The Competition – Know Who They Are!

Know who your competitors are and develop a plan for how you will be better than they while providing your customers the very best value. I have been in the auto detailing industry for over 25 years and have seen many competitors come and go. Some competitors claim they were going to “put me out of business” while others were “low ballers” when it came to pricing and quickly went out of business. Whatever the case may be know your competition’s strengths and weaknesses so you can professionally sell against them when the occasion arises.

Determine who your competitors are. This can easily be accomplished - all you have to do is search for auto detailers in your area on the Internet and look them up in the yellow pages. You may already know who some of them are by word of mouth or you have seen their shop or their mobile rig on the highway. Develop a spreadsheet and list each competitor and rate them based on the following traits: Did you speak with a human being when you called them? If not how long did it take someone to return your call? Did they answer the phone professionally? Did they answer all your questions in a knowledgeable fashion? Did they ask for your name in the beginning of the call? Did they just give you a price or did they question you about your vehicle? Do they offer a mobile service or pick-up and delivery? Do they accept major credit cards? Do they have liability insurance? Did they ask you for your phone number? Do they have a professional web site? On a scale of 1-5 rate them, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Take any other notes about the call that you feel are relevant and will help you sell against them in the future.

If your competitors are mobile operators then calling them will be the only way you can determine what kind of operation they run except if you get your car detailed by the competitor that you think will be your biggest competitor. It’s actually worth it if you can spare the money. You will see how bad they are or how good you will have to be based on their performance. Your competition does not have to know that you are staring an auto detailing business, you will be a “mystery shopper.” If your biggest competitor has a physical location then go ahead and visit it. Be observant of the equipment they are using, do they have a hot water extractor? Or how about a high speed buffer? How clean and orderly was their detailing bays and their waiting area. Was the staff courteous and have a professional appearance? If you are impressed and answered yes to all of the above then you will have to be even more impressive than your biggest and best competitors!

Never, ever bad mouth your competition even if they are bad mouthing you! Chances are if they are bad mouthing you they will not be around too long. True auto detailing professionals will book auto detailing appointments based on how well they communicate with their prospects, determine their needs and propose a solution based on the features and benefits that can be provided for that particular customer.

Always strive to be the very best. Offer your customers the best value, give them more than they actually bargained for, go above and beyond the call of duty! Do exceptional work at a fair price and you will never have to worry too much about your competitors. Keep an eye on them though, check out their web site from time to time just to see if they are offering anything new that you should know about. You may even make friends with some of your competitors. Having a good, healthy business relationship with your competition is a positive thing.

Nick Vacco
Detail King