First things first, welcome to the first blog post for Prime Auto Detailing. I'm taking a crack at this to see how popular or useful it gets. What you'll find here is an opinion based blog on what we believe to be the best possible answer for the question posed to us and our work. While everyone details in a different manner and there are different levels of detailing I hope to see growth in our knowledge of car detailing and business models.
Detailing, what we perceive to be a skilled labor has many viewpoints. The lowest being perceived as a "car washer" and the highest form being a "master detailer." As we travel up the ladder of prestiges we also notice the higher cost to hire one of these individuals. Your decision is based on what you value your vehicle at and what you, the client, are expecting.
At the lowest prestige of "detailers" or hobby detailing you'll find the best deals often traded off for lack of quality and unsafe chemical usage along with a hazard to both the longevity of your vehicle and health hazards to you, your family or pets. While many roll their eyes to these consequences, this level of detailing brings down the valuation of real detailing.
Amateur Detailers, often achieved after about 2 years of consistent detailing is great for your everyday daily drivers. This will be a hit or miss area, you can find detailers with great work ethic, decent product knowledge and usage, however these individuals are usually not trained or certified, still a great value for those looking to maintain their vehicle.
Professional Detailers, the workhorses of the industry. 5-10 years of experience, multiple certifications and consistent training. These detailers know their place and expect to be respected by clientele and other detailers alike. Great product knowledge, usually higher priced than normal, and the best quality for your vehicle.
Master Detailers. The backbone of the industry, the ones who are respected by all and provide training towards those willing to put in the work. 10-20+ years of experience. Rare to find and usually not for hire anymore, these have been blessed to work on vehicles that are 1 of 1, and are industry leaders constantly pushing the luxury of detailing.
So who do you choose? Well, in the past 6 years I've learned there is no harm, no foul in the phrase, "I'm not the one you are looking for." This can go for any level of detailing. At my beginning if I was asked to paint correct a brand new $100k car, I would simply tell the client, "I'm not capable of this, I'm not the one you are looking for." Similarly now, 6 years later, if a client asked me to wash his car with peeling paint and heavy staining for $20 I would respectfully decline and say, "I apologize, this is not the type of vehicle I work on, I'm not the one you are looking for." As the client it is your responsibility to overlook your detailer's previous work, reviews and pricing and determine for yourself if your vehicle's value matches the value of detailer you will be hiring.
As I post more, I will be focusing on specifics for each question posed. Whether these bring me business or not I strive to allow you, the client, to determine whether my company is best suited to perform our provided services to or beyond your expectations. Choose wisely.
