Fierce5 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Yes, like the title said I suggest that Adam starts a detailing academy in his own warehouse. The idea came to me when I decided to detail for some extra cash on my days off. While researching I found that it's better to be certified from a detailing school or academy (and insured), it boosts confidence in the detailer, so why not Adam. The program can cover a host of topic like: Two bucket car wash system Machine polishing using the Flex and the PC (With more concentration on the Flex since the course will be intended for people who wanna be professional detailers) Wet sanding Tire and wheel cleaner (How to remove hard and sticky brake dust without scratching the rims) Metal polishing the right way, etc.... The main difference between this program and a detail clinic is the one on one time and the course should be designed for people who are looking to be professional and detail for money, all students must pass bunch of tests in which they will be required to, let's say, remove a nasty scratch or restore a finish or to complete a wet sanding with absolute success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Adam's Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 While I get where you're coming from Gabriel, we're not a company targeted at people who detail professionally... we're an enthusiast line where user experience, product satisfaction, and customer service/eductation are the biggest part of our line. Thats not to say people don't use our products in that capacity, but its not where we are focused. In a 'detail for dollars' focus its more about lowering overhead, buying in bulk, and turnover, premium quality doesn't so much take precedence as utility does. While theres nothing wrong with that, its just not us. Plus, there are a number of companies offering 'certification' via a class, theres no real criteria. If you can afford to pay you can be 'certified'. In the end a certification is only as good as the standards behind it, when there are none certs don't mean much. Even if we were to test people and require performance for completion the fact the market is full of systems where there are no requirements the certification wouldn't mean much. Pay the fee, take the course, buy a bunch of whoevers product is behind the 'class' and instantly your 'certified'. Does it make you a good detailer? Absolutely not. Means you had enough to cover the fees and a free weekend. If you're serious about starting a legit detailing business a certification isn't all that important. Reputation and quality of work speak for themselves.... all of the very best detailers I know haven't been 'certified' by anyone, yet they do amazing work while there are plenty of guys who took a course out there and I wouldn't let them near my cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric@thompsonracing.us Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I do agree with Gabe. There is a lot of potential to increase people's knowledge and skill of car care on a more proper method than forums and the internet. Right now we all go on the internet and either learn from the forums and the internet. I am more a hands-on learner and like to practice what I've learned. I was talking to Adam last year about a school for dealers. Looks like that's a reality now. Maybe it was already in the works, but maybe it took some nudging to finalize. Detail Clinics are a fantastic way to learn up-close, first hand. Organizing a clinic tends to be a lot of work and difficult to get a good amount of people in one place at one time. I had started a post in the NE region about holding a weekly detail session. There was some feedback, but not enough to start one. Gabe, if you can get enough people together, we can hold a weekly training session at our shop. I will be glad to host it and will have all my products available for use. We could cover a certain topic every week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 The way I look at it is that the Adam's Academy, while uses better products and more consumer oriented, can raise the quality of work done by treating every "customer's car" as the detailer's own car, by using great products and great technique (whose better than Adam & Junkman when it comes to technique ) In other words, teaching a future detailer how to get it perfectly right and charge a premium to do so. A lot of people appreciate a good detailing job and these are the people that would use an Adam's Detailing Academy "graduate" to get the job done. As a guy with a business degree and a passion for business in general, I believe that this is a great idea that will also help boost the sale and reputation of Adam's products. I definitely dont mean to interfer in Adams business but this is just my 2 cents. Eric, If we have enough interest Id love to have a clinic every week and cover different topics every week, that will be perfect actually if it can be done. Ill personally work on it and see if something can be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric@thompsonracing.us Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9913 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric@thompsonracing.us Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 And don't forget, you're always welcome to stop by our shop at night and test/demo any products or run a technique by me. You can text me anytime if you need help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 And don't forget, you're always welcome to stop by our shop at night and test/demo any products or run a technique by me. You can text me anytime if you need help. Thank you for the invite Eric, Im definitely interested and I was thinking maybe Saturdays night (if you are open) this way people can make a weekend out of it like a clinic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman2008 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 While I get where you're coming from Gabriel, we're not a company targeted at people who detail professionally... we're an enthusiast line where user experience, product satisfaction, and customer service/eductation are the biggest part of our line. Thats not to say people don't use our products in that capacity, but its not where we are focused. In a 'detail for dollars' focus its more about lowering overhead, buying in bulk, and turnover, premium quality doesn't so much take precedence as utility does. While theres nothing wrong with that, its just not us. Plus, there are a number of companies offering 'certification' via a class, theres no real criteria. If you can afford to pay you can be 'certified'. In the end a certification is only as good as the standards behind it, when there are none certs don't mean much. Even if we were to test people and require performance for completion the fact the market is full of systems where there are no requirements the certification wouldn't mean much. Pay the fee, take the course, buy a bunch of whoevers product is behind the 'class' and instantly your 'certified'. Does it make you a good detailer? Absolutely not. Means you had enough to cover the fees and a free weekend. If you're serious about starting a legit detailing business a certification isn't all that important. Reputation and quality of work speak for themselves.... all of the very best detailers I know haven't been 'certified' by anyone, yet they do amazing work while there are plenty of guys who took a course out there and I wouldn't let them near my cars. Very good post. Dylan makes some solid points here. Certs a detailer do not make. A good example is in the very field that I am in, Information Technology. I paid nearly $6000 to get my Microsoft Certified System Engineer + Internet certification. In 11 years, I have yet to have ONE customer ask to see it, and the certification must be updated as Microsoft comes out with new operating systems. As you know, Microsoft is always coming out with a new version of Windows and as they do, you must be re-certified. Doing the math, you can easily see how expensive this can be. The one question that I have been asked by a lot of folks is, "Can you fix it?" When it comes down to it, that's the main care of your customer. Be it IT or detailing cars, if you can fix it then the customer could care less about what your certification is. That's speaking from experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAYBEN Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hey AJ, can I see your certification? I wanna make sure you are legit.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 We are all certified...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odds and Ends Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I prefer to let my work speak for itself. Practically all of my service business is word of mouth and customer referrals. Many of the cars I handle and customers I deal with will only trust certain individuals with their cars and I'm proud to be one of them. Having a bunch of framed documents on my wall wouldn't make a bit of difference to these types of people. You can either do it and you're good at it, or you can't and you shouldn't say you can. On a side note, I always try to maintain my own cars to the best of my ability both mechanically and cosmetically and I can honestly say, I treat customer cars as if they were my own. Many people will say that, but will they let you see their cars? My cars live at my shop and are on display when customers are there and for those who have never met me, they see the cars and start asking questions. Then I tell them that those are my personally owned vehicles and they perk right up. I hope that when they see that I maintain my own cars to a high caliber, they feel comfortable allowing me to paw all over their prized possession. - Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Very interesting idea! We will discuss more, and stay tuned.... A few questions, if we were to certify with a week-long class, how much would that be worth? Next, should we certify, maybe once a year on the East Coast, once at our warehouse in Colorado, then once in CA? Very interesting indeed, and thanks for bringing up the idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Dee Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Very interesting idea! We will discuss more, and stay tuned.... A few questions, if we were to certify with a week-long class, how much would that be worth? Next, should we certify, maybe once a year on the East Coast, once at our warehouse in Colorado, then once in CA? Very interesting indeed, and thanks for bringing up the idea! Hi Adam, here in NC it is $130 at Wake Community College for just the exterior class in automotive technology. The interior class and engine detailing was separate. They were talking about combining the engine and interior for one price-about 30 hours for under 150. If you count all the gas driving there and back-it would be worth 300-500 dollars, depending on how many hours involved -in my opinion-to be certified. I did receive a certificate thru Wake but did not do the internship since.I am not.looking for job. Some would pay about 500 to do the whole thing here. Your products are superior to what we used-i started bringing yours to class and gave away some DS since I have that 5 gallon jug...lol Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc2hill Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 A company local to me is charging $100 for an 8 hour "101" class on polishing basics and $150 for an 8 hour class "201" class that includes using a rotary and wet-sanding. They are taught by someone Adam knows and who is well known in the detailing business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I prefer to let my work speak for itself. Practically all of my service business is word of mouth and customer referrals. Many of the cars I handle and customers I deal with will only trust certain individuals with their cars and I'm proud to be one of them. Having a bunch of framed documents on my wall wouldn't make a bit of difference to these types of people. You can either do it and you're good at it, or you can't and you shouldn't say you can. On a side note, I always try to maintain my own cars to the best of my ability both mechanically and cosmetically and I can honestly say, I treat customer cars as if they were my own. Many people will say that, but will they let you see their cars? My cars live at my shop and are on display when customers are there and for those who have never met me, they see the cars and start asking questions. Then I tell them that those are my personally owned vehicles and they perk right up. I hope that when they see that I maintain my own cars to a high caliber, they feel comfortable allowing me to paw all over their prized possession. - Darryl Very good post. Dylan makes some solid points here. Certs a detailer do not make. A good example is in the very field that I am in, Information Technology. I paid nearly $6000 to get my Microsoft Certified System Engineer + Internet certification. In 11 years, I have yet to have ONE customer ask to see it, and the certification must be updated as Microsoft comes out with new operating systems. As you know, Microsoft is always coming out with a new version of Windows and as they do, you must be re-certified. Doing the math, you can easily see how expensive this can be. The one question that I have been asked by a lot of folks is, "Can you fix it?" When it comes down to it, that's the main care of your customer. Be it IT or detailing cars, if you can fix it then the customer could care less about what your certification is. That's speaking from experience. While I understand where you guys are coming from, that a certification does not guarantee a good job, but my main point from the Academy and the certification is the education that you will receive to get that certification. I love detailing clinics, I went to two of them so far and they're great, fun, educational and entertaining but to me it's like going to watch a tennis game at the court (I play tennis), it's fun and entertaining but not educational as much. You will never learn by just watching, you need to hold the racquet and start striking and hitting so you can improve your swing and while you can do that by yourself, if you are looking to be near professional or professional, it's always better to have a trainer showing you the fundmentals, how to do it right and correcting you when you make something wrong and showing you why you did it wrong! The clinics and the forum are a great way to pick up techniques and tips and learn if you are just an enthusiast who plan on detailing their personal vehicle(s) on the weekend, but if you decide to do this as a part time gig, I believe you will need a solid foundation. An example of a subject that cant be learned just by reading the forum or watching the video (for me at least) is wetsanding. Wetsanding requires precision and experience to do it without ruining the paint. If you wanna work on peoples cars, especially for money, you need to master those skills and while some of you may suggest to go to a junkyard and buy a jacked up hood and practice on it, I find it better to learn from someone who knows how to do it and then practice on a jacked up hood. Again, this is my two cents, and my entrepreneurial side (I started my own business when I was 23 but for family reasons I had to give it up). I believe it will be a great idea and it will attract a lot of people that are actually in need for this, and it will attract a lot of people to the products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Very interesting idea! We will discuss more, and stay tuned.... A few questions, if we were to certify with a week-long class, how much would that be worth? Next, should we certify, maybe once a year on the East Coast, once at our warehouse in Colorado, then once in CA? Very interesting indeed, and thanks for bringing up the idea! Im tuned already! Im with the certification from multiple locations. You're welcome, I have a lot more ideas that can go along with this. I wish I can make it to Colorado sometime soon, visit the headquarter and meet you in person and talk some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Jkel Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Not so much into the Cert Thing but I understand where people are coming from, especially people like US. It is nice to have someone there in a class room type setting saying "Nope, that is all wrong" " Too fast, Too Slow, Too much Polish, Pushing way too hard etc..." as some people are more practical app than others are. I guess like having a Junkman at home if ya will to bop you up side the head when you were doing it wrong, LOL. Seriously, people like to learn even if for no other reason but for personal gain and knowledge. For all those that are really experienced and learned on your own just imagine if you would have had someone there to help guide you from making so many mistakes, just think how much money, time and effort you would have saved. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Not so much into the Cert Thing but I understand where people are coming from, especially people like US. It is nice to have someone there in a class room type setting saying "Nope, that is all wrong" " Too fast, Too Slow, Too much Polish, Pushing way too hard etc..." as some people are more practical app than others are. I guess like having a Junkman at home if ya will to bop you up side the head when you were doing it wrong, LOL. Seriously, people like to learn even if for no other reason but for personal gain and knowledge. For all those that are really experienced and learned on your own just imagine if you would have had someone there to help guide you from making so many mistakes, just think how much money, time and effort you would have saved. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric@thompsonracing.us Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 It seems the consensus is the Cert. doesn't carry any weight. At one point, there was no cert in any other industry. Adam should set the standard for all others to follow. It takes a lot more work to be the first, but to be able to put your name behind it for the test of time is worth it. I know there are only a few places you can go to get your chassis NHRA certified. That holds a lot of prestige for the shops who carry the badge. If everyone else in the industry had to go to Adam to get certified, there'd be something to say about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman2008 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 ... I love detailing clinics, I went to two of them so far and they're great, fun, educational and entertaining but to me it's like going to watch a tennis game at the court (I play tennis), it's fun and entertaining but not educational as much. You will never learn by just watching, you need to hold the racquet and start striking and hitting so you can improve your swing and while you can do that by yourself, if you are looking to be near professional or professional, it's always better to have a trainer showing you the fundmentals, how to do it right and correcting you when you make something wrong and showing you why you did it wrong! The clinics and the forum are a great way to pick up techniques and tips and learn if you are just an enthusiast who plan on detailing their personal vehicle(s) on the weekend, but if you decide to do this as a part time gig, I believe you will need a solid foundation. I can agree with you 100% here, but who or what company is enough of an authority to say that their certification should be respected by the industry? I would think that other individuals and companies would ask the question, "Who died and made company X Caesar?" I totally agree with the hands on class, just leave the certification part out of it unless the certification is something that we can use with the Adam's family. Let's say that those who get certified are authorized to put on detailing clinics for Adam's. Then other companies will have nothing to say and the cert will hold weight with the company who's products you are using. The learning format that you mention is very good but the cert thing will be worthless outside of the Adam's family. I like the Meguiar's professional line of products but if a guy came up to me and said that he was a certified detailer by Meguiar's, my answer would be, "That's nice." I'd expect a Meguiar's fan who didn't have a clue who I was to same the same thing if I told him that I was certified by Adam's. See what I mean? Not so much into the Cert Thing but I understand where people are coming from, especially people like US. It is nice to have someone there in a class room type setting saying "Nope, that is all wrong" " Too fast, Too Slow, Too much Polish, Pushing way too hard etc..." as some people are more practical app than others are. I guess like having a Junkman at home if ya will to bop you up side the head when you were doing it wrong, LOL. Seriously, people like to learn even if for no other reason but for personal gain and knowledge. For all those that are really experienced and learned on your own just imagine if you would have had someone there to help guide you from making so many mistakes, just think how much money, time and effort you would have saved. JMHO I find that beating and screaming at people when teaching them this stuff speeds up the learning process. You've been to one of my clinics, huh john? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odds and Ends Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 It seems the consensus is the Cert. doesn't carry any weight. At one point, there was no cert in any other industry. Adam should set the standard for all others to follow. It takes a lot more work to be the first, but to be able to put your name behind it for the test of time is worth it. I know there are only a few places you can go to get your chassis NHRA certified. That holds a lot of prestige for the shops who carry the badge. If everyone else in the industry had to go to Adam to get certified, there'd be something to say about it! Eric, that makes a lot of sense and in an ideal world, you're correct. As with NHRA, there needs to be a governing body that creates and dictates the rules that all others must follow. "Detailing" is one of those industries where there are some surefire basic guidelines to polishing out a scratch but when it comes right down to it, there are multiple different ways to achieve the same goal, so it may be very difficult to develop a set of standards without creating a rift in the community bigger than there already is due to so many manufacturers of chemicals and products touting "ours is the best". I think one of the other major points to the OP is how many customers will even know what certs to look for when seeking out a local guy to rub a bunch of goo on their car without screwing it up. Most people know to look for the little blue ASE sign at their mechanics shop, but I know some certified ASE mechanics that I wouldn't let anywhere near any of my cars! This post along with my previous one in this thread makes it obvious which side of the argument that I'm on, but get this....if there were such a thing where Adam's (or any other brand for that matter) offered specific training on their specific line of products, I'd most likely participate as it only gives me more street credibility when talking about the products. - Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 ....if there were such a thing where Adam's (or any other brand for that matter) offered specific training on their specific line of products, I'd most likely participate as it only gives me more street credibility when talking about the products. - Darryl Exactly , thats one of the main point, my other main point is the educatio you will get from the certification or the course/class, whatever you wanna call it. Maybe you dont need the class since you are a successful detailer and you know what you are doing but they are other people that would like to reach the point where you are and that will happen through training and certification/education Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill-V8V Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I still say the best teacher is experience :rockon: Not that I wouldn't be interested in a 1 or 2 day class, the more tips and tricks you can learn the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce5 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Not that I wouldn't be interested in a 1 or 2 day class, the more tips and tricks you can learn the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musclejunkie Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I personally think the cert idea stinks. I'd rather put more time, energy and $$$$ toward Adam's videos and Junkman presentations. Also, it's more bang for the buck. Does Adam's want to sell more product or cert more detailers? I think the answer is obvious. Also, I really dig the clinics such as Grabiak and Thompson Racing has. It's a great place to learn and meet other forumites. That said, when is the next one going to happen in Michigan? Sorry, I just think the cert idea is for cork sniffers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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