Car Detailing is a good thing: cars drive us around, to work and back, to the mall, sometimes to vacation and beyond. Everyone likes driving their own car but every car owner should know that it is essential to take in good care their car for it to extend its lifespan. You should consider the fact that you have to maintain its reliability, keep its drivability and keep up its resale value as much as possible.

These are few tips to keep your car in good care.

• Car Wash – Just like your house and yourself, your car need to be washed and cleaned to maintain its perfection. Bird droppings and salt (from winter roads or ocean’s water) can ruin your cars paint so it is a must that you clean your car regularly. It doesn’t have to be everyday nor every other day. You can wash your car every week or have them washed. You can just wipe it clean with a piece of cloth every other day.

• Waxing – Regular waxing will keep a car looking new for many years. A ten-year-old car that has been waxed twice a year will probably have a shine as good as when it was first purchased. It will also command a higher resale value and be easier to sell. If rain water does not bead on the painted surfaces of your car, it’s time to wax it. How often you have to wax your car depends on the type of wax you use and how good you want your car to look. Some of the new synthetic waxes will last more than a year. A complete Car Detailing service also include waxing. Sometimes dewaxing is needed for a complete service

If you think this is too much work for and you do not want to risk about damaging your car (yes, damaging your car while detailing improperly it is possible) you can find many professional auto detailers out there that can do a great job for you. Find some here. If you are an Auto Detailer we can give you leads.. seriously!

There is a lot to be said for starting an Auto Detailing business. There is the pride and satisfaction of being your own boss and owning your own business. It’s a feeling of being in control and succeeding under your terms that is the source of pride of the small business owner.

Detailing cars as a profession is hard work. If that appeals to you, then Auto Detailing can be very rewarding. There is a lot of elbow grease involved and the work is demanding if you succeed. The rewards include the chance to practice skill, pride and craftsmanship in your daily routine. The hard work has a side benefit: it keeps you physically in shape.

Starting out is relatively easy and does not require large investments.

If you start by detailing your own cars and your friends and then move into it as a career, you will soon discover some fundamental differences between amateur and professional auto detailing. When thought of as a business, the circumstances will change and so will your techniques. The equipment that sufficed for occasional detailing jobs might not last long under the stress of full time professional use. You’ll use up supplies and materials at a much faster rate, so proper selection and purchasing is important. Also, since in business time is money, how you do things and what you do becomes part of the mix. You do not have to sacrifice quality, but as a professional you will want to practice techniques and procedures that enable you to offer a good job at a competitive price.

Auto Detailing Marketing helps

Going Mobile

This is a common way to start a automobile detailing business. You can start with just a truck and go to customers homes and work places and detail at their location. The water supply can be local, but that limits you. Some detailers carry their own water supply. A portable tarp is a good idea as detailing in the hot sun is not the way to go.

Whether you are operating from a truck or a fixed address, one thing is for sure: it is necessary to look good. Asking people to believe that you can make their cars gorgeous is a hard sell if your own place of business has problems. It doesn’t have to be new; in fact an older classic is an excellent way to go.

Sales Skills

Selling your services is a large part of your job as a detailer. If you have worked in sales and you enjoyed it and were successful at it, then your chances of succeeding as a detailer are that much better.

* Plan on spending a lot of time selling yourself and your services. When you first see a customers car, walk around it with them. Point out any problems in the condition of the paint and tell them what you can do for them to correct it. If the paint can use some touch-up or a panel would benefit from a fix-a-dent expert, offer to do that even if it means you farm the work out. Also point out stains or other problem areas in the interior and offer to take care of them. Your customers will respond with repeat business and by referring their friends.

* Your promotional work can consist of the usual small business tricks. Prepare some fliers for posting wherever appropriate. It’s a good idea to have your promotional material professionally done and also have them critiqued by someone qualified to do so.

* Consider offering maintenance contracts. With a maintenance program you will wash their car once a week and wax it twice a month along with other tasks for a set price, including a discount, up front. Several things will happen:
1. You get a nice check up front.
2. You will have a steady customer who won’t be visiting your competition.
3. If you are a mobile detailer, you will be seen often in an area which is good for business.
4. When it rains you still have work.

* Here’s a promotional angle that we’ve seen work well. Invite a local car club over for a detailing seminar. Go over your techniques while demonstrating them on a car. A sales pitch will be an implied part of your message as many in your audience will see the work and skill involved and turn the task over to you rather than do it themselves. Serve coffee and sodas along with donuts or bagels if it is a morning event. An afternoon schedule might feature sodas, chips and dip, maybe even a few pizzas. This is a good opportunity to pass around some coupons and special discounts. Car club members can be excellent customers. If you attend one of their functions you’ll notice that almost all of their cars look great. It’s a peer pressure thing; nobody wants to show up at a club gathering with a less than stellar automobile.