SELECTING THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS

Hello there, I almost forgot this page existed. NOT. I just have been a little overwhelmed with our spring rush, how to manage my new help, and some not so great accounts.

In this post I want to talk about setting goals in reaching the desired customer. I learn everyday how in a business there are clients you want and some you don't want. Correct marketing methods will deliver you the outcome you want. If there is no marketing being done, you can only take the work that fate brings you. But if you tell others what you like to do, and show them a service they are looking for, you can find some really good people to work with. Finding the right client is like shopping. Lots of shoe stores are full of shoes, but one has to ask himself, how can store with this much selection have no options that work for me? I will say that a detailer does offer to clean dirty cars yes, but I like customers that want to preserve there vehicle as they know they spent allot of hard earned money on it. Cleaning out a car full of hard candy stuck to the carpet is no fun. It has its place to clean out the soccer moms car and they can and often like to pay you good as they know its bad. Interior detailing can be hard to bid especially over the phone. Many moms don't really know how much of that bag of trail mix really got eaten. So detailing a rich guys Mercedes fun after a suburban full of dog hair and candy, but I will warn you clean cars that come in usually come with a client with a lot higher expectations SO you better have the training to deliver.
I love performing exterior details as this is ones first impressions as he approaches the vehicle. On the outside bringing a scratched up paint job back to nearly new condition is really rewarding. Here again coming by a talent to actually perform paint correction without damaging the paint takes time and investment just like any other profession, whether it be becoming a doctor or a cook. Not all cooks are good ones. There is a local restaurant here that if you knew the cooks schedule you would make sure you didn't go - or some you would make sure that's the only time you went. So to become known for being the wanted cook in the automotive appearance industry takes time and effort both in telling others and performing the work you said you could. The reward for a good job is the opportunity to do more. Selecting the right customer does not happen overnight but by doing the right activities we have the ability to expedite the process and get to our goals.
 In order to find the ideal client you need to ask yourself who do you want to work for and what kind of work do you like? Me, I like fewer customers per day that have more difficult needs for there car and are willing to pay to get it back to normal. So in order to do that I cannot bid my jobs so low that I have to book 4 jobs just so I can stay afloat. I can perform 4 in a day but most times my client ends up feeling like a number and that you were just seeing dollar signs on how fast you could do there car instead of making sure that there once a year $275 detail that took effort to get it down and dropped off was wasted, maybe some even take a day off work to get it here driving 50 miles one way. Then to treat them with the hurry and get out of my space attitude so I can work on someone else's car is not going to bring them back nor make them a raving customer telling others how much time you took just for them. I found if you show each client how much you care for them they become a friend and tell others about you. This will quickly lighten your marketing expense and efforts and make you feel really good at night. The rest of a laboring man is sweet.  So I always have on hand our extra options you can upgrade to. While a customer is inquiring about a detail I show them the benefits of an upgrade helping them with a decision that fits the needs of the car and there budget. I often ask them if they are planning on keeping the car, and how often they get a detail done. If its not that often and they are keeping it I almost always can upgrade to a higher service. If they want to sell the vehicle then I encourage them to stick to the more basic one in order for them to use there money wisely. This may seem crazy to help them not spend money but I think in turn they feel as if you care about them and will most likely bring in the next vehicle they purchased for you to make it nice. One client brings in his SUV and Camero every month. these are both almost new and he tells me you decide when it needs waxed and I will be glad to have you make the decisions on maintaining the paint. I have instilled trust into these kind of clients as the dealership they purchased from would wash there car every week for free but they choose to pay me 35 to wash and offer more when ever they think it needs it. Ideal clients are not brought in by bragging about the exotic cars you detailed or that you are the best, they come in because you put your heart into your work and they know it. Show someone you care, and listen to them. Just like taking care of your own children if you want them to listen to you you have to first listen to them. When they ask a question or want a book read. They are finding out how much you care by your response. If you say not now every time they will not share with you when they are older because they get the perception you don't really care or have time to help them through the tough times. All in all I just say that be there for your customer one at a time. Do your best learn from each one on how they respond to your work. Have an upbeat sound in your voice and act excited that they chose you to do business with. They really are doing you a life favor by supporting your family and the lifestyle you have chosen. So a smile is a curve that sets things straight in life. Set yourself a goal to identify and find your ideal client this detailing season. If you follow these activities this summer it will come back to you 10 fold next year. It will even have noticeably positive results as soon as you start. Have a good day.  Andy
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