Detailing Retailers - Educating the Customer

myshirt

I wanted to create this thread for newbies and weekend enthusiasts who have feedback for Detailing Retailers.

The amount of products out there is mind-numbing. Further to this, not all products are fully comparable based on description. What a person might think is a glaze may in fact be an all-in-one. What a person may think is a polish may in fact be a paint sealant. Etc, etc, including waste of time combos being used.

My feedback:

I personally find that the retailers who 'do the work' for you are the most successful when you are new to this. Once a person becomes more experienced, they will 'do the work' themselves as they develop knowledge and experience.

Take for example PolishedBliss.co.uk. Under each product they have key and critical information:

• What the product is for
• How to use it
• How it links with other products
• Constant reference and linkage to the stage of the detailing process at all times (I think this one is critical)

Sometimes the customer will arrive (sponge in hand) with as wide a query as what is the best wax for a black car, not even knowing what a wax is. They may want a polish and not even know it.

Polishedbliss and some other site put together kits for you, like the PB Glaze and Wax kit, or Jeffs Acryllic kit, the intensive wash kit, wheel kit, or decontamination kit. I think that is a very effective way to provide assurance to the newbie and build the confidence. They explain that 'this is the process, 1, 2, 3, 4; and here are the kits for each stage'. That, I feel, is a good way to get going with a level of confidence.

I think Polishedbliss really understand the detailing customer. I like the business mindset. They set themselves up to take the struggle out of wrestling with all the products out there; and they also cater for those that know what they are on about.

On this side of the pond, you have Detailing Shed who are very, very helpful and the website has improved. Though I would like to see at the very start of the website that if you are looking for any help, to contact them. A few of my friends who I have tried to get washing their cars, they go to the websites, and they just give up as it all gets confusing. The friends I have managed to get 'on board' are those that visited wesbites that done the work for them and led them by the hand in the early stages of getting into detailng. These are now very valuable customers, turning over maybe €300-500 annually for the companies they deal with, and retailer loyalty seems to be a feature of the industry. If you are 'taken care of' by a retailer, you will always shop with them.

I know it is very hard for the experienced retailer to pigeon hole themselves and flog products based on something as ridiculous as the colour of a car only. It'd make you cringe. As the colour of the car shouldn't be what guides the decision etc; but I think retailers need to go out there and set themselves up as 'solution providers' for customers and just go for it. Make the decision. Put together the packs. Make life easy for the customers and let's get them into this. Let's see an end to the sponge brigade.

Curran

myshirt wrote: »

Though I would like to see at the very start of the website that if you are looking for any help, to contact them

I know that was on the homepage of their old website....wonder will they notice this and update it! :P :P

Mc Love

Curran wrote: »

I know that was on the homepage of their old website....wonder will they notice this and update it! :P :P

Not likely :P

MetzgerMeister

If Curran was to have a live Help Me section on the site he would have absolutely no time to himself. What we don't see is the amount of PM's he replies to every day on boards alone!

Curran

Or Email, Facebook, other forum, phone, personal FB (some have a direct line) :P
Ahh I dont mind....all part of the service!