An auto detailing business gives you the pride and satisfaction of owning your own business. This profession requires a lot of work but is very rewarding. Auto detailers wax and polish the paint, chrome the wheels, and clean the seats until the car shines like a new vehicle.
There is a considerable difference between full-time professional auto detailing and hobbyist detailing. Even the team is different. Professional detailers take great care in selecting supplies because they are consumed at a rapid rate. They also pay a lot of attention to price and quality. This is the only way they can beat the competition.
Selling Skills: You need to spend a lot of time selling your services. You should also inspect the customer’s car in their presence and point out any paint, stain or interior issues and offer to take care of them. This will not only keep your customers coming back to you, but also spread the good news. You also need to promote your auto detailing business through flyers.
Another good business practice is to offer maintenance contracts consisting of a weekly car wash and two waxings each month. This will help you:
- Get a nice check up front.
- Have a regular customer
- Be seen often in an area that is good for business.
You can hold a demo for members of your local car club. Snacks and drinks can be added to make sure you show up for the demo. This can encourage several car owners to entrust the car wash to you. Everyone likes a smart and clean vehicle; nobody, however, likes to spend hours cleaning it.
Start-up costs: Auto detailing business is the perfect business for people with small budgets because it can be started with a small investment. You can also start detailing cars in dealership showrooms and then move on to detailing private cars.
A common way to start an auto detailing business is to go to customers’ homes and workplaces in a truck, trailer, or van and clean their car at their location. You can use the local water supply or bring your own. However, if you work from a fixed site, you can offer better services. This may include the pickup and delivery facility. However, it is important that your own vehicle or location looks clean. Otherwise, it will be hard to convince customers that you can make their cars look sparkling clean and new.
Large cities like Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, or Los Angeles have about 200 mobile detailers that wash five to 10 cars per day, charging $12 to $20 per car. Some can get more and can also give good advice. Also, they can detail one or two cars for $60 to $100. In places like Silicon Valley, Century City, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Montecito, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, La Jolla, Laguna Niguel, or Rancho Santa Fe, you can even charge $120 to $250 for large cars or SUVs.
Mobile retailers aren’t much of a threat to full-service because they wash or to long-standing fixed-site auto detailing businesses because they enjoy strong referrals. Before you begin, you should study the auto detailing business scene in your area. You should find out the prices that are charged and the services that are offered.
Statistics to make you happy: There are more than 100 million cars and trucks on the road, all of which need to be washed regularly. People like to keep their cars for a long time and are willing to wash them regularly. Competition is low in this business and there are enough opportunities for new entrepreneurs to enter.
