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Advertising, Prospecting
Old 07-28-2015, 07:24 PM   #1
route66detail
 
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Default Advertising, Prospecting

Hello Marine 31 Forum,

I have a question for anyone that owns a detail business, runs a detail business etc...

Our goal is to target Boat and RV clientele. What has proven to be a fruitful avenue of prospecting and advertising to find business. Web site, Facebook??

Thanks for reading... Rob
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Old 07-30-2015, 08:47 AM   #2
Dapper Don
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

I am not a pro, I just pretend I know what I am doing. But for the past 3 weeks I have had my boat on a lift in the marina doing minor repairs and maintenance and detailing it from top to bottom. So when I show up they allow me to set up my canopy, cooler, and detailing equipment. So many people have been watching and coming up and asking me if I am a pro or what I would charge. Even the marina owners brought his detailing guys over to take a look at what I had going on and wanted to know what I was using. So I would say you might have a good shot at perhaps starting a relationship with your local marinas. Word travels so fast in those places it seems.
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Old 07-30-2015, 02:08 PM   #3
Mike Phillips
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

Word of mouth has always been the best and strongest form of advertising and word of mouth advertising comes from doing top notch work that out shines the competition.

So as basic as it can seem start by what I'm sure you're already doing and that's top notch work.

Next if you don't have a Facebook page for your business start one. It's fast and easy and best of all it doesn't take any special software, knowledge or skill. (unlike creating a traditional website).

Then started feeding your Facebook page with your work. The easiest way to do this is with a quality camera smart phone. I use an iPhone but other phones will work just as well.

Take good before and after pictures and then simply include a few words describing the work performed.

Your contact information should be available when people click the "about" text link on your Facebook page.

Keep it clean and simple. Include your names, business name and most important your contact information.

When it comes to including your phone number, keep it simple but complete. This means include your area code - prefix - number.

Like this,

000-000-000



Avoid doing things like this,

800-boatwax

As it's so annoying to work at typing in a number via an alphabet.


Also, after completing a job for a customer, be very proactive in asking for referrals. Tell your customers something honest and simple,
Hey John,

My wife Julie and I are always looking for more good customers like yourself. We take pride in our work and always treat our customer's boats as though they are our own. Here's a few of our business cards if you have friends looking to have someone to detail and take care of their boat.

Our Facebook page, phone number and e-mail are all on the car.
Keep it low pressure but do as for referrals and DO include your Facebook page address on your cards as it's the easiest and fastest way for a potential customer to see before and after pictures of your work.

This circles back to starting a Facebook page and then being proactive on feeding it.


That's off the top of my head for now....


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Old 08-03-2015, 07:17 PM   #4
route66detail
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Marine31 View Post
Word of mouth has always been the best and strongest form of advertising and word of mouth advertising comes from doing top notch work that out shines the competition.

So as basic as it can seem start by what I'm sure you're already doing and that's top notch work.

Next if you don't have a Facebook page for your business start one. It's fast and easy and best of all it doesn't take any special software, knowledge or skill. (unlike creating a traditional website).

Then started feeding your Facebook page with your work. The easiest way to do this is with a quality camera smart phone. I use an iPhone but other phones will work just as well.

Take good before and after pictures and then simply include a few words describing the work performed.

Your contact information should be available when people click the "about" text link on your Facebook page.

Keep it clean and simple. Include your names, business name and most important your contact information.

When it comes to including your phone number, keep it simple but complete. This means include your area code - prefix - number.

Like this,

000-000-000



Avoid doing things like this,

800-boatwax

As it's so annoying to work at typing in a number via an alphabet.


Also, after completing a job for a customer, be very proactive in asking for referrals. Tell your customers something honest and simple,
Hey John,

My wife Julie and I are always looking for more good customers like yourself. We take pride in our work and always treat our customer's boats as though they are our own. Here's a few of our business cards if you have friends looking to have someone to detail and take care of their boat.

Our Facebook page, phone number and e-mail are all on the car.
Keep it low pressure but do as for referrals and DO include your Facebook page address on your cards as it's the easiest and fastest way for a potential customer to see before and after pictures of your work.

This circles back to starting a Facebook page and then being proactive on feeding it.


That's off the top of my head for now....




Mike,

Thanks a lot for your advice. We do have a Facebook page and we actually got our first detail job from it yesterday. We've been hitting all the local FB swip swap pages. Our first detail was a crossover vehicle. We are just starting but we told ourselves we would only be doing boats and RVs. This IS our intent in the future but as a new business, we didn't think it was a good idea to tell ANYONE "no" to an opportunity. (thoughts?) It was a great learning experience and we did a good job to boot. Customer was very happy with the fact that it came out better than he thought could even be done. Was worried about big seat stains. I am a bit compulsive so I was wondering if I was obsessing about every little crevice too much... lol

Rob - Route 66 Mobile Detail
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Old 08-04-2015, 09:23 AM   #5
Mike Phillips
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

Quote:
Originally Posted by route66detail View Post

Mike,

Thanks a lot for your advice. We do have a Facebook page and we actually got our first detail job from it yesterday.
There you go. Good job.



Quote:
Originally Posted by route66detail View Post

We've been hitting all the local FB swip swap pages. Our first detail was a crossover vehicle. We are just starting but we told ourselves we would only be doing boats and RVs.

This IS our intent in the future but as a new business, we didn't think it was a good idea to tell ANYONE "no" to an opportunity. (thoughts?)

Yeah I have some thoughts....

When first starting out it's easy to want to always say "yes" and take every job that walks through the door or calls on the phone.

My thoughts and actually my recommendation in Renny Doyle's book , How to start a home-based car detailing business.

I have 3-4 sections in his book as a guest contributor and on pages 124 and 125 I talked about,

The learned art of turning work down.


The reason why is because it's too simple to fall into the trap of taking on every job you're offered. Instead, I teach people the art of cherry picking, that is pick the best jobs, the profitable jobs and let someone else have the unrewarding jobs. It's a learning curve, learn which jobs to take and which jobs to let pass by and let the other guys learn the hard way.

Best thing you probably ever did to grow your business was join this forum and I'd also recommend joining the AGO forum for car detailing.

All the detailers out there in the world that DON'T belong to a forum get to learn the hard way. Detailers that hang out on forums like ours have the benefit of learning through other people's mistakes so they don't have to repeat them themselves.

I have an article on that....

Detailers that hang out on discussion forums know more than detailers that don't...



Quote:
Originally Posted by route66detail View Post

It was a great learning experience and we did a good job to boot. Customer was very happy with the fact that it came out better than he thought could even be done. Was worried about big seat stains. I am a bit compulsive so I was wondering if I was obsessing about every little crevice too much... lol

Rob - Route 66 Mobile Detail

You should read another article of mine, it's about balance and matching your services to your customer.


A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer



I also teach these principals in my 3-day detailing boot camp class.

Click this link to see what a class is like,

Pictures & Comments: July 2015 Detailing Boot Camp Class!


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Old 08-12-2015, 11:49 AM   #6
route66detail
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

Mike,

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to give me your expert advice! Even in the beginning stages of business I can see how saying "YES" to everything... I could get lost and jaded in an aspect of the business that I am not fully intending to tap into. Its funny though, the customer of whom we performed our first gig has referred us to his neighbor. We will be detailing their vehicle shortly. We just have to keep our eye on the prize and not get away from our intent. I was in the car business for 13 years (sales and F/I manager) and "cherry picking" is a no... no... But in this business, agreed... If Im not carefull, we'll be knee deep in something we dont want to cater to.
Ive viewed your Youtube videos (several times) on detailing boats and RVs, and that has become our model to perform. We will use premium products and perfect our techniques as time goes on. Love the boars hair brush!
I'll surely look for Renny Doyles book. Thank You!
As for these forums... I have never felt so welcome and been given so much useful information on any venture Ive been involved. I've used the info on my first detail. I am on AGO as well under the same name of course.

Thanks again Mike! Your word are appreciated and we will use EVERY bit of your advice. We will be seeing you when we can at a Cars and Coffee, RV or Boat class.

Robert Cadiz- Route 66 Mobile Detail.
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Old 08-12-2015, 03:48 PM   #7
Mike Phillips
 
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Default Re: Advertising, Prospecting

Quote:
Originally Posted by route66detail View Post
Mike,


As for these forums... I have never felt so welcome and been given so much useful information on any venture Ive been involved.

I've used the info on my first detail. I am on AGO as well under the same name of course.

Thanks again Mike! Your words are appreciated and we will use EVERY bit of your advice.

We will be seeing you when we can at a Cars and Coffee, RV or Boat class.

Robert Cadiz- Route 66 Mobile Detail.


Hi Robert,

Thanks for the update and the feedback.

I've been in the forum world since the software was invented and I know from first hand experience what most of the other forums are like,
  • Smart ass answers that don't help.
  • One-liner answers that simply don't provide enough substance.
  • Demeaning replies where the forum bully beats you up merely for asking a question.
  • No answers at all.
  • Bad answers.
  • Name calling.
I've seen it all and I know how I like to be treated when I join a forum and I always keep this in mind anytime I'm talking to someone else on a forum.

It's called... the golden rule... treat others as you would like to be treated.

Simple... but it works.

Thanks for updating this thread, love to hear success stories!


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