The "Competition"

[William_F]

Re: The "Competition"

some great points on here..... I just wanted to add from personal experience. In my area there are at least 10 different detailing places (some owners are actually on here as members) but the reason why customer keep coming back to me vs. them is my prices (or should I say how I explain my pricing and that's it's all custom quotes), my skill, and my ability to cater to each customer individually and cater my detail to THEIR needs (the fact that I'm mobile helps a bit as well).

Another point might be to actually bring your vehicle in to those places and see for yourself, first hand, how they handle the detailing aspect. That way you will know what you are up against personally and are not going off of assumptions.

Rafal

Excellent points!

I think it's important not to misinterpret this to mean that you have to try and compete on price. Overall all value is going to be more important to the majority of customers than just price.

[Cole Ziegler]

Re: The "Competition"

Well it finally happened.

This last weekend, I lost a sale to the shop I mentioned in the original post. The client claimed he never received my emails until he checked his junk email box (darn web host, I've had this issue forever and they claim there is no problem). Regardless he went ahead and took his car to the "Car Time" in the HEB parking lot.

It seems like they didn't do too swell of a job, this was his response:

I have a feeling you guys do a better job than Car Time did. They totally missed the inside perimeter of the trunk, and I didn't notice until I got home so I finished it myself. They didn't wax either. Their price was $109 total.

Needless to say, he's decided to let me take a spin at his other car and agreed to let me look over the car he took the the Car Time wash to see what kind of a job they do.

Just thought I'd post an update... we'll see how this pans out

[ic3dt3]

How does one become a "full-on" Meguiar's shop

If the car wash in question is now displaying Meguiar's banners where they did not previously, it sounds as though they may well have just become a full on Meguiar's shop. And that also means they may very well be receiving, or soon to receive, professional instruction from a Meguiar's sales rep. And trust us when we say our pro sales guys who call on these end user accounts know their stuff inside and out. The guys working at the car wash might be novices now, but that may not last long.

What is the process for a shop to become a Meguiar's shop?

[Sean Conrad]

Re: How does one become a "full-on" Meguiar's shop

What is the process for a shop to become a Meguiar's shop?

I wonder the same thing! I would love to have the extra skill and training! Would make selling my services easier!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: The "Competition"

Any level of certification is handled through a distributor in conjunction with one of our field reps. The best advice we can offer is to contact your local distributor and ask when the Meguiar's rep is next in town and what it would take to arrange for a training program. Unfortunately we simply do not have the manpower or resources to offer personalized training to all facilities that might want it. Coordinating through a distributor is the way to go.

[ic3dt3]

I don't even know who my local distributor is. The locator on your site couldn't find one anywhere nearby. I live in Gulfport, MS