2021_ADN_V6_No2-web

DETAIL
DOCTOR
The 15 Pillars
of Prosperity
How to grow and increase sales in 2021
Bud Abraham is Founder and President Emeritus of DETAIL PLUS Car Appearance Systems, with more than 40 years of experience
in the car care industry as a manufacturer, operator, distributor and consultant. He writes articles and gives seminars on the subject
of auto detailing throughout the automotive industry. He can be reached at buda@detailplus.com.
By Bud Abraham, The Detail Doctor
buda@detailplus.com
Like many service other businesses,
auto detailing involves not only technical
aspects, but probably more important,
marketing, advertising, sales, hiring, training,
managing, employee safety and general
management.
As we move toward the second year of
the pandemic, I think it is a good idea that
you take an overall look at your detailing
business, and consider planning an all-encompassing
strategy to increase sales
and profits for the remainder of 2021, as
things begin to return to normalcy.
All small businesses are faced with
increasing costs and competition, especially
during the pandemic so it is critical
for survival to keep sales up. We see that
“big” companies keep getting
bigger, while “small” companies stagnate
or fall behind. This is not because
they are big, it is because the “big boys”
know how to position market. They employ
strategies to keep
sales growing, or at least stable, even
in the most trying times, and this last year
and half have been trying, to say the least.
As a small detail business, you can use
these strategies to grow. The following
are some examples of what to do if you
have the time to set down the buffer and
spend some time on the business-side of
your business. As you read them, try to
consider how you can use them in your
detailing business.
1 UNDERSTANDING
THE VALUE OF A
CUSTOMER
Ask yourself: “What is a customer
worth?” You’ll find it is far more than
their original purchase. You must see your
customer as a long-term investment, not a
one-time shot.
In short, you must provide them with
quality service and value the first time, in
order to keep them coming back and referring
you to friends and relatives.
2
CREATE A SOLID
COMPANY IMAGE
Honestly ask yourself: “Who
and what is my business?” If you cannot
answer that clearly and concisely, how can
you expect your customers to know?
You must position your business, not
just as a “detail business.” It’s true – you
can’t be something for everyone; but you
can be “something special for a special
few.” You must target a market. Cater to a
specific group of customers and gear your
services to what that market wants.
3
STICK TO THE
BASICS
A mistake too many businesses
make is following along with every new
idea or gimmick that comes along. However,
the key to success is sticking to the basics
– that is, what your customer wants.
For detailers, “sticking to the basics”
means a good detail job supported by a
strong marketing plan to the RIGHT
market, and followed up, of course, by
good service. This is, more or less, the key
to success in any business.
Diversity is fine, and important in
many cases, but when diversity takes your
focus off your core business, detailing, you
will have problems.
TREAT EMPLOYEES
AS YOU WOULD
HAVE THEM TREAT
CUSTOMERS
4
As consumers, we have all fallen victim
to poor service, at one time or another.
Why? In a word (actually two), poor
management.
Any employee, who is not treated
well by their boss, is not likely to treat
the customer very well, or care about
the quality of their work for that matter.
5
WHO TO SELL TO,
AND WHY
A detail business that just
wants to sell detailing and make money
will probably not be in business very
long. A successful business is one that selects
a target market, and then takes steps
towards providing services designed for
that market.
For example, if you choose to cater to
dealers rather than retail customers, you
must be aware that the needs of the dealer
are much different than those of the
consumer.
If you opt for retail customers, then
which markets do you target there? Professionals?
The wealthy? The middleclass?
Exotic/Luxury car owners, the Walmartshopping-price-conscious
buyers?
Remember, you can’t cater to them
all. Select a target market and position
yourself to cater to that market.
6
EMPHASIZE “VALUE”
OVER “PRICE”
Studies have shown that consumers
are less concerned about how
much something costs than how much
something is worth. VALUE, remember
that word. You need to convince whichever
customer you target that the price you
charge is worth what you are charging.
If you are unsure of this, consider how
much more money many motorists are
willing to spend for a Mercedes-Benz, as
opposed to a Volkswagen.
Both are good cars and will comfortably
get the motorist where he/she wants
to go, but the Mercedes-Benz has a higher
perceived value than the Volkswagen.
Price alone is not the major consideration
in a consumer’s purchasing decision;
if they do not see value, they will
not buy at any cost. That is true of the
price-conscious customer too.
So, if you can establish a higher perceived
value for your product, the customer
will pay the price.
26 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 2 • SUMMER 2021