The most common complaints you hear from detailers always seem to be not having enough business, or that they have too much business. Obviously not having enough business has nothing to do with mechanization; it is an issue of marketing, advertising, sales and quality of service.

However, not being able to do all the vehicles that come to you is a cardinal sin.

In the car wash business if volume increases the operator will either hire more people or purchase more and better equipment, or a combination of both. In the detail business you can not be stagnant; you must always improve your ability to serve the customer when they want service and yet still make a profit. If this is true, and you want to grow you must make changes, you must improve, you must mechanize your business.

Detailing Technology: Primitive at Best
"Mechanization in the detailing business, you have got to be kidding!" When you look at the equipment in a typical detail shop, mechanization is the last word you would use to describe detailing technology.

Squeeze and spray bottles, five gallon buckets, shop vacuums and occasionally a portable carpet/upholstery extractor, don't conjure up the image of mechanization. Extension cords, electric buffers, towels and rags here and there don't give people an image of a professionally equipped business. Most detail shops are a scene of chaos and disorganization.

Is there any wonder that work is not getting done efficiently and in a timely manner? And, if an operator does keep their shop organized using this primitive technology, it is costing them in labor and lost production.

I spoke to a detail business owner who told me in one breath he could not afford to purchase equipment, and in the next breath he admitted that he had one employee who filled squeeze and spray bottles and kept them organized so the detailers wouldn't be distracted.

At $5.85 an hour (Federal minimum wage), plus taxes, etc. he is paying about $1,100.00 a month for a "bottle filler". With this money the operator could purchase equipment to aid the efficiency of his shop operation. But instead they say, "I can't afford the equipment."

The "I Can't Afford It" Syndrome
If a detailing business is going to grow and professionalize, the growth and professionalism has to include technological growth, too. The problem is that everyone assumes you can be in the detailing business with bottles, buckets, towels, electric buffer and a few chemicals. And, the reality is you can! But this is exactly the reason the industry is where it is. No one involved in the detail business, including professional car wash operators, auto dealers and detailers themselves, are making much of a commitment to being in the business in terms of anything that requires major capital investment. The watchword is to get by with as little as possible.

If you were a car wash operator, and I told you I was going into the car wash business with a hose, buckets, a few mitts and a wire scrub brush, you would laugh in my face. Or if you were a quick lube and oil change operator and I told you I was going to dig a pit in the ground, get a portable oil catcher and hand grease gun and get into the business, you would also laugh at me. Yet, comparably speaking, this is the way most people go into the detail business. Is it any wonder the industry is no further developed than it is? Is it any wonder the motorist still does not view the industry as much more than a �shoe-shine� stand for cars? And, is it any wonder there is competition always popping up working out of their garage at home or from the trunk of their car?

In any business you do not have the luxury of saying, "I can't afford it." Why? If you can't afford it, you shouldn't be in business. There are simply things in any business you can't afford not to have.

Why Purchase Equipment?
This is probably the easiest question a salesperson can answer. Every astute business person knows that �you purchase equipment to increase productivity, reduce labor and improve quality�. If equipment cannot do this, don�t purchase it.

But what do you have in the detailing business? Equipment and technology that does not increase productivity and does not reduce labor. If you think a squeeze and spray bottle is high-tech and conveys professionalism to a motorist driving a Mercedes Benz or BMW, think again.

But It's Too Expensive!
Another negative and common statement you hear from detail business owners is, �It�s too expensive, and I can�t afford it�.

Why not analyze what you are attempting to accomplish with your detail business and then determine what you need to do the job better. If equipment can help you increase productivity, that is, do more cars per day and reduce labor, how can you not afford it? It will save you money you are already spending on labor and it will make you more money. It doesn�t take much math to figure that out.

As for the expense, that is relative. Relative to what? Simple, it relates to what you are going to get in return. In this case, higher productivity and lower labor.

For those of you who are strapped for cash, or just don�t want to lay out the dollars for new equipment, lease financing is the answer. Today, if you have been in business for two years, it is as easy to get lease financing as it is to get a credit card.

Most lease companies are so hungry for business that they will custom fit leases for you. Sure there is a cost, but if the equipment will increase your productivity and decrease your labor it's worth it. You are paying for it in some manner and not having it anyway, losing profit.

Get your suppliers to give you information on leasing. Most companies, other than chemical suppliers, should have some programs available. Once in contact with the leasing company, have them do a trial cost comparison/justification for what you want to purchase or lease. You will be surprised how inexpensive the equipment �you could not afford� can really be.

More for Less-Mechanize & Double Your Staff without Adding to the Payroll
Certainly, there are many jobs in detailing that just cannot be mechanized. But these jobs can be made more efficient with equipment. For example, shampooing carpets and upholstery by hand can be made more efficient by utilizing soil extractors and pneumatic rotary shampooers. This type of equipment, alone, can increase productivity by 50% or more.

You don't have to be a mathematical genius to determine the time to do a detailing job with current methods and how much time you can save with a more mechanized method. By multiplying the time saved by the hourly rate paid employees, you can see what is being saved. Or, cost if multiplied by your hourly shop rate.

I have seen cases where the time saved was well over 50%. The numbers are frightening when you realize how much you could have saved if you had the mechanization.

Making a Wish List
Remember, you are the buyer; there is never any obligation. Make a list of what you think you'd like to mechanize your business and contact a supplier. Ask them to explain why and how their equipment will save you money. Contact several companies to get a comparison between products and sales people. Get references, better yet, visit an operator that has the equipment you are considering purchasing.

You must develop your own set of criteria. Know what you want and what you expect from the investment before you start looking. Don't hesitate to look. The longer you wait, the more you are losing.

A Rapidly Changing Industry
As critical as some might be of the detailing industry and its primitive methodology, it is a growing, changing industry. In the last 25 years, the number of businesses listed in the Yellow Pages increased from 4,000 to nearly 15,000 today. This doesn't include the 17,000 car washes listed in the same pages with more than 80% reporting doing some form of detailing. In 1980, this number was less than 10%. And this does not include auto dealers, body shops and other auto service businesses that are now selling detailing services to the public.

Frankly speaking, more changes have occurred in the detailing business in the last 10 years than have occurred in the last 50 years. The industry is alive with new ideas, technology and interesting time-saving products.

This rapid change should motivate you to be one step ahead of the competition. Do you remember the old television character "Sergeant Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounties?" Sergeant Preston once said, "Only the lead dog gets a change of view." Mechanization will help you get the most out of your employees. With mechanization, one person can do the work of three. Mechanization can be the answer to the "too many jobs and not enough time" syndrome.