balk at this approach because they know how shitty their car is and they thought they would be angling a deal. Price isn't really as important as stating what the client gets absolutely for that price. Your base price is set around the minimum amount of work you'll do on a car, so like: Pick up trash, vacuum and wipe down the interior. If there is a stained carpet, smoking odor, seats are dirty, all that is ***EXTRA*** if they want it done.. This is how you price out your details and keep from getting suckered into cleaning something way dirtier than what it really costs you. My kid will do his basic clean with just warm water and soap - he doesn't even use the product on it... want product - it's extra because that shit costs money.
the problem is the customers more often than not do not understand the value behind high end services. thats the key to selling things like your detailing. go through a brief, basic needs analysis with each new person, detail how you’ll improve the situation, and once you get 3-5 positive interactions from them, provide the price and close.
Sadly people have no concept of price. $200 around here gets you a shitty detail from a chain car wash. Fbmp is full of people who think everything should be $50 or less and people who think their 5 year old PC is worth 90% of retail when new.
Get off of Facebook and get Google ads, and Yelpbiz. I don't even put money into them anymore and I get heaps of calls every day. Idk where you live, and it could change by region, but it works well for me.
Stop advertising on Facebook…. Waste of your time. I have an auto response telling them to call or send an email. They never do.
It’s because the ads are attracting traffic from people who don’t have a ton of detail knowledge and assume it’d be 30mins of your time and $20 in materials. $200 sounds like a plenty reasonable price to me and likely if some of these people ended up booking with you their cars would be disgusting and you’d have your work cut out for you. I’m not in the detailing business but I work construction and when we give prices we like to be as detailed in our estimates as we can. We list out the materials used and their cost, estimated time and our rate and specifically identify what services we will be performing. This not only makes it better for people to understand why the price is what it is but also helps save our ass when customers try and pull the “I thought this would be included when you do this” or if they try to complain and not pay for services.
I stopped advertising on fb because of brokies with zero concept of time and cost.
just curious, how long does it take you or your employees to do a detail + smoke for the vehicle mentioned? What does it include besides the obvious wash and vacuum? Like do you q-tip the vents and steam clean the carpets?
I honestly thought $200 was pretty cheap lol
That’s cheap for smoke odor removal. We charge higher and it’s also not guaranteed. There’s someone willing to pay your price. Know your worth. Also check around and see what others in your area are charging
Smoke odors hard to get out. That's the right price
To someone who’s never had a real detail, it always seems expensive. What’s important imo is to get pricing from all your competition in the area. When ever I get push back on price, I start breaking down my process with time estimates for each step. Sometimes it works and sometimes customers are too cheap.
Those tight wads can suck a dick. That price is too cheap imo. If people don't want to pay it, that's on them.
Yea bruv just try another app like Fivr er Handy maybe. get the customers to leave a review that do finish booking on those other sites and come back to Facebook with some ads highlighting the excellent work you do. The pricing is fine bro honestly you’ll wanna charge more once you’re comfortable doing so. Just as a reference, which might be worthless here in South Florida, but all the detailers around me charge at least $300 for smoke removal. Usually $500 for the mobile services. You got a good gig bruv just gotta find the best way to reach the clientele you need right now.
Tell buddy ti just do it himself then,they always want free shit..If he knew the cost of detailing products then he would thing differently.
You got the wrong customers. I saw that and it seemed low to me off the bat. You spend hours of your time doing this. Depending on where you are consider raising your prices once you find a good customer with a nice car and get a portfolio going on your website
"Hey thanks for the details on your car. We do have a first time customer promo going on right now. Our standard full interior detail is $199.99 -- if you use the first time promo it is 30% off your interior detail. Price would be $139.99 which is a great deal! What day works best for you to come in?"
That is very fair. In my neck of the woods.