Offering professional auto detailing services for profit can be a very lucrative venture if you are considering starting your own auto detailing business. You must first understand to be successful in this business you must properly know how to perform the various procedures. If you are not performing the auto detailing and cleaning services properly it will cost you time, money and probably a repeat customer. Detailing a car is more than just getting out a bucket and a sponge with some soap and a few towels. Individuals are keeping their vehicles longer today and are looking for a detailing service that can help preserve the appearance and help maintain good resale and trade-in value of their vehicle.
Today's vehicles are painted with a process called base-coat / clear coat. This system has been around for many years although to properly work on these paints to restore or recondition them you must know how to use various buffers and polishers. The novice could actually do severe damage to the paint if they do not know how to properly use a buffer or polisher. Hand polishing will not "correct" many paint conditions that that developed with base coat / clear coat paint jobs. To succeed in the auto detailing business it is imperative to know the proper way to handle a rotary polisher. Attending a professional training course will teach the individual how to use a buffer to compound, glaze and polish without damaging the paint.
The individual will also want to be educated the proper way to wash and prep a vehicle prior to detailing it. A great wash-up and prep will lead to a "standing tall" auto detail. Once trained you will know what brush and what cleaner to use for the various tasks. You will also want to be trained on how to use auto detailing clay. Using clay will remove invisible environmental fallout that could be polluting the painted surfaces. Removing the fallout during the wash stage will make the buffing and polishing process go a lot quicker and you will use less polishing product on your buffing pad. Your pads will last longer and you will save time and money by getting the detail finished sooner.
You will want to find an auto detailing training program that will also teach you the steps, methods and procedures for cleaning and detailing the entire interior of all sizes of vehicles. There is much more to do to clean and properly detail an interior. You will need to know how to clean a headliner without damaging it. Removing foul odors like pet odors, food spills, mildew and smoke odors are only a few of many that you may be requested to handle. Without the proper training you will not be able to successfully complete the service. Knowing how to remove foul odors is a huge profit opportunity for the professional detailer.
Training should also consist of teaching the student how to remove stains in the carpets and upholstery. Using a heated carpet extractor properly will get the job done better and faster than just using a wet / dry vac. Scrubbing a very dirty carpet and upholstered seats can turn into a real mess if you do not know the correct steps and procedures. Many of today's cars interiors are very plush and have delicate fabrics and leather surfaces. The detailer must know how to tackle the job of cleaning those fabrics without causing damage or discoloration. Besides cleaning the interior you will also want to know the proper way to detail and condition the vinyl and leather components. A good detailing course will teach you the best way to make the interior "bling bling" in a timely manner.
Besides learning all of the hands-on methods and procedures it is important that you receive some formal training on how to talk with prospects and customers over the phone and face to face. You must know the right questions to ask especially if speaking with the prospect over the phone. You will also want to be taught how to "evaluate" the appearance of a vehicle so you can give the customer a fair estimate. You must make a profit on each vehicle that you detail. The customer must feel that they received the very best value from the service that you provided. A good well-rounded auto detailing training seminar course will teach you all of the aspects outlined above plus many more. Being properly trained will shorten the learning curve and provide the opportunity for you to grow your business and provide profitable and professional auto detailing services to private individuals along with commercial and fleet accounts. The opportunity is huge if you do a superior job!
Source by Nick Vacco