The key to repeat business

Scottwax-



What you have written on this thread is nothing short of outstanding! I have just started on chp 7 of Trump University's Marketing 101, and what you have said falls perfectly in line with what I have been reading, except that here it is application-specific. I have already used part of those lessons on one customer, and let me say it works BRILLIANTLY! Got a $50 tip on a $192 job!
 
Customer got his new MB S-class and before I started detailing I showed to customer that all my products are new, even sponge was in plastic, towels where in clean box etc. Customer got the idea that I do give a grate value for detailing and his car will get the best treatment.



Result he called to his frend that he should drive his Jag next to MB -> detailing also for JAG -> after few days customer with Jaguar called that he has 6 other cars waiting for detailing :)
 
I dont know how many times its been said in here but 'word of mouth' is where your best and most profitable business will come from.....
 
playsuit said:
Customer got his new MB S-class and before I started detailing I showed to customer that all my products are new, even sponge was in plastic, towels where in clean box etc. Customer got the idea that I do give a great value for detailing and his car will get the best treatment.



Yes playsuit, it is clear to see that you take pride in your work.



I recently had a customer refer me to both his brother and his dad. When I detailed his dad's car I was surprised to find out that his son had told him that he knew I was good when he noticed that I was cleaning the exterior emblems with a small toothbrush.
 
I would like to add one more thing.

Always have a business card handy. A very catchy thing is, change the look of the cards from time to time that way they see changes and think it's in a positive direction.



I like to take basic photos of each car I do and when I don't hear from them in a while I'll send a postcard w/ a pic of their car on the front with a reminder.
 
christmas time is coming around and for weekly, or any customers that I have had for quite a bit of time, I like to send out some gift cards to a store that they like. Nothing like $100, just a $10 or $20 gift card, although may not be much for some clients, they do appreciate it VERY much. note not all clients get this...i would go broke, just the special ones.
 
One thing I would add is always leave a refridgerator magnet with your company name and phone #. Business cards are ok but they will get lost over time. You can do a fantastic job, but in 6 months most people will not remember you and or your company name, unless its sticking on there fridge. One of the easiest marketing tools you can use. Office depot sells magnets that fit a business card perfectly, simply peel off and stick on your business card. Real simple.
 
christyles said:
That's aweseom newagain. I'm working/learning that right now but only for Bimmers as that' what I'm familiar with. Oil changes, tire change/rotations.



I'm tired of looking for work every winter. :xyxthumbs





So, do you have insurance that covers you driving your customers cars...or do you just do it on the side?
 
Scottwax said:
I've found that just doing a little extra for them works better than a discount. Of course, that probably has a lot to do with the fact that much of my clientel is very high end and saving $5-10 really doesn't mean much to them. In a more middle income market, discounts would probably work very well.



I guess we all need to fine tune the basics based on who our customers are. :)



I agree scott but then you have that one guy. Most of my business is high-end clients and the small savings wouldn't mean much to them so I do the small extras for them but I have one guy who is tight to a point. He has been a customer of my girlfriend (housecleaning) for years and she mentioned to him about my new business(love that connection) and he called me that afternoon wondering if he could get me referrals would I do his for free. Being a good customer of my wifes(not to mention he allows us to use his beach house in North Carolina whenever we want) I told him for every fifteen full details he could get me I would do his for free. As of right now I own him one free one and he has a another 4 towards the next one and twelve of the 19 I have done are now either weekly or bi-weekly jobs. Best deal I ever made.
 
r_wain said:
Being a good customer of my wifes(not to mention he allows us to use his beach house in North Carolina whenever we want) I told him for every fifteen full details he could get me I would do his for free. As of right now I own him one free one and he has a another 4 towards the next one and twelve of the 19 I have done are now either weekly or bi-weekly jobs. Best deal I ever made.



Sounds like it could be a good time to think about giving him a free detailing for every ten referrals instead of fifteen. He has really helped you build your client base and has shown that he deserves to be rewarded with a token of your appreciation.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Sounds like it could be a good time to think about giving him a free detailing for every ten referrals instead of fifteen. He has really helped you build your client base and has shown that he deserves to be rewarded with a token of your appreciation.



I offered to lower it because he is a very good friend of ours...I mean we have dinner with him and his wife once a week, but enjoys finding them. He is a retired car dealership owner and his passion is cars, so he told me to talk to people about cars all day is fun for him. He also know that I appreciate his help and if he ever needed it done anytime he know I will @ no charge. Who I am to ruin a mans fun?
 
Very well put Scott,



Within our first location and within our early efforts a new client would cost us in the area of $45.00 to located. That number alone looks affordable but multiply that number by 100 or even 200 and wow...the cost our huge!



We desire to gain three new clients from one existing client. With this approach our cost for a new client is in the area of $5.00 each...a far cry from our early efforts that returned less results!



Great post!



Scottwax said:
You have to find a way to get your customer to believe they cannot get by without your services. No duh, right? How do you go about it though?



Share what you do to keep your customers not only coming back, year after year, but also bragging to their friends about you.



This is how I try to do it:



1. Show up on time, or call if running late. Customers do understand if a previous appointment or traffic has you behind, they do not understand if you can't be bothered to let them know.



2. Ask specific questions about the customer's expectations. Do they have any areas of their vehicle that really concern them? Are they primarily interested in a durable finish or one that blows them away? Paying attention to what the customer wants then exceeding it makes them very happy. I have one customer whose main concern is clean windows. I make sure everything else looks topnotch but I really do over his windows well because it doesn't matter how nice his fenderwells look if there are streaks in his windshield.



3. Get to know your customer's personally. Spend some time just talking to them. Learn their spouse's/kid's names. Pet their dog. Mention the local sports teams, etc.



4. Keep track of your customer's last details/wax jobs. Let them know a couple weeks in advance it is time for another wax/detail. If the current wax job is holding up well, let them know that and it would be okay to go another few weeks before rewaxing. Not only are you being honest, but you are putting their interests before yours. Maybe you won't get the extra $40-75 above the wash job for waxing that week but the customer will appreciate you being straight with them. It will pay off in the long run. If your customers trust you, they will continue to use your services and not hesitate to pass your name along.



5. Try to top yourself with every detail. Always try to improve. Stay on top of the latest products and techniques. Develop a good relationship with your vendors because they will then be more likely to give you a heads up when something new is coming out that will make your job easier and your details better.



6. Every once in a while, do something extra for your regulars. Not something that takes an hour to do but maybe clean the floor mats or apply a spray wax after a stretch of rainy weather. Just a little something extra occasionally as a thank-you for their continuing business.



I got a very nice phone call today. A customer's wife just bought her father-in-law's 99 Navigator and she said as soon as she got into it, she thought of calling me. Not that it was filthy or anything but she wanted it clean and properly waxed to start off with. :)
 
I offer a late night drop off. As long as they get it to me by 8PM, it will be stting there for them to pick up in the morning. I charge an extra fee and it makes for some long nites but it has done wonders for getting my business started. I called my company "My Personal Auto Detailer". Customers really feel like they have there own personal detailer. I will also pack up my stuff and come to them (not something I enjoy doing but I feel that every little bit extra I do helps. Two months into having this company I gave this gentleman my card and he asked me to come over and do one of his cars. Little did I know HE HAD 65 Cars!!! 45 of them parked in his two story garage. I now do them all. Also I offer 10% discount for multi-cars.



When starting out don't be afraid to go the extra mile. Once established then you can come up with your rules.
 
Treat people the way you'd like to be treated and know that the surest way to lower yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid. Gimmicks never work long. Consistency and friendliness are the keys to repeat business.
 
ScubaStevo said:
The thing is with repeat customers:



-When you get their car spotless, many expect them to stay that way for the next 10 years, and when they start to looking bad again after a couple months, they get upset, and call you a cheat.

-What can you do when something like happens, as sometimes they like to open their mouths and start making false aqusations.

EDUCATE!!!!!!!!!! YOUR CUSTOMERS!!! It is our duty as PROFESSIONAL detailers, to explain to the consumer the process in which we plain to execute either for total paint decontamination or removal of seating to gain total access of interior. WE do a in-depth consultation with our customers and a print (out) of what was discuss, and what services are expected for the customer knowledge and our protection.
 
fergnation said:
I offer a late night drop off. As long as they get it to me by 8PM, it will be stting there for them to pick up in the morning. I charge an extra fee and it makes for some long nites but it has done wonders for getting my business started. I called my company "My Personal Auto Detailer". Customers really feel like they have there own personal detailer. I will also pack up my stuff and come to them (not something I enjoy doing but I feel that every little bit extra I do helps. Two months into having this company I gave this gentleman my card and he asked me to come over and do one of his cars. Little did I know HE HAD 65 Cars!!! 45 of them parked in his two story garage. I now do them all. Also I offer 10% discount for multi-cars.



When starting out don't be afraid to go the extra mile. Once established then you can come up with your rules.

whoa! man, that guy himself will give you enough business to keep you busy!



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man, i LOVE this thread! i got so much new info to get my business really up and going... im going to start a notebook of my clients,their car(s),when i detail them, and which detail package they choose.



another way to get repeated business is in this case. i have a client who has had me do 2 of his cars (his Durango and his wife's 528i). The day after i detailed his Durango he called me after school to tell me how great of a job i did and how he thought it was time to do a wash/wax job on his wife's 528i again in the near future. it has been a week and a half since then and no phone call yet. i am off of school all next week due to mardi gras and will have lots of free time on my hands. one of the reasons people get others to do their cars for them at their locations is because they are too busy with their work and family matters to remember to do little things like maintaining their cars. since he said he would like me to do his wife's car, i think it is appropriate when i have free to time to "remind" him. i give him a quick and informative call telling him that i remember him asking about a detail on his wife's car and that i can schedule him in this time and that time. he agrees, he is happy with the detail and that the job is done, you get paid :spot



also, i was reading the thread and came along about putting ur business name on business cards, Pens, calendars, ect. and leaving them in your clients cupholder or somewhere they find it. I already do this with my clients; i leave a business card in the cupholder so it is easy for them to contact me again when they need my services. i was wondering where i could order some pens or little trash bags to hang on the steering column that has my name on them. i think this will be another good way of advertisement the next time they need a pen or to throw trash away, it reminds them.



just MY .02 cents
 
I think a universal understanding to selling the services rendered would be a great idea, if everyone nationwide was on the same page it would make this business much more profitable, I have spent a considerable amount of time on the concept and structure.



There are going to be issues and many uncommon denominators but for the most part, I think many pro's could benefit from technique training that breaks well through sales, I think we should have some sort of virtual classroom where we can drum up ideas visually and verbally. There are so many open doors for detailers that they probably miss on a daily basis, I know I use to, and probably still do, but to get the most out of each and every client while offering legitimate services should be the goal. I am in the works of writing a piece and will post when I'm done. No I am not a writer or think I am worthy of publishing anything, but I do think it may help the mindset of a lot of guys on the forum.
 
I've been writing a pretty involved piece on how to sell the sizzle in this industry, many of the topics are no brainers to many of you most likely, but I think it might help some of you make more money, I'm no aspiring writer but I think it can help. I've spent hundreds of hours on it and it should help.



I will post one section at a time on this post as it's prepared and I hope someone can take anything from it and use it to their advantage.
 
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