My name is Gabe Fletcher.
As the owner of Ceramic Pro Pottstown and Detailing Growth in Pottstown, Pa., I know that success in the automotive detailing industry is about more than just offering professional services with certified products. Our business did more than $1 million in paint protection film (PPF), ceramic coatings and window tint sales in 2022. We do this by following ten core ideas—and without reinventing the wheel.
1. Offer Professional-Only Products – This should make sense, right? You want to offer a certified professional product that consumers can’t purchase. This can increase the perceived value of your services as well.
2. Boast Yourself as Insured – There are plenty of fly-by-night detail services. If you can prove that you are insured, this will provide a sense of legitimacy and trust.
3. Showcase Your Facility – Your clients want to know that you are a professional business. Take photos of your finished projects in an area of the shop that is always clean and well-lit. This helps to nail home that you are offering more than just $150 wash-and-wax detailings.
4. Create Content – You must become an educator in your market. If you aren’t creating video and educational content, you will lose to the competitor creating that content. It would help if you were syndicating that content on all of your social media, reels, TikToks, Google listings, YouTube and embedding it into your website. Our “What’s in the shop?” posts are often some of the most popular.
5. Offer Vehicle Pick-up – This is often how I can charge 35% more than everyone else. I offer to go and pick up the vehicle from the client at their home. Having the correct insurance allows me to offer this. The most significant value for clients looking to spend $5,000 or more with you is their time. If you save them time, they will find more reasons to work with you.
6. Offer an Immediate Follow-up Appointment – We offer our clients a two-week follow-up appointment where we will look over the vehicle and ensure everything is doing what it is supposed to be doing, such as sticking PPF edges. This lets the client know that we care about their vehicle and want to ensure they have a great experience.
7. Always Tout That Quality is Your Most Important Core Value – I often remind my clients that I will ask for more time if I am unhappy with how something came out or was done. They can always appreciate that I am willing to redo something and take my time versus shipping out lousy work.
8. Have a VIP or Referral Program – I am open with my clients in telling them that we will pay big bounties in cash for certain vehicles sent to our shop. This usually consists of big jobs on McLarens, Ferraris and other supercars. People are happy to spread the word when they know they are getting paid.
9. Simplify Your Packages – If you are trying to sell a bunch of different detail packages on your website, it isn’t very clear. Simplify the packages and make them easier to understand. The easier you can make it for your client, the easier it will be to make a choice and get them to book with you and get them on the schedule.
10. Always be Willing to Help the Client Solve Problems – This is one of the most important things you can do as a business. Focus your services on solving problems rather than pushing them into services they don’t want or need. This is the best way to build client loyalty.
If you embrace these ideas, you’ll be on your way to growing your business and doing it better and faster than your competitors.
I look forward to sharing more.
Thanks so much for sharing! Great advice and tools to use to close deals.