Paint Polishing Techniques That Work!!! But are you paid for the work you do? Paint Polishing Techniques, methods and ability to sell paint correction plays a huge role in your overall success in the paint correction category. In my 42 years in the car care business I’ve seen and experienced changes that a lot of people and detailers will never go through. Those times have passed but brought with it a tremendous education for the few of us that have been around in the beginning days of detailing, paint correction and overall paint history. We’ve come a long way since then. With the anticipated birth of technology finally hitting the auto detailing and car care industry in the mid 2000’s we’ve experienced more change then ever before, especially with the new movement in “High End” Paint Correction. The changes I’m going to refer to are in “Paint Polishing Techniques and Methods” and the “Paint Correction Sales Effort” and why these are important and widely overlooked by most detailers today. My disclaimer is that this is not a training session and not designed to teach anyone the art of paint correction or how to sell paint correction services. Its just an article to help guide some who are looking for answers as to why they are not making money or making a profit in their car care businesses. Paint polishing techniques can help anyone get a nice looking painted finish however, there are polishing theory’s and years of experience that truly make all the difference in the world when looking for that perfect paint finish but, getting it done in a time frame that pays the bills is another and quite different story. I get emails, phone calls and messages from detailers from all over the world and the common most frequently asked question is how can I get my customer to pay me for the “High End” paint correction service I offer? I also hear them say, I’m doing amazing work but I’m not getting paid for the work I do. This is a scary common story and a mater of fact… some of you reading this know what I’m sharing here. I’ve always said, anyone with enough experience and enough free time on his or her hands can get paint looking amazing. However, you are all under the gun to try and perform and meet expectations set for our customers but get paid the price tag you deserve in a time frame that works. Today, we see so many detailers looking for bragging rights, posting amazing photos of their work and sharing their clients and customers testimonials. But, most of these same detailers are working way to hard, spending way to many hours and days on vehicles and not able to collect the paycheck they truly deserve for the time spent to complete the job. Most of these detailers are, for the most part, just making ends meet or are flat broke at the end of each month. Getting customers to pay the right price for high-end paint correction services is an art in itself. Most detailers are struggling with getting the paycheck they need for the time spent and this needs to be corrected in order for them to make a decent living and show a nice profit each year they are in business. The equation is simple and easy; you need to get your average time per car way down and your average dollar amount way up! Averages in business have been used successfully since the beginning of time. The sports industry does everything in their industry and business based on averages and so do many other industries throughout the world. There are only two ways this can happen. One, you have to charge enough money to cover the time and expenses we spend on the job and two, you have to learn how to get your average time down on each paint correction you perform by learning the techniques and methods that allow this process to take place. Most detailers selling high end services are afraid to throw out a high dollar quote that goes with the high end service in fear of getting a “No” or loosing the sale or to hear the potential customer say, that’s too expensive. So, our natural instinct is to quote the job at a price that you think they can afford and then, you end up doing hours upon hours of work that you never end up getting paid for. In this case the customer walks away totally stoked with the work they received while the detailer walks away with nothing more then bragging rights and empty pockets. This is all too common and I hope this article helps produce some amazing results and thoughts as it has for many detailers I’ve worked with in the past. 1. Learn how to sell high-end services. It’s an art that needs to be mastered in many ways. People need to see value and the benefits in your featured “high-end” services. You have to be able to explain the benefits and create the added value in getting customers to pay you the price you truly need on offering high-end paint correction. If they don’t see it, if they don’t understand it then, they won’t pay you for it. The added value in your high priced services has to be obvious to your customer. 2. Learn how to perform high-end paint correction services by using techniques and methods that truly cut your time way down but still give you and your customer the results you’re both looking for. Find out how to make adjustments and use the right combination choices to insure you getting the best out of yourself, your tools and your products. 3. Last but not least, be sure to do your testing and try and figure out the perfect combination choices before you attempt to start doing the entire vehicle. It so much easier to take some time up front and find the perfect paint correction choice during your preliminary testing, so that you’re not ending up wasting time figuring it out as you go. There are 6 basic polishing and buffing techniques that I’ve learned from my own experiences and from Jason Rose of Meguiars. These six steps have helped me over the years to perfect the art of polishing paint in a time frame that makes me a nice profit on each paint correction I perform. And of course the right choice of machine or tool used plays a huge role in the success or failure of these techniques and the overall finished project. The 5 polishing techniques are: 1. Machine speed choice 2. Arm speed 3. Proper downward pressure 4. Pad angle 5. Working area 6. Machine holding techniques These techniques, when used correctly can, and will, cut your time down depending upon how you implement them. These techniques are also designed to help eliminate fatigue and years of wear and tear on your body, joints, knees and lower back. I see a lot of old time detailers and body shop guys that have wrecked their bodies due to not using proper polishing and buffing techniques. I’ve seen many shop employees turn in workers comp claims because they were never taught proper polishing techniques and end up being hurt on the job. Sometimes just getting tired throughout paint correction process is a huge drain on your time in getting the job done and making it profitable. In addition to using the right techniques and methods it’s imperative you learn the art of selling “High End” services. If you can’t close em, you loose em. Three great books I would like to recommend to you in helping you get started in mastering the art of high-end sales is; 1. The Greatest Salesmen In The World by Og Mandio (one of my all time favorites and I’ve read it quite a few times over the years). 2. Spin Selling by Neil Rackham 3. Consultative Selling by Mark Hanan All three of these books are very easy reads and very easy to duplicate. A great start in learning how to sell and why the sales process is necessary especially if you want the high-end dollars. Over the years I’ve become very proficient in my sales efforts in getting my clients to pay me handsomely for the paint corrections services I offer. I’ve learned how to handle their objections accordingly and my closing ratio is very high. Most all of your clients love to have beautiful looking paint. The sales technique is to be able to get them to pay you enough to cover your time, expenses and your knowledge so you can make a profit in your business. Moving back into the actual work, I have attached some basic technique photos to this post to help you guys understand how to polish paint in record times without damaging your body, saving you time and offering an amazing paint correction service that all your clients will value and be happy to pay for. As you can see by the before and after photos on this project the car was in very bad shape covered in heavy water spot damage and swirls. I spent a total of 6 hours on the complete detail. The total project included the complete paint correction as well as the interior and an engine detail. This also included a partial paint coating on the hood and front bumper. My price tag was $1,200.00. This client had talked to several other detailers before coming to me. I was the most expensive quote they got but I still ended up getting the job… They saw “the value” in using me over my competitors. As you can see, my average time was kept very low and my average dollar was very profitable. People don’t pay me for what I do to their car, they pay me for what I know how to do to their car!!! When you understand that, you are on your way to a very profitable business and a real auto-detailing career. For more information on paint polishing and high end paint correction services please feel free to check us out on thedetailingpros website, or call us anytime you like and we will be more then happy to answer any and all your questions. Thanks and good luck with your new, high end detailing endeavors…
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 22:44:03 +0000