imatt27

You'll need to increase your offer, that’s on the low from what I’ve heard haha!

Yeah I think the green untamed is a little more rare! But thanks again! I’ll post pics when I get it. 
 
Thank you! But it’s not my engagement lol it was the couple who did the raffle. I’m already married ?

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

Congratulations!

Does the value go up if they get divorced?
 
 If they call off the engagement do you have to return the gift?
 
 Don't forget to tip your waitress...

Yeah I think the green untamed is a little more rare! But thanks again! I’ll post pics when I get it. 
 
Thank you! But it’s not my engagement lol it was the couple who did the raffle. I’m already married ?

Very cool!  Congratulations on the bottle and  your engagement. 

Congrats again man, Im sooo jealous. I have a feeling that this could be the most limited bottle ever...? maybe second to the green untamed bottle. or even actually haha

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

Congrats on the addition to the collection, pretty rare one to have there. 

Congrats Matt!

@imatt27 Congratulations Matt!  1 of 3... that’s a really cool addition to your collection.

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

Heres mine! Little updated. I love this big husky work bench. Its so large and i really like the table top for like a work area too

I’m not sure if all of you saw the raffle that was posted on Instagram. But it was for a limited bottle for a couple who is getting married. Looks like 3 bottles were made and they raffled one of them off. I woke up this morning to find out I was chosen ? pretty excited because I never win anything lol 

Good info. I’ve been considering doing some detailing jobs on the weekends. But my fear is I’ll take to long on a job and end up working for free. 

Thanks.  I didn't think about the blower being non filtered as a lot of folks have said.  Maybe I'll just suck it up and buy the master blaster thing.  I love every part of detailing my vehicles except drying them for some reason!  Everything but drying is very therapeutic for me.

I just ordered one and although the air pressure is great it seems that using a leaf blower is better for getting the majority of the water off the car. The sidekick is better for all the small cracks since it’s more focused air. 

I just ordered one and although the air pressure is great it seems that using a leaf blower is better for getting the majority of the water off the car. The sidekick is better for all the small cracks since it’s more focused air. 

I have some time this morning before the day starts and last night @falcaineer expressed an interest in a write up on how we establish pricing. 
 
Pricing has a ton of variables to it. Your local market will have a large influence on how much you can charge for your service. But outside of that, it should also be a calculated number. 
 
Before we get too far into the numbers though, you have to decide if you’re just detailing for some cash on the side or detailing for business. Both involve taking dollars for a service, but one has far more flexibility to it. 
 
When simply detailing for some cash, it’s more of a friendly arrangement. Maybe you’re covering some product you ordered or used?  Maybe you want some beers for later?  Maybe you just want to help a friend?  If this is the case, it’s a straight equation. The cost of materials plus whatever you want to be compensated for your time. And there you have the simplest pricing structure. 
 
If you’re detailing for business, you are into a far more complex set of calculations. You have some overhead (or a lot). I work out of my personal garages, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have considerable expenses. We have equipment tha we’ve invested in (and expect a return on), electricity, labor, product, etc. 
 
One thing to consider is recurring costs. These are for maintenance items. Towels wear out, wash mitts, disposable towels for coatings, etc. We assume a certain amount of “waste” on every job we do. This covers consumable products...chemicals and such. We tried tracking product used each job and it’s a logistical nightmare full of estimations and errors. We just assume a set amount based on the job. We could share the numbers, but it’s a mute point since the number varies based on the job and what products you individually like to use. That’s part one of the calculation. 
 
Up next are your labor costs. How much do you want to get paid per hour?  Don’t think in terms of how much the business is making for this. It’s a straight hourly rate for yourself and anyone working for you. I know how much my guys cost me, and I know what I’d like to make. Keep in mind that the guys ALWAYS get paid...I don’t. I often choose to reinvest what I would get paid back in the business. If a job takes longer than anticipated, the guys still get paid their full rate for however many hours they work. It’s not variable and not optional.
 
You should have a good estimate for how long a job will take. Sometimes they’ll go quicker, sometimes longer. But I know we shoot for about three hours with two guys on a “one step” job. So the rate is calculated as (employee A + employee) x three. And there you have your labor costs. That’s part two. 
 
Next up is how much do you want the business itself to make?  The business alone is an interested party to all transactions. The business needs to retain earnings for growth, expansion and other overhead (product orders and such). You can calculate this as an hourly need or a percentage of each job. The two should be close either way. That’s part C. 
 
Now add up part A, B and C and you’ve arrived at the minimum required rate per hour to be viable. You will not always hit the rate. Accept that. Things will come up. And some jobs you’ll make more than the rate. It should average out over time and jobs. 
 
So now you do the math and realize that your hourly rate is too high and you’ll never get that in your area with your experience. What do you do?  How can you impact your numbers?
 
You can raise prices a little bit and see if you have resistance from clients. More importantly though you can do something that won’t impact your clients. Look at your purchasing and see if you can buy smarter. Buying in bulk usually offers discounts. Negotiate with your vendors for better pricing. This will lower your costs and give you more profit without impacting your clients. We still do this constantly without even looking to avoid a price increase. Better buying means more money for the business. As a business owner you owe it to yourself, your clients, employees and business to buy smart and maximize your profit dollars to ensure success. 
 
You should also also research what other detailers in your area are offering for services and pricing. We don’t let them dictate our pricing, but we do want to know so we can expand on what makes us different. Things like equipment, exclusive products, training, services, etc. 
 
We have an internal policy that we don’t get into pricing wars and drive the price of our service down. We offer a fair service at a fair price. If we let clients dictate our pricing, we give them total control and train them that they can tell us how much something costs without them knowing the background information. If we don’t value our time, who will?  
 
Which brings up the last point...there’s a difference between a customer and a client. A customer is someone passing through. They’ll use you one time and then they’re off into the sunset. They won’t promote your business for you and won’t maintain a long relationship. A client will sing your praises, recruit other customers and clients and constantly be a stream of revenue for your business. Customers and clients both have a place in your business model. 
 
And that’s the long-ish version of calculating pricing...

Ask and you shall receive...maybe tomorrow!  We will see how my day goes!

Between here and the Facebook group, I’ve seen some posts from users about wanting to start detailing for money. This got me thinking about the “pro” versus the “amateur” on a few levels.
 
One level is the results that can be achieved. Quite honestly, an amateur can achieve the same results as a pro. It may take them longer in most cases to achieve, but it’s certainly possible. 
 
The biggest reason for this time difference is usually knowledge of the process and the tools and resources available. An experienced detailer usually has seen enough situations to be able to visually determine a process. At the very least they can come close to what’s needed as an educated guess. That’s less time spent guessing and realizing what doesn’t work and more time getting to what does work. 
 
Another big difference is that the pro usually has more products at their disposal. If you look on my shelf, you’ll find multiple wheel cleaners, waxes, polishes, compounds, pads, etc. We don’t use them all on every job, but when we need them we have them in stock and ready to go. 
 
This brings us back to knowledge of the processes. The pro has usually established a routine and it’s been honed down considerably to be efficient. The efficiency comes from the repeated application of the process. We don’t just do this a few times a year. We do it frequently and we are often in search of the most effective ways. The more effective we are, the more money we make. If we waste time on steps, we waste money. Both in terms of the job itself, but also on the next job coming in. 
 
And the biggest difference between the pro and the amateur...tools and equipment. Our workspace is set up with a multitude of equipment that the majority simply doesn’t have access too. 
 
Off the top of my head we have:
 
- a lift 
- five polishers 
- steamer 
- hot water extractor 
- blower 
- air compressor 
- paint gauges 
- extensive lighting 
- multiple pads of differing types and sizes 
 
That’s just off the top of my head right now. So for every situation, we have a tool that helps make it that much easier. It doesn’t mean it can’t be done without them, but it’s a time/effort equation. 
 
So the amateur can achieve the same results. There’s rarely some deep, dark secret in the detailing world. It’s just patience and experience that separates us. And even at that, we can all learn from each other, pro and amateur alike!