It’s not out of the question for the detailer at Kubly’s Automotive in Brodhead, Wisconsin, to spend eight or nine hours on a single vehicle. At Kubly’s, they pride themselves on providing exceptional customer service and will take the time that is required to make sure that the detailing work is memorable. In fact, Roxy Kubly, who owns the business with her husband, Dusty, says that many customers have made the comment that their vehicles look even nicer than when they first purchased them.
Kubly’s is the place to go for almost all of your vehicle needs. They offer auto repair, pre-owned vehicle sales, accessories and detailing. Kubly explains that offering the detailing service isn’t necessarily a huge profit center and that’s OK. For the Kublys, it’s not about the money, but rather a way to set their shop apart and offer something to their customers that will keep them coming back.
Backstory:
Dusty Kubly has owned the auto repair business since 1994 and added auto sales to the shop in 2015. In 2016, the business added a detailer to get the used-vehicles lot ready.
Problem:
Since we are a small independent auto sales location with limited inventory, in order to keep our detailer busy with full-time work we decided to offer auto detailing to repair shop customers and the public.
Being a small, independent auto sales location with a limited inventory, there wasn’t always enough work for the auto detailer with just auto sales alone, Kubly explains. In order to keep the detailer busy with full-time work, they decided to expand their shop’s offering.
Solution:
On top of wanting to keep their auto detailer busy, auto repair customers were asking about the detailing service, so the Kublys saw an opportunity to attract new customers to the business by offering detailing services to auto repair customers.
This isn’t your typical detailing that’s all about quantity over quality. Kubly explains that they are meticulous about their work and offer the highest quality job that they can. Has it added a huge profit? No, but it’s added a huge draw to the shop and helps set Kubly’s apart from the competition.
“We make a little profit and it keeps us busy,” Kubly says.
Aftermath:
Kubly says that a lot of their repair and auto sales customers come back for detailing services.
“Adding that additional service helps the overall customer portfolio,” Kubly says. “They come for more than just one service.”
Kubly says that she believes offering detailing services is becoming more popular and that it’s a good way to fill a void if there’s space available—especially for those that are getting into used-car sales.
Takeaway:
Wondering whether detailing is right for your shop? First and foremost, Kubly says you have to make sure you have the space and resources to accommodate this added service. Once you’ve determined that, Kubly suggests surveying your customer base before making the leap to see if it’s a service that they actually want. If you have both the space and the want for it, get the right type of training, products, equipment and tools to do an outstanding job. Kubly says that a lot of companies offer free training.
Tips For Finding a Detailer
How to find the right employee for your new profit center
Roxy Kubly readily admits that it’s hard to find a good detailer as it’s not always a high-paying job and at certain places, it’s looked at as the “low man on the totem pole” position. That being said, it’s not impossible to find if you know what you’re looking for. The most obvious choice would be to hire someone with previous detailing experience, possibly from a dealership. This is one way to do it, but Kubly never does. Why? She says that, in her experience, they often think they know what they’re doing but often rush through jobs and don’t do quality work as that’s what’s been expected of them in the past.
Here are Kubly’s tricks for finding the right candidate:
- Be open to unlikely candidates. Kubly says high-school students, recent tech grads and people without automotive experience are all welcome to apply for a detailing position at Kubly’s Automotive. “It could really be anyone,” Kubly says of a good detailer.
- Make sure they have this one trait. The one quality your detailer needs to have is attention to detail. She’s open to speaking to many people about the position, but she makes it clear in her wanted ad and at the interview that attention to detail and a passion for keeping things looking nice is non-negotiable. She adds that in her experience, females often make the best detailers.
- Test them out before hiring. Kubly never hires before doing a working interview. It helps both her and the candidate determine if it’s the right fit. Detailing is hard work, she explains, and it’s definitely not for everyone. She often puts her candidates through a two to three-day process of actual on-the-job experience before determining whether or not to offer the position.
