# Car Valeters, bit of business advice?



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Hi, ive just started valeting, built a website and so far delivered 1000 out of 5000 leaflets, so far only one phone call and that was a "i will ring have it done next week when i get paid" jobbie. 

Just wondered what method of advertising has generated the most work for you guys? are leaflets worth it? or should i be looking online?

Obviously im currently running at a loss, and as this is my first business im a bit unsure what is normal and what isnt with regards to how much loss you should be willing to take to try to generate business. How long i should stick it out etc etc, i dont want to spend a fortune then quit but at the same time im willing to grind if the rewards are there. cheers

Any general advice would be great...


----------



## Simply Clean (Aug 20, 2011)

Word of mouth, leaflets are good but don't expect to many jobs from them:wave:


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

What is the current supply and demand in your catchment area?


----------



## tarbyonline (May 23, 2009)

S63 said:


> What is the current supply and demand in your catchment area?


This. Applies to any business really. No experience myself of a valeting business but from what I have read a lot rely on contracts with dealers etc for a lot of their work. I would imagine people are less inclined to spend money on valeting atm as it would be considered a luxury. Hope it works out for you!


----------



## afcbob (May 20, 2012)

Word of mouth when i first started i did a few good offers as i found the more i was out working the more people would come and ask for work or a card. 

I have never did any advertising to date i have a website as its good to point people to it for more info and word of mouth.

Start slow do a good job when you do get it and more will come. Never cut corners as that one car could lead to 10+


----------



## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

Get your website found, google adwords works really well and once you get a few cars under your belt mention some deal if they recommend their friends & family.
Also Facebook, publish your work, news and special introductory offers to get them in.
Have an open day, or if your mobile try and link up at a car boot and do demos? 

It all takes a LOT of time and effort and any spare time you have use it to get noticed, introduce yourself to local businesses & offer them your service, any leaflet that comes through my door goes in the bin with the other 4 or 5 but when I need something I google it :thumb:

Good luck with it all & be patient


----------



## deefer (Feb 27, 2013)

Having a website is great, but is it a decent site? can people find it?
Where are you on google for 'town name car valet'?

Get someone you trust, that is not afraid to hurt your feelings, to give an honest opinion of your leaflets. Don't ask family or friends, they will say they are great so as not to offend you.


----------



## Bartl (Apr 3, 2013)

You need to go far and wide not just stay in the
Local area. Have a colourful van. Advertise in the papers
Also motoring mags.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Leaflets proved to be a waste of time and money in my case. Some great advice above, especially the website and colorful van. 

For me, the best money I spent was on a Yell.com online advert. 

Does take time though to get the business established and so you have to be patient.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

To be honest i only have a cheap website one of those build yourself jobs, i figured i would go for it with the leaflets instead, but its alot of work on top of working full time, so im paying my gf son to help out so costing a bit...like you say i google everything, so do you think paying for a really nice website would be better than continuing with leaflets, not sure if i will buy any more leaflets after this lot, but we will see. its all good fun and a good experience either way.

i havent signed the van yet was waiting to see if i get any work first and slowly add things like this

i shall try the website and colourfull van approach next i think


----------



## Hercs74 (Dec 29, 2011)

I have yet to start up on business front, well part time, as I have a full time job... However I have created my own website, which, as of yet is not live. When I created It I got a colleague and his wife to look at it, and although I had put a few weeks work into it and thought it was awesome, they literally re did it.... I've only done family vehicles and 1 friends car (5 on a regular basis) and the attraction they gained resulted in 5 requests and 3 enquiries, all asked if I had a website....

So from what I have come to realise and appreciate is the following;

1) A good website linked to google and the area you want to work in.

2) Your work / finished results are a good form of advertisement.

3) Good service and quality of work will provide work via word of mouth.

I still have much to learn so expect it will be another 12 - 18 months before I go live, if I decided to... But my website as it stands shows before after images, a blog of work I have carried out and small pieces of info explaining a little about process and clay etc...


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

adamangler said:


> To be honest i only have a cheap website one of those build yourself jobs, i figured i would go for it with the leaflets instead, but its alot of work on top of working full time, so im paying my gf son to help out so costing a bit...like you say i google everything, so do you think paying for a really nice website would be better than continuing with leaflets, not sure if i will buy any more leaflets after this lot, but we will see. its all good fun and a good experience either way.
> 
> i havent signed the van yet was waiting to see if i get any work first and slowly add things like this
> 
> i shall try the website and colourfull van approach next i think


You have to try all sorts, as mentioned above in the thread, 90% of leaflets end up where they belong...in the bin.
Websites have to be found, my previous role had me vsiting customer sites, the one place I went to was a magazine publisher, I remember asking the guy if he found things had dropped off since the internet, his response was, that people use the publications to advertise their websites and he has a good point.
However are customers going to scan the web to find a car clean? Perhaps that phonecall was from a 'competitor' 
However I always take my hat off to those that attempt a venture in this economic climate, so good luck :thumb:


----------



## P.A.D (Jun 26, 2008)

Get the van signed ASAP.

Cheap enough to get done and a rolling advertisement....


----------



## dcm23251981 (Jan 11, 2013)

let us know if that the info i gave was any use to you good luck mate


----------



## sean20 (Jan 17, 2011)

my advise is take your time and do a good job spend a bit of extra time on stains on the interior, minor marks on the outside and the wheels. Quality over Quantity!!

Last weekend i had 7 cars booked in just from doing one job, all iv got is a van and jumper with my logo and number on and just use facebook.

I haven't bothered with leaflets but i do need to get some cards made up and get the van sign written and im in the middle of doing my website.

best advertisement iv found is do a good job and word will soon spread.

Good luck and don't give up!!
if you ever want any advice feel free to pm me


----------



## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

The best advise I can give you is: 

Get a proper website done.

Door knock 

Signed van

Facebook ( and post daily in your local for sale groups etc on a daily basis, include photos )

Twitter (# rate well on google) 

Run competitions on Facebook (that's how it got me really going)


----------



## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

Great advice on getting yourself online. One obvious thing that people often forget or are worried about is to ask everyone for a referral. Most people can think of someone that you should offer your services to. 
Good luck


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

funny thing is im actually doing an IT degree lol

not web design side tho unfortunately

All advise so far has been great, very motivating, thankyou


----------



## jamieblackford (Jan 17, 2012)

I'll tell you where I am. I saved up a £1000 and bought a D/A, a George wet dry vac, few brushes, mitts, drying towels and a load of good quality products. I posted a status on Facebook saying I'm starting car valeting of a weekend, £30 gets you this this and this. This was 12 months ago. I take plenty of before and after pictures of the work I do and post them onto Facebook. After a few weeks I created a Facebook page and the name of my business I intended to start, and asked friends to like and share. This is how I started. 12 months later, I have had work every weekend since starting, I now do valeting work for a mechanic every Saturday, I've sold my car and purchased a van, got it sign written a few weeks ago, and last week I had a phone call from a car dealership offering me £500 a week to start up and run a valeting bay for them, to which i turned down as it meant giving up on my business I had started. To cut a long story short, take pride in your work, ALOT of pride, spend an extra 1/2 hour a day turning a good job into an excellent job and you can guarantee you'll get the same customer call you a month or so later. Word of mouth and Facebook is free advertising and I make the most of it. To date I'm still getting work every weekend Saturday and Sunday, posting plenty of before and after pictures, and I'm confident by July / August il be on for myself valeting full time. Spend that extra 1/2 hour turning a good job into an excellent job and you'll get customers for life, and word of mouth will travel faster than any leaflet or website.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

ok im going to link my website, im kind of embarrased now looking at some of these pro site



im unsure, before i go any further whether to keep using my own name or to use a brand name, mainly due to domain name transfer

one i had in mind was ShineMagic

thoughts?


----------



## 3dom (Oct 30, 2012)

Some great advice on here (I especially liked Jamie's post).

Essentially how you start will be governed by a number of factors including but not limited to expectations, start up capital, experience levels, contacts and pressure! If you are able to gradually phase yourself into it you may find that it is better on your finances, workload and family too 

Leaflets are rated as being only 3% read and even then you have to turn those 3 people out a hundred into someone that may be interested in having a car cleaned/valeted/detailed/sprinkled in fairy dust. There are ways of optimising the effectiveness of flyers but I shan't load this post up with that unless you want more info.

Websites (imho) should demonstrate what you can do for people to fix their problems or add value to their lives. Loads of pics of before and afters, even video demos are great too. Free websites by the likes of wix.com or weebly.com are quite nice and dead easy to use.

Free business cards from Vistaprint are worth a punt

Sign writing a van is another cheap way of getting 'out there'...........there are loads of routes to spreading awareness Adam. 

Using your own name only works if you have lots of businesses and you are a figure head/front of house for all of them, and I was always told that your business name should tell people what you do. Keep it simple :thumb:

Good luck mate. I set my first business up in the 90's and I still love the buzz of start ups. Happy to help if you want to go into more detail (Anyone in business will tell you that you never stop learning :thumb: )


----------



## The Pan Man (Apr 16, 2010)

* this is my first business im a bit unsure what is normal and what isnt *

What did your market research discover and what does your business plan say?


----------



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

i would say your website really needs some work, doesnt need to be a a pro one but just better laid out, more pictures better explanation of what you do etc.

You say your doing an it degree havent you got any mates doing web design who might build you a site as a project for their degree for a few beers?


----------



## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

In the area I live I cant drive more than a few miles without passing a refugee hand wash place, normally positioned on old or still trading petrol station site. My local one is very very cheap and is always full and their work cant be knocked. How can you compete?


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

RedUntilDead said:


> In the area I live I cant drive more than a few miles without passing a refugee hand wash place, normally positioned on old or still trading petrol station site. My local one is very very cheap and is always full and their work cant be knocked. How can you compete?


Would make for an interesting thread, what and where is the cheapest hand wash.

I've got a £1-50 in Canterbury.


----------



## dcm23251981 (Jan 11, 2013)

but would you personally put your pride and joy through one of those drive in hand car washes where they coat your car in trf and other crap then use a sponge coated in grit from the previous car me i think not


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

dcm23251981 said:


> but would you personally put your pride and joy through one of those drive in hand car washes where they coat your car in trf and other crap then use a sponge coated in grit from the previous car me i think not


99.99% of car owners happily do so but that's for another thread entirely, sadly there are many.


----------



## dcm23251981 (Jan 11, 2013)

problem is they close down then another one comes along shortly did a valet across from one yesterday now that was awkward the looks i was getting was like get the f**k away !


----------



## Markojay (Mar 2, 2010)

I started up October last year and its been hard so far. Word of mouth is where most of my work has came from.

Try visiting your local garage and ask if they have a valeter? (i get work from a local garage every week)

I got some jobs from flyers but not a lot, Van signwriting, website, Facebook are all great forms of advertising.


----------



## Bartl (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi. Just spoken to a mate of mine who valets for a living
He said that he never got his break until he 
Went around garages and got contracts with them. 

Just looked at your website
And I would say that it needs some work. 
Where you are explaining about the size of the car 
I would say hatchback, saloon and so on.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Adam, your prices seem very low mate. Don't be afraid to charge for the work you are doing; you price yourself too cheap and some people will figure that not only will that be reflected in the quality of your service, but that well, they may just as well fly around to one of the hand-wash stations!

I find that people who would consider my services would never consider taking their car(s) to a hand-wash place (unless it is a specialised stain removal job etc.) and so are not afraid to pay for a good job. In all fairness I will add that this undoubtedly works the other way around as well in that those who frequent the hand-wash places would never consider calling upon a service such as ours anyhow, which is fair enough. 

I have been told that I under-charge, but I can tell you that I charge somewhat more than those prices you have listed on your site.


----------



## Bartl (Apr 3, 2013)

Also advertise that you'll go to there home and work place


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Did my First job this morning. Interiør valet Inc full vac steam clean all fabric and generally a good clean/dyst remove rubbish etc. Took 2 hours on a large estate. Charged 20 quid.

Came away with the feeling i had undercharged but Also loads more i could have done. Im going to have a complete re structure later.

Other thing was how nervous i was, valeted plenty of cars for Family etc but I was ****ting myself the whole time. What if vac breaks or gennie runs out of petrol or What if i dont meet his expectations etc, must say i am relieved more than anything that i did it.

As it turned out the guy was a Nice bloke who was a taxi driver who reckoned He could get me a regular job with the other drivers. Whilst i was there next door neighbour game out asking about a wet vac, well i dont have a wet vac yet but I told him i could dø it but was busy so Might Invest in a wet vac 

Just shows What Word of mouth can dø.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

If you're doing taxis, a wet vac is a must to shift all the vomit stains!


----------



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Taxis may well be a good way into the business, just one question though, have you taken out insurance? as i think this is essential to any business.


----------



## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

get insurance just incase its not that expensive 

your website is ok but the lambo in the corner and the badge looks a bit pony , do a valet get some photos , even if it means doing 3 or 4 family cars for free to get some photos befores and afters people need to see what your capable of achieveing 

id say you can charge more 

use facebook and twitter to advertise its free and popular - your friends see it , their friends see it their friends see it etc etc etc 

this is just my view i have no experience but nor do your customers that are looking for you ! id sad yell and google are a good move to 

sign writing is a definate winner make it stand out nice and bright


----------



## dcm23251981 (Jan 11, 2013)

mattsbmw said:


> taxis may well be a good way into the business, just one question though, have you taken out insurance? As i think this is essential to any business.


yeh spot on you will need public liability cheap i pay £10 pm you will come across the odd customers who do try to pull a fast 1 with you remember 9 / 10 the car is filthy so it hides scratches etc and the interior where fabric is torn and they will try to blame you !

What i do is have a check list inspect prior take pics before so you are covered

it rarely happens but it does !


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Give Lloyd over at Coversure a bell; very helpful and they offer some great policies.


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Well done on a good first job. Hopefully you will get a couple of referrals from it. Just be carefull with under charging, £20 for two hours work might be ok to get you on your feet but its not going to pay the bills long term and if a friend of your customer rings up looking the same job done its going to be hard to ask him for more.

Keep up the good work and I hope it all goes well for you.

P.s. Get some write ups and pics for us to look at :thumb:


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Yeah think i need to look at the pricing, £20 minus costs isnt going to cut it in the long run, spoke to my mother today and a bloke who comes to her work does interior at £20 a go but takes less than an hour, basic vac and clean, glass cleaned. Doesnt steam clean seat for that price either.

As for insurance i just have public liabilty, would like to get more cover but going to wait until im getting fairly regular work, will just have to be carefull with chemicals etc. Been using G101 at 20:1 on everything.

Theres a world of difference between doing it for a mate or family and for profit, perhaps i have been a little naive in some respects, especially today my extension lead packed in, vac just went off, thought it was gennie at first and panicked but mangaged to back van up to car and just make it reach without.

If anything i have learnt so far it be prepared, must get backup options for power supply/machines etc if anyhing were to fail. And get a spare tank of petrol for gennie lol

cheers guys


----------



## Teddy (Dec 15, 2007)

I like websites that have project pages. Show what a car looked like when you first saw it and what it looks like after you've worked on it. 

Do you do paintwork correction? If so then show what causes it and what sort of results you can deliver. Show what the hand car washes create (swirls) and how you remove them. That will make people avoid the hand car washes (and mechanical washes) and the people will see the justification in coming to you instead. Takes the business from them and brings it to your doorstep.


----------



## furby-123 (Dec 3, 2011)

for my business i have a facebook page which i update regularly with work iv carried out, i delivered 1000 leaflets when i started but i can safely say all of my work is through word of mouth advertising


----------



## james vti-s (Aug 9, 2011)

jamieblackford said:


> To cut a long story short, take pride in your work, ALOT of pride


value your time and show the customers you value (insured, knowledgeable ect.)

your web site is not good (imo) i am going this way, no vista print logo at the bottom


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

all good advice, with the website i think i will stick with it for now, not got the money for a pro job, but like you guys say im sure i can make it look a bit better, going to do the facebook thing soon. Dont do paintwork correction, just basic valeting for now want to get good/quick at the basic stuff first then maybe look into doing some courses, more advanced work in the future.


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

I am a graphic designer in print with no knowledge of the web stuff. But I have just built my website which looks pretty good. I have added gallery pages that you can run through as a slide show etc.I used some software called Webpro 6. I done all the graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator and just imported it into webpro and hey presto a half decent site.www.mirror-finishdetailing.com it is a work in progress but does the job.



Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Hercs74 (Dec 29, 2011)

Adam, it might be worth doing an Internet search on valeter's that supply services to your area. Look at their prices and the work they do.. You can cage your prices around that. 

I've done this for myself and I have prices all set and am competitive and you are very cheap !!!!


----------



## PeanuckleJive (Oct 28, 2012)

Wazhalo31 said:


> I am a graphic designer in print with no knowledge of the web stuff. But I have just built my website which looks pretty good. I have added gallery pages that you can run through as a slide show etc.I used some software called Webpro 6. I done all the graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator and just imported it into webpro and hey presto a half decent site. it is a work in progress but does the job.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


I don't wanna burst your bubble but there's already an established detailer by the name of Mirror Finish


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

I know but thats up north. Manchester way i think not likley to stepon any toes etc. Ur not bursting my bubble. There are quiet a few Mirror Finishes around.

Cheers for pointing it out:thumbup:

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Patr1ck (Mar 10, 2013)

adamangler said:


> Did my First job this morning. Interiør valet Inc full vac steam clean all fabric and generally a good clean/dyst remove rubbish etc. *Took 2 hours on a large estate. Charged 20 quid.*
> 
> Came away with the feeling i had undercharged but Also loads more i could have done. Im going to have a complete re structure later.
> 
> ...


Mate.... 2 hours for £20 .... I'm sure he can get plenty of work for ya !!! Charge more


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

Word of mouth is some of the best advertising around. I went out to do 2 cars today just mini Valets nothing special ended up with 3 cars and £75 in my pocket. The neighbours saw me and pounced. I get quiet a bit of work that way. I find having a banner or a sandwhich board up works pretty good as well atracts more interest in the road ur working.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

Wazhalo31 said:


> Word of mouth is some of the best advertising around. I went out to do 2 cars today just mini Valets nothing special ended up with 3 cars and £75 in my pocket. The neighbours saw me and pounced. I get quiet a bit of work that way. I find having a banner or a sandwhich board up works pretty good as well atracts more interest in the road ur working.
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


Do you ever ask the customer about putting the boards up? Or do you just do it?


----------



## Chimpchoker (Apr 3, 2013)

I had my business website (high quality candle maker) by a business in hartlepool called E-merce. www.e-merce.co.uk If you do enquire tell Andy that Alan the candle guy sent you. I don't get anything for it but he likes to know where leads come from.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Patr1ck said:


> Mate.... 2 hours for £20 .... I'm sure he can get plenty of work for ya !!! Charge more


Yep, wont be afraid to ask for more in the future

adjusted my prices here, will tweak it a bit yet though.

http://www.thompsonvaleting.co.uk./Services-and-Prices.html


----------



## essexjoe85 (May 5, 2011)

My personal opinion is that the pricing is a bit complicated to work out and a long read. How about some form of table which shows all the prices together, followed underneath with descriptions?

Just a thought! Good luck with it all, brave adventure!


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

essexjoe85 said:


> My personal opinion is that the pricing is a bit complicated to work out and a long read. !


Agreed.

And your opening line reads:

"At Thompson valeting we like to keep thing simple."


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

lol, yeah, will sort it tomorrow


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

adamangler said:


> lol, yeah, will sort it tomorrow


If you don't mind further critique, the photo of the car on the front page with doors open is messy, lots going in with distracting background etc. I'm sure the car is a very clean example of your work but the photo does nothing to justify that. No photo would be better than a poor photo.


----------



## tarbyonline (May 23, 2009)

Hi Adam. This is quite a long post and full of critique.

Something I noticed on your site, the full valet says "as silver valet with the extras below" but there is no silver valet? Guessing you are still finalising names, etc but might confuse a prospective customer and doesn't look very professional. Also, do you need so many capitals? Another thing about the site - what area do you serve as this is not very clear. Is it just Wakefield or do you like your competitors go further afield? For example would you be able to valet a car in Castleford or Leeds as this would also massively increase the number of potential customers as it appears from your site ATM you just serve Wakefield itself.

Although I have no experience running a valeting business I have spent the best part of 10 years in Retail Management and have studied Business with the Open University and at college so know a bit about promotion etc. I have also dabbled in the past in web design though have forgotten the coding side of things. I did a bit of googling and it looks like there are a few established competitors with nice websites so it might be worth investing in this. Doesn't need to be too fancy, you could probably pick up a lot of tips (even templates) on the web and do it yourself to get you started. In fact there are hundreds (if not thousands) of guides for businesses looking to establish or improve a web presence online - google is your friend! I see your site was designed using vistaprints web builder and they also registered your domain name (and I assume host your site?). Do you know if you can upload a design not in their software for example?

Before and after pics are a must in my opinion, and get a facebook page setup and all your family and friends to "like" it as their family and friends will see this (a form of word of mouth advertising in which they are actually endorsing your service without using it). Make sure you have your contact details etc on it and also you can use this as a sort of blog for any offers you are running or before and after pics, etc. I notice Inspired Automotive have a facebook like button on their site as do JS Elite Valeting which is another good idea as anyone who clicks it is advertising (and endorsing) your services and it doesn't cost you a penny!

I think you need to address the pricing as inspired automotive for example are charging the same price for an exterior wash and quick vacuum (with no dressings applied or air freshner etc) only as you are for a standard valet! Your wetvac price looks very cheap as well to me (its £35 at inspired and not offered seperately by JS). Perhaps you could keep some of this pricing for a while as a time limited special offer (with the normal price in brackets - Standard Valet for the price of a standard wash type thing)? This might tempt people to try the new guy whilst also not making you look cheap (its a psychological thing - as someone else said low price is perceived as low quality so a well worded offer can get you the benefits of both - think DFS and all those 'sales' they have!). 

Whatever you do you need to have a look at your pricing and finalize what costs what in the long term, then think of some offers. You also (and this goes hand in hand) need to finalise your business name and identity (logo, colour scheme, etc) as this is what you are going to be known as and is potentially your customers first impression - if your not happy with the name now is the time to change it not when you get established as changing your name means almost starting from scratch again. Get it all up on your (redesigned?) site. I'm with S63 on the photo btw - perhaps a pic of a gleaming car would be a better image to use? Not to sure on the colours either - I associate brown with dirt which is the opposite image of what you are trying to portray.

Speaking of business image, get yourself some polo shirts or fleeces printed with your company name/logo on them - makes you look more professional. And get that van (mobile billboard!!!) sign written! Getting on some courses on the future is a great idea but also another cost but its probably worth looking into - being able to say you are Autoglym trained for example will get you a lot of business which may have gone to others who couldn't say the same.

Hope I haven't made you feel to down, I know the above sounds like a lot of work (and like any new business it is). You have at least one satisfied paying customer now and the first customer is always the hardest to get. Keep at it, keep promoting, and keep listening to advice - who ever said you learn something new everyday was right and nowhere does this apply more than in business. I think it is great what you are doing (particularly in the current economic client) and wish I could do the same myself! Try to look for gaps in the market and things you can do better than your competitors. Best of luck again and if I can be of any help I will try.


----------



## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

Here is my pricing:

http://www.cleannsimples.co.uk/services/car-cleaning

A lot more simple


----------



## The Pan Man (Apr 16, 2010)

Took 2 hours on a large estate. Charged 20 quid.

That's £10.00 less materials and other costs, no way near enough. If you need to compete on prices then you might want to have complete rethink because at those prices the only way you will go is broke. Apologies for the harsh words but it's a fact of life. I in the past have worked for big companies small companies and myself. Having a unit was a necessity for me so the first income every month was allocated to rent and rates that was over a grand 7 years ago. So working on a 50% GP which give 33.33% profit I had to do £3000 turnover per month just to pay rent and rates, now I know you don't have a unit but you are running a car or van, equates to the same thing.


----------



## simonvespa (Apr 18, 2012)

Hi Adam

If you're going to focus on a web presence then really concentrate on getting the basics right. Some good advice on this thread already about making the services simple and some good before and after shots. The most popular threads on this forum are the Showroom ones: people want to see cars turned around. If I go to your site I want to see what you can do to my car.

Also, get your spelling and grammar right. If you dont feel confident give draft content to someone for review. Currently you have poor use of capitals (Bmw, astra etc) and halfway down the page you just give up all together and go ALL CAPS! This might sound brutal but to me this is sloppy. If I am paying good money for someone to valet my car I want them to take care.

Does a sloppy website equal sloppy work - no not necessarily. But the type of person who is prepared to spend £40/£50 having their car cleaned in the current economic climate may think so and look elsewhere.

One other tip would be to look at your content from a customers viewpoint. Bearing in mind that they probably dont know all the jargon used in the valeting world. For instance:

IN ADDITION WE OFFER A CLAY BAR WHICH REMOVES CONTAMINANTS FROM THE PAINT AT A GREATER LEVEL THAN A PLAIN WASH

Firstly, what are contaminants? And secondly, thanks for the offer of a 'clay bar' - what do you expect me to do with it??!! From a customers point of view you are offering.

'A deep clean that safely removes tar, tree sap and brake dust from the pores of the paint leaving behind a smooth glasslike finish.'

I hope you take this post in the spirit that it is intended. To my mind anyone brave or motivated enough to start their own business needs all the support they can get. All the best with it!

Simon


----------



## deefer (Feb 27, 2013)

simonvespa said:


> Also, get your spelling and grammar right.
> 
> 'A deep clean that safely removes tar, tree sap and break dust from the pores of the paint leaving behind a smooth glasslike finish.'


I would spell 'brake dust' correctly 

Great advise though, you only get one 'first impression' so make the most of it.


----------



## simonvespa (Apr 18, 2012)

^^ I knew I would get something wrong lol....... given the opportunity I would have got someone to proof read it! :thumb:

Fantastic - now I've found the edit button!!!!


----------



## deefer (Feb 27, 2013)

simonvespa said:


> Fantastic - now I've found the edit button!!!!


It doesn't edit my quote though  
The typo will remain forever in internet history 

On the subject of pricing, I just quoted a client £50 for an interior valet on a VW Polo, their initial response was '£50! Thats a lot!' But after explaining that it is 2-3 hours work, travelling & product costs they booked it in and added an external wash/hand wax for an additional £50.

Whilst £100 might sound OK, it will be 5-6 hours work (including 30 mins each way travelling) which makes it difficult to add any other jobs that day. If I am lucky I can fit in another wash or two and end up with £150ish for a days work. If this were repeated 5 days/week it would be OK, but due to the wonderful British weather it is not always possible. 
If I were charging any less it simply wouldn't be worth doing.

People will pay for quality and convenience, and if you can 'WOW' them with the quality of your work you can charge reasonable amounts.

There are a lot of costs that clients simply don't know exist, from insurance (I also got mine through Lloyd, highly recommended), washing MF cloths and towels to servicing/replacing equipment.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

I quoted (and charged) £100 for an interior a little while ago. To be honest that was a price I set hoping the client would refuse because it was one interior I didn't want to do; absolutely filthy.

The client accepted though - doh!  Took 7 hours to get it up to scratch and so I did not feel so bad about charging that amount.

If I see dog hairs these days I immediately think of a figure around the £100 mark.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Awsome critique.

Now i feel like an idiot, lots of mistakes. I thought i had researched quite well.
Not sure What to do now. Vistaprint website is a bit limiting, Ive already Got some clothes måde up . And since Ive registered my domain im a bit stuck.

Really cant afford a pro web page atm so going to try again tonight with all the tips from this thread


Part of me is thinking of a name change but I dont know lol


----------



## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

afcbob said:


> Never cut corners as that one car could lead to 10+


A good few years ago now, I found a VERY good mechanic. Recently I estimated that he gained around 20 to 30 new customers through word of mouth from me, if not more.


----------



## essexjoe85 (May 5, 2011)

organisys said:


> A good few years ago now, I found a VERY good mechanic. Recently I estimated that he gained around 20 to 30 new customers through word of mouth from me, if not more.


Have exactly the same with my mechanic. Been using the guy for 10 or so years. Probably about 15 customers through my word.

He has never advertised, done leaflets etc since starting his business and all his work has come from word of mouth. Now owns two garages with about 15 staff. I think this nearly always comes from the good honest work and that extra little bit of free work or advice given.

Going that extra mile in this type of business goes along way in my opinion.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

adamangler said:


> And since Ive registered my domain im a bit stuck.
> 
> Really cant afford a pro web page atm so going to try again tonight with all the tips from this thread
> 
> Part of me is thinking of a name change but I dont know lol


Nothing wrong with the name inmo. If you did want to change then you can register a new name easily enough, but instead of paying for additional web-space, pay for a 'redirection' service instead. This way, when someone enters 'www.yournewdomainname.co.uk' they automatically arrive at www.thompsonvaleting.co.uk and the actual URL can be masked. This only costs a few squid per year.


----------



## james vti-s (Aug 9, 2011)

james vti-s said:


> your web site is not good (imo) i am going this way, no vista print logo at the bottom


If you want a decent enough web site this is one way to go + it costs little but dose take some time to do


----------



## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

deefer;4065327
Great advice though said:


> Fixed it for you mate


----------



## deefer (Feb 27, 2013)

DJ.X-Ray said:


> Fixed it for you mate


Do as I say, not as I do


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

essexjoe85 said:


> Have exactly the same with my mechanic. Been using the guy for 10 or so years. Probably about 15 customers through my word.
> 
> He has never advertised, done leaflets etc since starting his business and all his work has come from word of mouth. Now owns two garages with about 15 staff. I think this nearly always comes from the good honest work and that extra little bit of free work or advice given.
> 
> Going that extra mile in this type of business goes along way in my opinion.


Couldn't agree more. A combination of this plus excellent presentation will take you far.

I recently saw an image on DW of a valeter in track suit trousers, trainers and puffing on a ***, looked anything but professional, make your van and own appearance a priority within your advertising/marketing budget.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Its now two weeks since i started up, ive done 2 jobs an interior and a full valet.
ive also had to cancel 2 jobs 1 because of the weather and another because the customer wanted it doing midweek (i work full time)

also missed out on another job because of this, ive had 2 phone calls that never called back

so all in all ive had about 7-8 potential customers, no one has rang in over a week and i must admit its harder than i thought.

Anyway decided to take a step back and reasess the situation, theres a couple of things i need to get, mainly a water tank and some sign writing done.

its been a good experience though ive made a few mistakes, undercharging, not writing down phone numbers/not having a back up plan when extension wasnt long enough, cancelling a job due to weather then it turned out sunny lol

im now having a proper website built when this is done and i have all the gear sorted im going to register with hrmc and put all my efforts into marketing.






How long did it take you guys to get regular work/established?


----------



## Patr1ck (Mar 10, 2013)

Where about are you based ??


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

wakefield, west yorks


----------



## Patr1ck (Mar 10, 2013)

Oh ok !!! Possible due to location !!! I'm in London and I currently work at Mercedes Benz as a car sales exec and I'm planning to set up over the next few months!!! My 2013 caddy van is coming beginning of may and my 300 litre water tank is going in aswell. As far as I can gather from my investigations is that word of mouth is what's gonna get you the business along with a website and sign written van. 

To be fair, the enquiries that you have had so far based on the fact that you have no website and no sign writing on ya van and you have only just started is pretty good. Just keep with it a be anal about the quality if work and a dash of determination and it will work out !!!!


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Thanks im not giving in, but think i rushed into it too quickly and got caught out!

Unfortunately im having to build up from nothing, no capital, cant get credit etc, so no brand new vans and all the latest gear for me sadly. 

Theres a couple of things i still need to sort but cant really afford, advertising, tank, signwriting etc so im struggling a bit.

So far ive posted about 1000 flyers and put an ad on facebook, i did make a website with vistaprint but it doesnt rank very well so hopefully get the website sorted and go from there


----------



## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

deefer said:


> I would spell 'brake dust' correctly
> 
> Great advise though, you only get one 'first impression' so make the most of it.


I would spell "Advice" correctly


----------



## cypukas (Aug 24, 2012)

Don't forget that people .who got your leaflets can call you a week or month later


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

adamangler said:


> Its now two weeks since i started up, ive done 2 jobs an interior and a full valet.
> ive also had to cancel 2 jobs 1 because of the weather and another because the customer wanted it doing midweek (i work full time)
> 
> also missed out on another job because of this, ive had 2 phone calls that never called back
> ...


Sounds to me you are a tad impatient. To "step back and reasess" after just two weeks since launch is no time at all, no matter what the business it takes time for a picture to become clear, to establish regular work can take months if not years.

Having your van sign written is an absolute priority. As for not having enough extension flex and cancelling work due to weather would have Lord Sugar with his head in his hands, get the basics right, work until the weather totally defeats you and I'm sure things will start to click into place.


----------



## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

You need better quality gallery pics IMO , get yourself a decent camera , if they aren't good pics they shouldn't go on your site

All the very best with it all


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Regards the weather, i dnt mind getting soaked to the bone but i imagine my hoover or othwr electrical items might disagree? 

Do valeters work in the rain? I was under the impression valeting was dictated by the weather


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

adamangler said:


> Regards the weather, i dnt mind getting soaked to the bone but i imagine my hoover or othwr electrical items might disagree?
> 
> Do valeters work in the rain? I was under the impression valeting was dictated by the weather


I didn't for one moment suggest working in the rain, of course you're not going to have electrical equipment exposed to water but with the British weather the way it is showers can pass over( as it sounds like you found recently) and work can continue.


----------



## ianrobbo1 (Feb 13, 2007)

You've also all the competition to contend with, I live near Wakey, and I often see at least 2/3 different "valeters" vans coming and going, as well as having an established "Valeting" company on Donny road, plus the "hand wash" near the over bridge that regularly gets high end motors in, being "detailed":lol: and oop north like we are, the locals do tend to be tightwads:doublesho good luck with your venture I considered it and chose not to bother because of the reasons I mention.


----------



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Have you tried posting lots from your facebook, doing offers etc to try and get your name know.

Agree with others though, sign writing has got to be a priority, even if its nothing fancy.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

S63 said:


> I didn't for one moment suggest working in the rain, of course you're not going to have electrical equipment exposed to water but with the British weather the way it is showers can pass over( as it sounds like you found recently) and work can continue.


Correct, another lesson learned. Cheers.


----------



## Markojay (Mar 2, 2010)

I set up full time last October detailing and Valeting. I was pretty busy a month ago but now the better weather has come I have hardly anything booked in which I find baffling! It's all down to word of mouth really and having your van sign written is a must! Facebook & Twitter is a brilliant way of blogging your day to day work. I've had quite a few jobs thanks to Facebook. It will take at least a year to have regular work and takes time.


----------



## Jack Reid (Apr 16, 2013)

Start with Friends & Family!


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

I setup doing friends and family only a few years back working from the drive at home part time, This gave me time to work on my methods and tecnique. Along with trying different products. I didnt make much money but it covered the chemicals and gave me some Valuable experience etc. Mid to later part of march this year I finally setup my mobile business Not investing massively under 3k for everything. I researched everything and chose sensibly rather than buying new I bought good quality second hand gear. So far I this month I have had 15 customers ranging from the basic wash only to full Valets oh and one Boat and 2 Motorcycles. I am still only running this part time at the moment. I work flexi so can fit most jobs around this.

I find that u need to keep ur prices so that u can cater for all budgets. I do deals for more than one car at the same address as well as discounting slightly if i can use the customers water supply and power. I also offer a loyalty scheme giving the customers a chance to have a free valet, upgrade to a top end wax etc. This seems to get the customers attention. I do a 15% discount for customer referals as well.

I go through alot of business cards. I have been apporaching companies as well and offering my services at discounted rates for 3 or more vehicles. I have done a few freebies to prove that i know what I am doing to some companies. This gets them gripped straightaway usually ends up with the customer paying me something. I use facebook and twitter alot as well to get out there and try and make a name for myself. Most of the work has come from word of mouth etc. I tried flyering but thats not worked. I have a banner up as well whilst working as I have not had time to put my graphics on yet. All in all its going ok so far and I am making money etc. I think the key thing is to plan exactly how u are going to market urself. I am graphic designer so do all artwork and marketing myself. 

I hope I have not wittered on for to long. I hope it all goes well for u.

Cheers
Loz


Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

S63 said:


> Couldn't agree more. A combination of this plus excellent presentation will take you far.
> 
> I recently saw an image on DW of a valeter in track suit trousers, trainers and puffing on a ***, looked anything but professional, make your van and own appearance a priority within your advertising/marketing budget.


I always thought this as well. There is a car wash across the road from my work and the employees just turn up to work in whatever outfit floats their boat on the day... which always seems to be trackies and a hoodie, with the hood permanently up of course. Not a very good image.

If there were two car washes beside each other, one with a bunch of hoodies running it and the other with smartly dressed employees in crisp company branded polo shirts, neat trousers and polished boots, which one would you choose? (obviously neither for DW members )


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

A guy turned up at our dealership in the week, he's a kitchen/bathroom fitter, his van was immaculate and beautifully sign written, he was wearing a polo shirt with his company logo on, I didn't know anything about the guy but wouldn't hesitate to have him quote me if I needed a job doing, the image just oozes quality and class.


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

Apperance is everything. Its the first thimg potential customer will see. It pays to be smart. :thumbup:

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## adf27 (Mar 14, 2012)

A few tips, sorry if its not new information: 

1. Word of mouth is your best form of advertising, and its free! Leave a customer feeling happy and they'll likely tell colleagues, friends family etc, who then hopefully come to you.

2. Spend a bit of extra time to make the job just a little better. Its amazing how much difference an extra half hour can make.

3. Make sure you talk to customers after you have done the job to try and get feedback, be it positive or negative, it should help you tailor your service a little more. 

4. Offer loyalty discounts, such as a buy one, get one half price offer. This will encourage the customers to come back to you, especially if you offer a good service and leave them happy.

5. Finally, don't give up! Even if business seems slow, carry on. Getting paid to do something you enjoy in this economic climate is fantastic! 

Hope this helps :thumb:


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

cheers guys, im just not very patient, will feel more confident once i get signwriting done and new website. I hate going to jobs without the signwriting! defo getting it done as a priority in the next week


----------



## mike13098 (Jan 21, 2012)

Franzpan said:


> If there were two car washes beside each other, one with a bunch of hoodies running it and the other with smartly dressed employees in crisp company branded polo shirts, neat trousers and polished boots, which one would you choose? (obviously neither for DW members )


the company that did the best job?

but yeah, get some decent clothes, not a pair of old stained jeans - a decent pair of black combat work trousers are cheaper, last longer, look better etc.

Charge a lot more than £10.00 an hour, after tax and running costs you are actually under the NMW which is almost £7.00 an hour now.

people should be charging around £25.00 an hour to make a profit, maybe a little more to cover travelling time etc from job to job where other people can be at the job site for 8 hours, valeters spend time on the road


----------



## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

If Thompson Valeting is your website, there are still various spelling mistakes and a lack of capital letters ("autoglym" on the home page for example should read "Autoglym"), so if you've paid someone to do this for you, I'd get them to go through it with a fine toothcomb and correct it.

If it's any help, I advertise in a couple of local village monthly newsletters and get plenty of work from those, although much of it is through word of mouth as I've been going for over ten years. I'm obviously not working in valeting though.

If you don't know of any such newsletters, try asking in local Post Offices, as they'll certainly be aware of them.

As Mike above says, you need to charge enough, and too cheap can make you look too cheap to be any good. Back in 1990, a chap I knew was charging £10 and hour for TIG welding on racing car parts and hardly had any work. He was advised to put his rate up to £25 an hour, did so, and was inundated.

People thought he couldn't be any good, even though he was astonishingly good, as he was only charging a small amount. He now makes carbon fibre parts for F1 teams.

I hope this is helpful, and good luck.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

Joe the Plumber said:


> If Thompson Valeting is your website, there are still various spelling mistakes and a lack of capital letters ("autoglym" on the home page for example should read "Autoglym"), so if you've paid someone to do this for you, I'd get them to go through it with a fine toothcomb and correct it.
> 
> If it's any help, I advertise in a couple of local village monthly newsletters and get plenty of work from those, although much of it is through word of mouth as I've been going for over ten years. I'm obviously not working in valeting though.
> 
> ...


no im getting another one designed, this was the one i did myself, it will be taken down in a few weeks hopefully. Im working on approx £20 an hour before costs i will be bringing my prices inline with whats on offer locally though.


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

adamangler said:


> i will be bringing my prices inline with whats on offer locally though.


Only if what's on offer locally is of a similar quality to your work.


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

i would say so, there are a few detailing firms in my area offering higher end services that i cannot. And a few offering other services such as smart repairs etc.

Seems my main competitor in my area would be this guy, yes there are others buried away on google and in local ads but from going by the service i want to offer, this guy seems the most similar.

http://www.jselitevaleting.com/pricing.php

he ranks the highest on google for wakefield, has a nice website and fair prices.

My aim is to be a valeter, not pretending to be a detailer, hopefully offer a good job at a competitive price point.

My initial aim is to be a able to take home £250 after all costs per week, initial estimates would see my turnover needing to be approx £400 for this to happen.

Having said that i would want a cushion, so in reality £350 take home would give me a level of comfort with regards rainy days etc.

Obv i need to look into this a lot deeper before going full time, i have 3 kids but on the plus i side i am a council tenant so would not be in danger of losing everything. Worse case scenario for me if this fails is the dole, its a risk im willing to take at some point because although jobs are hard to come by im by no means in love with my job and its definitely not where i want to be in 5 or 10 years time..

I suppose i would target next year to go full time, these next few months are to make mistakes and learn working weekends poss evenings.


----------



## markamo (Sep 26, 2010)

Hi Adam I've set up properly a few months ago used 123 reg for website, sign written van and business cards, used the free advertising on the web ie gumtree , yell etc. got work coming in now mainly through word of mouth, All the advice people have given is right get your pricing right from the start not to cheap( how can you tell a customer in 6 months time your doubling your prices). Just look professional all the time and it will all come together:thumb:
cheers mark


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

Your spot on about pricing. Its a diffcult one to guage especially with the economic climate to cheap and its not worth doing to expensive and u price urself out of the potential work. 

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

The first And last seem fine. Perfectly normal. That middle one is a bit odd


----------



## Wazhalo31 (Feb 16, 2013)

Hi website looks good. Not sure if it is working on my mobile properly. How about using ur lower prices as opening offers for a couple of months etc to get people interested. I think ur mini Valet is about right £25/£30 your full Valet seems a bit low especially as u offer the seats and mats washed which is pretty time consuming etc. Maybe it should be around £60 and £65 for a larger vehicle. But times are hard at the moment for people and I find allot of people will happily pay up to £40 but anything beyond this they start to pull a bit of a face. It might be worth doing deals on more than one car at the same address etc. I find this gets allot of interest.

This is just my 2p's worth. Great to hear ur getting some work coming threw. 

:thumbup:


----------



## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

The full valet menu is a bit confusing,dont you include a polish in a full valet? If not in which service do you offer a polish of any sort?


----------



## adamangler (Mar 9, 2013)

yeah i think its the order of the services, i do offer a polish and wax, thats in the pro full valet

it needs some revision, i agree its not that easy to follow

yeah shampooing takes ages!




I was thinking of changing it to interior/exterior/mini valet/full valet

then just adding polish, wax, shampoo, clay as optional extras to make it simpler to understand


cheers


----------



## RyanSpencer (Apr 27, 2013)

*The Guru*

Before starting any business you should do all your market research and assess whether your business is viable, also you must have marketing and advertising campaigns in place to help you get the business of the ground. If you would like to pm me with your phone number I will call you with some advice to help you generate some business. Regards the Guru.


----------



## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Although your new website looks much better than the original one, there are still various errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, lack of capitals), especially on the 'FAQ' page. You might like to get your web person to go through it again and correct them.

Please don't think I'm getting at you. This is intended to be a helpful observation and 
I'm very glad to hear the business is picking up.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Joe the Plumber said:


> Although your new website looks much better than the original one, there are still various errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, lack of capitals), especially on the 'FAQ' page. You might like to get your web person to go through it again and correct them.
> 
> Please don't think I'm getting at you. This is intended to be a helpful observation and
> I'm very glad to hear the business is picking up.


+1. 

The site looks much better than it did, but yes, lots of grammatical errors to remedy as they are a kind of distraction.


----------



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

guys, please no links to websites as you aren't DW supporters.
we've removed at least one already..

thanks


----------



## haz619 (Feb 15, 2013)

can someone pm me the website plx


----------

