Any perfectionist who has ever wanted to start a detailing business can relate to the struggles of overcoming their inner-critic. Auto detailing is about the details after all – but so is perfectionism.
Can anything ever truly be perfect though? Your perfectionist side would have you believe that yes, it can, and nothing else is acceptable. But while spending lots of time removing stains and scratches that you want to see gone may be great for your customer, is it good for you?
Being a perfectionist is by no means a bad thing; Lord knows there are unfortunately many detailers in the industry that offer subpar detailing services and their prices reflect this. Striving to offer quality results in an industry that relies on the highest quality output is a fundamental mindset for running your detailing business successfully.
Nonetheless, you may find yourself struggling with the battle of how much is too much. A key factor we have found to ensure quality results while being confident that a job is truly done, is to first master your craft.
Master Your Craft
Being confident in the tools, products, and techniques you use and knowing the expectations of them will help you identify when something isn’t working the way it should be. As with anything, this takes time and practice.
Establish Boundaries
Another key factor for overcoming your inner-perfectionist on a detailing job is to establish boundaries within your services. Boundaries imply expectations, and as long as you’ve met those expectations, you will keep your customer satisfied and can streamline your business for profit and quality.
At the end of the day, if the customer isn’t paying for every little scratch to be gone, you have to ask yourself why you are going over each section three of four times. Did the customer know beforehand those scratches were there? Did they know about those stains? How can they expect them to be gone if they didn’t even know they were there?
If you offer packages, has the customer been educated on exactly what each package includes? The more the expectations are defined, the easier it is for you to identify the boundaries on a job.
Know Your Worth
Which brings us to our final key factor in overcoming your inner-perfectionist: know your worth. Detailing is hard work! Your time and skills are worthy of being compensated fairly. If you think a job is going to take much longer than anticipated, stop and re-group with the customer on their expectations and desires so you don't spread yourself too thin and can still deliver what the customer wants.
Structure your business and services in such a way they ensure you and your employees are not constantly doing more work than what is being paid for. It’s easy to let the detailer in you dictate everything, but being a better businessperson first is crucial to running a successful detailing business that won't drain you and your resources.
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