What are you selling to your customers?

Have you ever, as a business owner, asked yourself this when selling detailing services? It’s quite an important question, as it can be what separates you from the crowd when turning a potential customer into your customer. What NEED is your customer looking to fulfil by using your services?

A clean car maybe? It’s the simple answer, but they don’t necessarily need you for that. Sorry.

With exceptions for medical or location issues, anybody CAN clean their own car. Possibly not to as high a standard, but to a standard they can cope with in exchange for zero outlay.

So what else are you offering to a potential customer? What are you selling to them?

Time

For customers, the time cost of cleaning their own car may be the time they can spend doing something they want or need to do elsewhere, and they are buying that from you, whether at work, whilst busy or whilst spending time with their family.

Make the point that whilst their car is with you they can be relaxing in the garden, or catching up on other important jobs – viewing it as treating themselves then becomes more appealing, and further justifies employing a professional.

Skill and efficiency.

Whilst a customer could wash their own car, by the time they have got out their wash kit you will probably be halfway through the wash. Their three hours to clean their car properly is perhaps an hour for you with your efficient techniques, meaning the car is available sooner and, going back to time, your one hour is saving them three! You’re also doing it safely. Some people are genuinely unsure how to go about cleaning their cars, and – like in the picture above – will often try methods which lead to damage. You doing it for them is less risky, more thorough and gives them the results they want to see.

Knowledge.

Never underestimate how much you’ve learnt just by doing a job regularly, or the value of this knowledge to someone who doesn’t possess it.

Not every customer knows the best way to remove all types of contamination, why a solvent tar remover isn’t suitable on certain surfaces, and how to remove bird bombs without damaging the paintwork. These seemingly small skills which are second nature to you may be the best thing in the world to them!

I’ve had customers thinking a car needs a respray because of branch scratches down the side, which were removed with a mild polish. They think they’ve saved thousands – you’ve just employed your experience. As the Ford/Steinmetz story goes: Marking the issue with chalk – $1, knowing where to put the mark $9,999.

Convenience.

If a customer can have their car taken care of whilst they are doing something else – especially if it’s profitable – it’s a win-win for them. This is the reason supermarkets have car washers rolling trolleys around the car park, it’s “dead time” for the car, so the customer is actually achieving two goals in one swoop. Target a market that you can achieve this for and you’re always going to have willing clients who want to save time later without hassle.

Making the service as simple for the customer as possible, even if it adds to their price, will always attract the best clients because they will see the added value and appreciate the service. This can include:

• Collection and return services.
• Pre-booked regular maintenance with direct debit or advance invoice payments – so they just see a consistently clean car when they need it, and even proactive suggestions of improvements.
• Concierge arrangements, such as a relationship with a local MOT centre or garage who can fulfil other tasks, small things which take little to achieve, but mean the customer can get on with other things.
• Seasonal variations, such as winter cleaning becoming more interior focussed, with a strong exterior protectant, vs the spring refresh and light polish – so they’re always getting the car in the state they need.
• At home, At work, whilst they’re on holiday. Target the times the car isn’t being used so it’s ready when needed.

What’s the ultimate point?

It’s about how you market and justify your services to your clients.

– “I can do it cheaper myself”

is a phrase you will hear many times as a detailer. To this, we say;

– “Yes, you can! You just need to buy the equipment, buy your chemicals and wash media, and spend time that you could otherwise be using enjoying yourself. Don’t forget to research the processes for best results in an efficient manner, and just hope you don’t encounter anything unusual – all of that when you don’t need the vehicle.”

It’s amazing how much better having a professional do it for you sounds when you put it like that.

Getting customers to see that value – and pricing it with confidence – is a core part of our Career Development courses. For more on the same theme, see our guides to upselling your services and the psychology of pricing.