Marketing

I'm starting up a mobile detailing company in march... I wanted to start advertising now.. I was looking to get some advice on the type of marketing I can try for a new company.

Also I was wondering what some of you other mobile guys do aside from just private details... I've heard of people holding "wash days" at local businesses... Anybody had success with this kind of stuff??

What about insurance? Do i need it? Where can I Get it??

Thanks
Alan



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2007 07:53PM by aga5024.

Alan:
Yes, you'll need insurance. Use the SEARCH function to see old posts on this subject. Insurance could cost you around 2K/yr.

Some of the marketing ideas brought up here in the past included :
* Doing six jobs for free to start the referral process.
* Sending press releases to local newspapers.
* Having your vehicles lettered and decorated professionally.
* Passing out business cards and asking for referrals from doormen, garages, parts shops, speed shops, employees of assisted living communities, car club officials, used car dealers, car salesmen etc.
* Advertising in car trader and truck trader type publications that you can detail a car for sale to make it sell faster and for more money, that the " buyer pays for the detail " if the car sells for hundreds more than it would without the detail.
* Hanging around car washes and asking customers about their cars' needs.
* Contracting with a car wash to do express detailing for them.
* Visiting real estate offices and leaving literature in all of the salesmens' mail trays ( You can ask to give a short talk at their next sales meeting on keeping their cars looking and smelling good for their clients. An agent's car is his office.
* Displaying a car with one-half detailed, at a car show ( Bud's idea ).
* Joining the local Chamber of Commerce, the PDTA etc.
You'll need a nice business card and a broshure ( one forum member used a software package called Print Shop to make his own broshures on his home computer ) in the same color scheme. Cabela's has a line of personalized work clothes, which you can find on the Web. Compile an email list of contacts and customers.
Bud has repeatedly cautioned against low pricing and emphasizing price. Push your quality, safety, convenience and the benefits the customer will get from a spiffy car. There are plenty of people who want a detail if it only costs $30 but such people are not to be confused with actual CUSTOMERS.
Doug



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2007 10:29PM by Doug Delmont.

Aga:

Have you developed a Marketing Plan? Without a marketing plan any advertising you do will be wasted.

The Marketing Plan is your way of bringing your service to the market. Of course, that is, the right Market.

Your marketing plan answers these questions:

a. What are you selling? Not just detailing, it is more complex than that. For the customer selling their car you are selling the ability to sell the car for more money. For the customer who has leased the car or paid $25,000 and will drive it for 7 years you are selling "protection of investment." For the rich guy with a Porche or BMW, etc you are selling "ego." You see, you need to know what you are selling and to whom.

b. Who will buy your service?

c. Where are they?

d. How do you reach them? The media to use to tell them about your services.

e. What do you say? You see from "a" that not all people will respond to the same message. You could have the right market, the right media and the wrong message. Or you could have the right market; wrong media and right message. You could have the wrong market, right media and right message.

So, you cannot just try to do what others have done unless you know who they were targeting in the first place. And, maybe what they did was not all that successful.

Do your marketing homework before spending any money on advertising. And, do not sell your service by offering discounts. The best customers are not looking for discounts, they are looking for quality service, convenient service, dependability, someone they can trust and reasonable price. NOT DISCOUNTS. If you customers want discounts and argue with you about price you GOT THE WRONG CUSTOMERS.

That is what dealers do. Do you want to have retail customers like dealers? No, so do not sell your services on price. The right customers are not looking for price.

Regards
Bud Abraham
DETAIL PLUS SYSTEMS
www.detailplus.com
buda@detailplus.com

Alan-
Some forms of advertising are free or nearly free. If these fail to bear fruit, you have lost little or nothing by trying them. These include posting flyers on bulletin boards around town, phoning all of your friends and relatives to tell them about your new business, press releases ( pre-fab news stories you give to local newspapers ). Press releases can be a simple one-page double-spaced story accompanied by a photo of you or your rig.
Business cards are cheap and some sales trainers advocate passing them out willy-nilly.
For detailing businesses, coupon discounts may be viewed by the customer as phony savings off of an inflated list price. It is more effective to offer a " FREE paint evaluation and no-obligation estimate " . It is important for the customer to know that he is not paying more for your service than anyone else is. Discount talk creates the suspicion that nice guys get charged more than coupon clippers and negotiators.
You can do market research by trying to find out where there is a demand for your service. That can mean asking people whether they ever have their cars detailed, whether they'd consider it, how happy they are with the local car wash etc.
Do not insult your competition. If someone says he can get it done cheaper elsewhere, simply ask if he believes that all detailers' work is equal . Assure him that you think he'll be happier with your work than anybody else's.
Doug

Doug's advise is a waste of time and effort. Do your marketing homework so you do not waste valuable time advertising to people who are not your customers. His is advise from someone who has not done his marketing homework and is a technician trying to be a businessman.

You have to do things right, just like detailing and marketing and advertising are skills that experts do.

Regards
Bud Abraham

"When it comes to marketing your new business, there is almost no wrong way, to get the word out. Just be aggressive. "

The above is a quote from ( drum roll ) Bud Abraham ! I found it in an article he wrote a few years ago. It is not taken out of context either.
Doug

"Be aggressive in your approach to marketing your new business. You'll need to use "guerrilla tactics" in the first few months. Get the word out any way you can. If a fixed location, have a grand opening with balloons and all the decorations you can manage. Offer a FREE hand wash to bring the right customers in, that is, those who will pay for a hand wash. Never miss an opportunity to leave a business card anywhere and everywhere. When dining out, leave one on your table at the restaurant, and leave a few more at the other tables. Send a press release to every newspaper and specialty magazine covering your business area. " -written by Bud Abraham in Autocare site-

The above is another quote from Bud's article on the Autocare site. Bud says I don't know what I'm talking about but here we have him saying something similar to what I said.
Doug

Doug

If you spent more time operating your detail business than on this forum you might make some money.

Do not take what I post out of context. Even doing guerilla marketing requires a plan.

That is proof you have no idea what you are talking about.

We all know that, anyone who advocates buying chemicals from the Dollar Store.

Regards
Bud A

Thanks for your responses.. I guess the main point is to focus on quality not price..

I had another question too... I'm starting to buy all of my equipment now, and I dont really understand how you get the water from your water tank to the pressure washer...

Do i need a pump? How does that work?

Absolutely, you must have a pump to insure you can feed the pressure washer pump fast enough. Gravity will not deliver enough water to the pump. It is not an expensive item, however.

If you need other detail equipment check out www.detailplus.com

Regards
Bud Abraham

PS: Remember price is only an issue with customers if you make it an issue. People who buy detailing services are not typically price conscious. Those who are price conscious either do the detailing themselves or do not do it at all.

Don't go after the price conscious customers go after those who value the service, have the money and do not want to do it themselves.

But remember, you have to create value for your service. If you want to charge top dollar you have to insure the customer believes your service is worth as much as you are asking.

Bud-
You know full well that I did not take anything you said out of context. You contradicted yourself and that's that. I try hard to be fair and resent it when I'm accused of taking a cheap shot, such as quoting someone out of context.

It should be obvious that the marketing and advertising ideas I listed can be tailored to specific markets and made part of a marketing plan. I should not have to spell that out. Some of the ideas are so low in cost that one can use them before doing exhaustive planning. As sales trainer, Hank Trisler said, " Doing things is more important than doing things RIGHT. " In other words, even doing something the wrong way can make you money. Doing nothing can't.
Also, there is no way of knowing where your target customer may turn up ; a BMW owner may see your cards on the counter of a corner book store, for all you know.
Alas, we're back to that dollar store routine, which is pretty old and irrelevant. I bet my buying Zaino and Griot's upsets you even more !

Alan- Some members have cautioned against buying a cheap pressure washer because connections start leaking early, etc. For more info, do some googling and visit sites like Bud's, Rightlook's , Topoftheline.com , and Daimer ( they sell both steam and pressure washers ) Use the search function on this site too. Good luck.
Doug

Alan-
If you are involved with a local sports team, you can look into sponsoring it and supplying T-shirts advertising your business. This is reinforced by your actual involvement and personal contact with the families involved. Specialty advertising items such as key fobs and Sticky Notes from ad specialty companies keep your name in front of people and build good will. Printers can make up cards printed with sports schedules, a cheaper alternative to commercial specialty items. Such cards could include a directory of local radio stations or even instructions for handling auto emergencies and accidents. Those are some more marketing ideas to ponder while you identify your target customer, what you are selling, yadda yadda yadda.

And don't forget to look at L.A.'s Totally Awesome Carpet Stain Remover at the local dollar store ! (LOL)
Doug Delmont

Question from aga5024

I had another question too... I'm starting to buy all of my equipment now, and I dont really understand how you get the water from your water tank to the pressure washer...

Do i need a pump? How does that work?


Quote from bud,
"Absolutely, you must have a pump to insure you can feed the pressure washer pump fast enough. Gravity will not deliver enough water to the pump."

Absolutely wrong, i have been using a low gravity feed pressure washer for over 12 years now with no need for a pump.

aga5024, do a search and get more info .Get a good one like mine with ceramic coated piston plungers,stainless steel valves,brass pump head and an intergrated excess water return circuit. ps The good ones aren,t cheap(mine is a kranzel) but then i had mine for 12 years with no problems. good luck!

The following is an excerpt from an old post about marketing :


Re: Marketing Idea Need Your Input
Posted by: Keith Lindmeyer (IP Logged)
Date: June 28, 2003 05:02PM


<HTML>I started out canvassing body shops. Very few in my area at least, are interested in doing anything more to a customers car other than hosing it off. Some do however their own "interpretation" of detailing their customers cars. Many even asked me for a stack of my business cards to give to their customers when they ask about having their cars detailed.

Pro Mobile:

How many gallons per minute is your pressure washer?

Regards
Bud Abraham

On this thread, I have provided a compilation of marketing ideas from lots of members including myself. Bud responded by telling Alan that my advice is worthless. That is the kind of thing that has induced others to leave the forum. I myself left for a couple of years and the forum gradually stalled. Here's an old post excerpt from Wayne :

Re: Good bye to everyone...
Posted by: wayne (IP Logged)
Date: March 25, 2003 06:43PM


Thanks for the kind words, my friends

However, I think it is time either the salesman or myself goes out..., so I am walking away and believe it must be this way in order to keep peace on the forum. If I stay, Bud only seems to "attack" my suggestions or products I recommend using, (even though Bud never used any of those I had mentioned..., another Miss Cleo???)

Doug

You may be right that I was alittle harsh in my comnments about your advise.

Let me recant my comment that your advise was a waste of time and say that doing anything is a waste of time until you have done your marketing homework and know what you are trying to sell to whom and why they would buy.

Every marketing and advertising manual or book tells you that the worst kind of advertising is "shot-gun" which is what you are advising this man to do.

The point is that not everyone is a detail customer, in fact only about 20%, maybe 25% of the motorists in any market would buy a detail, and many of them have to be educated as to why.

A small one or two many business does not have time nor even small amounts of money to waste on shotgun approaches to marketing and advertising they need to maximize everything they do to be profitable and successful.

Personally, I think it is a waste of time to market and advertise in this way when taking a little time to figure how a more targeted approach.

Again, the questions that need to be answered before starting anything are:

a. What am I selling? It is not just detailing. It could be protection of investment; more money when selling the car; ego gratification, etc.

2. Who will buy? What customers will buy the service?

3. Why do they buy? Need to know this for your message to be on target

4. Where are they? You need to know how to reach them.

5. What media do I use to most effectively deliver the message in terms of my budget.

6. What do I say to motivate them to come in?

Taking the shot gun approach you are suggesting does not take into account any of these things and therefore will be less than successful.

Detailing is a service purchase by only a selected market, not all the market and your suggested approaches do not result in the best return for the effort.

Remember Doug, this is a democracy that we live in where we have freedom of speech. You have your opinion and I have mine. And, having worked in the past as an Marketing and Advertising Manager for a large corporation working with some of the top marketing and advertising agencies in the world I am confident that my opinions might have just a little more experience behind them than yours.

But as a famous French political philospher once said:

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it."

Regards
BudAbraham

"I've spoken to a number of you from time to time, most recently in Orlando... where I emphasized your need to find ways to "package" yourself individually and distinguish your business from others. Be unique. That can take on many forms and quite a few innovative identities. It's a craft that we've enjoyed doing for decades, all the while being amazed at the impact innovative marketing has on the marketplace.

Simple things like the use of fragrance... or, if you're mobile, how much attention you really pay to IMAGE. "-Steve Okun-

Now there's a constructive quote for Alan to think over.
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2007 11:02AM by Doug Delmont.

Alan:
Here's a link to a good article dealing with marketing :
[www.autocareforum.com]

Doug you really like posting to yourself don't you.

Bud-
Perhaps you should think about what is good for this forum. Many people have left the forum over the years. Some have said they were fed up with bickering, salesmen attempting to use it to sell stuff and knock whatever their competitors sold and many have not stated a reason. Newcomers and newbies have been given bogus advice or told to take a hike and most did.

I want to make this the best forum on the Internet. To me, that means providing solid information and welcoming everyone who wishes to contribute.
There seem to be a lot of visitors reading the posts, who are reluctant to post. That may be because they don't wish to be cross-examined, belittled, see their statements distorted and be talked down to. They may have noticed the unfair and inaccurate statements against products such as Zaino. One member objected to information from private emails being mentioned on the forum.

Of course you will likely try to attack my statements by requesting specific examples of everything and so on. We've been down this road enough. When I rejoined the forum, it was pretty much the private domain of the "tag team ", everyone else having 'thrown in the microfiber towel'. Now, at least, people like Alan are asking questions again.
So if I'm posting to myself, as you put it, I'm not to blame.
Doug

Bud, the water flow is 480l/h-127gph or around 2.1 gallons per minute. Mine is electric with 1160 variable psi ,thats all you really need for detailing but the company offers low gravity feed gas units as well with up to 2350 psi

You could be absolutely correct about the pressures and flows needed for detailing. I have never worked with or sold a 2.1 gpm system. We have worked with 3 and 4 gallon units only and I am told by our pressure wash engineer that with gravity flow only the pump will use more water than the flow can keep up with.

So, the key for anyone looking to buy a pressure washer to insure the sales person/company can tell them whether to use a pump or gravity flow. That way they have some recourse if the pump burns out.

Regards
Bud Abraham

I have a gas 2200psi pressure washer. Think i can do without a pump?

ps. Thanks for all your replies!

If your psi is 2200 I would bet your gallons per minute is at least 3 and possibly 4.

From what I know about the units we build the output would be greater than gravity flow could handle.

But it is best to contact the manufacturer of the unit and ask them their opinion.

Regards
Bud Abraham

More on marketing-
Some areas have public access cable T.V. You can produce your own show free.

I'm told that MySpace is not just for kids. You can set up a MySpace page as a way to keep in touch with customers, etc. Some people have had success with a mature, professional approach.

Doug

More On Marketing :
A guy on the Detail City forum said he places ads on Craigslist. He also gives his customers vinyl decals to put on their cars' windows to advertise his web address.
Others said they do free details for charities, which leads to referrals.
Some of the participants warned that when you advertise, you must be prepared to handle all of the business the ads generate.

With tongue firmly in cheek, I'll give Bud the courtesy of identifying people who are NOT part of our target market : 1) Junkyard owners 2) Pedestrians 3) Skateboarders 4) Homeless people 5) Anybody you meet on a bus... (LOL)

Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2007 03:52AM by Doug Delmont.

Gentlemen-
My limited market research indicates that many people don't know what the word " detailing " means. Some confuse it with customizing, pinstriping, painting, graphics etc.
Instead of trying to educate the population, consider naming your business something like " Car-Clean " or " Auto Wash and Wax ". Put the word "detailing " in smaller letters on the sign.

Doug

The reality is that those who purchase detailing services clearly know what the service and the businesses that offer detailing services are called, DETAIL SHOPS.

Check out the Yellow Pages. You want to find a detail shop you look under Auto Detailing.

You are way off the mark on this one Doug.

Bud Abraham

Bud-
I wasn't talking about the people who already use detailers. I was referring to people in general, who might patronize a detail shop if they had any idea what such a business does.
No matter what you name your business, you can still list it in the yellow pages under Detail Shops.
( JOKE ALERT ) The yellow pages can be confusing. If you look up "Doctors", it says, " see Physicians ". If you look up "Attorneys", it says "see Lawyers".
I tried to look up "Dresses" and it said, "see lingerie". ( In Fun )
Doug