ron lafuddy
August 15, 2014, 07:42 PM
I was visiting one of my advertising clients this morn (a big Used Car Lot) when I saw a familiar van pull up.
I saw the sign on the side of the van and I remembered I had met this guy a few years ago. I finished my biz with the lot owner and went over and re-introduced myself and asked "How it going?" He said, "Great....still seeing 8 lots a day, 4 days a week.....still doin' 10 to 12 cars a day. Lookin' for a buyer for my biz. Know anyone lookin' for a biz to start?"
I asked him to give me some details and I'd pass the word.
Turns out he's still doing the same as when I first met him on another lot a few yrs ago.
He started a Mobile Auto Detailing biz a few yrs ago, going around to Car Lots.....restoring the black plastic on door handles, rear view
mirrors and bumpers and cleaning headlights. He also did Paint Chips.
A guy in an auto parts store introduced him to "BIG D ODOR FOGGER"!
.....for removing foul odors from interiors. He buys the cans for $36 for
a case of 12 and found he can charge $35 per vehicle....to DE-odorize.
He told me the "Fogger" makes for a Great Demonstration because when he sets the can on the floor and pops the top....the interior fills with a fog and when it dissipates...the foul odor is gone.
Since he was getting older, he decided to give up all the other stuff and just do the Odor Removal. He organized 8 lots in 4 different areas. He
does 8 lots a day.... days a week.....doing 10 to 12 cars a day...40 to 50 cars a week for a nice weekly Gross of $1,400 to $1,800 a week.
So....give this some serious thought.
Don Alm
Don,
In helping a neighbor kid start a detailing business, I discovered a niche that's not being exploited.
There are a gazillion people out there with leased vehicles. They have to maintain those vehicles or pay a penalty when they turn them in. The penalty can be substantial if there are stains, or smells in the vehicle. Some of those folks also have dogs or cats that they cart around in their vehicle. Especially to the vets office.
These folks have money to spend.
The neighbor kid told me about a detailing job he'd landed. The women had been hauling a couple of Great Danes around in her SUV. The odor in the SUV was so bad, that the dealer told her "no way" when she tried to turn it in, at the end of the lease.
I told the neighbor to try the Big D odor stuff, as I'd read about it in one of your reports. It worked...at least well enough that the women could turn in her leased vehicle without penalty.
I had the kid make up a flyer specifically offering to remove pet odor out of vehicles and to place it on the counter at pet stores and veteranarians around town.
It worked. The kid started getting calls for deodorizing vehicles. He did this for a bit and then lost interest. Too bad, as the referrals from the vet offices and others was just starting to kick in.
There's a real business here for anyone who wants to give it a go. I would charge the retail market (non-dealers) $70 - $80 just to perform the deodorizing service. You could also offer or an interior detail package, including deodorizing for $150 - $200, depending on the condition of the vehicle.
I've probably just typed Martin's Buckley's next "money makin' report" on the WF, but what the hey.
I saw the sign on the side of the van and I remembered I had met this guy a few years ago. I finished my biz with the lot owner and went over and re-introduced myself and asked "How it going?" He said, "Great....still seeing 8 lots a day, 4 days a week.....still doin' 10 to 12 cars a day. Lookin' for a buyer for my biz. Know anyone lookin' for a biz to start?"
I asked him to give me some details and I'd pass the word.
Turns out he's still doing the same as when I first met him on another lot a few yrs ago.
He started a Mobile Auto Detailing biz a few yrs ago, going around to Car Lots.....restoring the black plastic on door handles, rear view
mirrors and bumpers and cleaning headlights. He also did Paint Chips.
A guy in an auto parts store introduced him to "BIG D ODOR FOGGER"!
.....for removing foul odors from interiors. He buys the cans for $36 for
a case of 12 and found he can charge $35 per vehicle....to DE-odorize.
He told me the "Fogger" makes for a Great Demonstration because when he sets the can on the floor and pops the top....the interior fills with a fog and when it dissipates...the foul odor is gone.
Since he was getting older, he decided to give up all the other stuff and just do the Odor Removal. He organized 8 lots in 4 different areas. He
does 8 lots a day.... days a week.....doing 10 to 12 cars a day...40 to 50 cars a week for a nice weekly Gross of $1,400 to $1,800 a week.
So....give this some serious thought.
Don Alm
Don,
In helping a neighbor kid start a detailing business, I discovered a niche that's not being exploited.
There are a gazillion people out there with leased vehicles. They have to maintain those vehicles or pay a penalty when they turn them in. The penalty can be substantial if there are stains, or smells in the vehicle. Some of those folks also have dogs or cats that they cart around in their vehicle. Especially to the vets office.
These folks have money to spend.
The neighbor kid told me about a detailing job he'd landed. The women had been hauling a couple of Great Danes around in her SUV. The odor in the SUV was so bad, that the dealer told her "no way" when she tried to turn it in, at the end of the lease.
I told the neighbor to try the Big D odor stuff, as I'd read about it in one of your reports. It worked...at least well enough that the women could turn in her leased vehicle without penalty.
I had the kid make up a flyer specifically offering to remove pet odor out of vehicles and to place it on the counter at pet stores and veteranarians around town.
It worked. The kid started getting calls for deodorizing vehicles. He did this for a bit and then lost interest. Too bad, as the referrals from the vet offices and others was just starting to kick in.
There's a real business here for anyone who wants to give it a go. I would charge the retail market (non-dealers) $70 - $80 just to perform the deodorizing service. You could also offer or an interior detail package, including deodorizing for $150 - $200, depending on the condition of the vehicle.
I've probably just typed Martin's Buckley's next "money makin' report" on the WF, but what the hey.
