Dallas Detail Inc. Marketing Plan Dallas Detail is a private company with two detailing shops based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Dallas Detail decided to enter the car care industry because we believe there is a need for a well-managed national car care retailer that can deliver an excellent customer experience. Dallas Detail's strength as a company is rooted in its unique history and operating philosophy that can be summarized as follows:

Well Capitalized Ownership: Dallas Detail was established with a large contribution of private equity from its hands-on management team. At Dallas Detail, the shareholders are the management.

Prototype Store: Since the company's inception, Dallas Detail has been committed to the continuous improvement of its operating model. Dallas Detail's owners have learned many valuable lessons from servicing nearly one million customers annually at various car washes and detailing services throughout the country. Dallas Detail has been able to transform this knowledge into the evolution of a prototype store design for the future.

Best Retail Locations: Dallas Detail has located both of its stores on high-quality real estate. This reflects the company's fundamental belief that our services need to be conveniently located on the commuting or shopping routes of our customers.

Multi-Product Offering: Dallas Detail believes in offering multiple services on one site in order to deliver one-stop customer convenience, as well as improved business economics.

Poised For Growth: With 100% internally generated revenue growth virtually guaranteed for next year, Dallas Detail is considering the opportunity to accelerate its growth beyond that level. Dallas Detail is capable of executing an aggressive roll out of new stores well into the foreseeable future.

Management Team: Our core management team has a proven track record of growing and managing a car detailing business. Their prior experience has come from companies such as Mazda Services, Details R Us, and Wash and Detail.

Retail Team: Dedicated car care veterans manage our store operations. These individuals were either groomed internally or carefully selected with experience at top performing car care centers. Dallas Detail believes that top talent is required to operate a store properly and the company is committed to recruiting, training, retaining, and properly compensating the best employees in the industry.

Our marketing challenge is to position our product and service offerings as the high-quality, high value-add alternative to a regular car wash and a must-have for buyers and sellers of new and used cars.

Environmental Analysis

Dallas Detail features two facilities, which typically offer a full service or exterior soft cloth car wash and car detailing. Each product offering includes high-quality brand names such as Chevron, Pennzoil, Coca Cola, and Blue Coral. The company is owned by three experts in car detailing and hires only the area's most experienced employees. In the near future, Dallas Detail intends to open three additional stores.

The Marketing Environment

There are well over 100 million cars and trucks on the road. And every single one of them needs to be washed. Statistics show people are holding on to their cars longer and taking better care of them, including having them washed and detailed on a regular basis. A study of Dallas car owners showed that six out of ten purchased car detailing services at least once a year.

Target Markets

Dallas Detail's targets mostly members of the private sector. Our target market is owners of vehicles that are one or more years old. The company will also offer services for owners of new vehicles.

Current Marketing Objectives and Performance

Before a car owner's vehicle shows the long-term effects of acid rain, sun, bird droppings, tree sap, and all the other elements attacking the finish, Dallas Detail offer services to prevent this damage and extend the life of the car's paint and its interior. Dallas Detail's staff is made up of certified experts who stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. This ensures that every car, motorcycle, boat, plane, or any vehicle brought into Dallas Detail gets the meticulous finish and protection it deserves both inside and out.

Detailing by definition not only makes vehicles look terrific and extends the life of the paint but when it comes time to sell a car, nothing will increase the value like a well-maintained finish. Detailing a car just before selling is a specialty at Dallas Detail and can raise the asking price immediately. Dallas Detail can make vehicles look like they just rolled off the showroom floor.

The company is focused on creating a one-stop car wash and detail for clients of all ages and backgrounds that appreciate high-quality, affordable detailing services. Approximately 90% of Dallas Detail's customers come back for future services.

The company is currently debt-free except for the mortgage on both properties. This year, the company expects to see revenues of $800,000.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Dallas Detail shops are designed for customer comfort, quick processing time, uncompromised safety, and high-quality results.

This provides a greater service than regular car washes.
Detailing customers can wait while attendants completely clean and polish the car, normally applying wax and using a tool called a buffer to remove the wax and polish the car. Dallas Detail able to remove dull paint and small scratches, steam clean carpets and seats, brighten chrome, remove tar and perform a variety of other services.

Over 100,000 satisfied customers.

A reputation for quality workmanship & service.

Our unique Dallas Detail Guarantee.

Weaknesses

There are nearly 60 shops in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area providing the same or similar services as Dallas Detail.

Many people are unaware of the benefits of detailing and view it as an unnecessary expense.

The convenience of automated car washes and relatively low cost can be hard to beat.

Opportunities

To cut down on the amount of water used, Dallas Detail plans to use recycled water. The recycled water is normally used in the early rinses and to mix with the detergents. This will cut costs and increase annual revenues.

Many customers are unaware of the benefits of having their cares detailed prior to selling their cars or just after purchasing their cars. Dallas Detail is negotiating with car dealerships that will allow it to advertise through the dealers.

Dallas Detail has implemented a marketing program that allows customers to purchase Detail Drop-In cards that allow them to buy 5-20 pre-paid visits at reduced costs. This promotes repeat business.

Threats

The downturn in the Dallas economy has caused the public to cut back on expenses, especially in the service industry.

Competition for larger shops that can offer similar services at discounted rates is strong.

Matching Strengths to Opportunities/Converting Weaknesses and Threats

People are investing more time and energy into maintaining and improving the interior and exterior appearances of their vehicles. This creates a greater need for detailing services.

Our combination of hand washing and detailing vehicles provides a one-stop shop for people who want either or both services. Additionally, we sell maintenance products.

Dallas Detail should explore the opportunities involved in increasing its product line, as revenue from products is relatively small.

Marketing Objectives

Dallas Detail offers complete professional detail services such as hand waxing, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, leather cleaning and conditioning, engine cleaning, tar removal, overspray removal and oxidation removal. Our detailers are experienced and take pride in their work. Our philosophy is to provide high quality at reasonable prices.

In addition to formulating a marketing-oriented and customer-focused mission statement, Dallas Detail should aim to achieve cumulative growth in net profit of at least 50% in the next five years. Most of this growth should come from new clients and bulk retail sales.

Dallas Detail's major marketing objective is to gain a better understanding of its current customers' needs and demands. It also aims to examine the marketing strategies and advantages of larger detail shops in the area to work on improving its business.

Marketing Strategies

Target Markets and Marketing Mix

Customers who bring in used vehicles for car detailing services expect to have their vehicles detailed to the point where they are as close to new as possible. Dallas Detail offers these benefits to used car owners:

Degrease and clean engine compartment

Clean all door jams, hood lines, and trunk

Wash vehicle inside and out Vacuum interior and trunk

Clean all glass and windows

Steam clean carpet and upholstery

Remove industrial fallout, over spray, and rail dust

Paint compound, polish and wax

Vinyl dress all rubber surfaces

Deodorize interior

Install license plate frames with dealer inserts

Deliver vehicles to line

Detail manager visually inspects finished product

New car owners can benefit enormously by having their new cars washed and detailed when purchased. Dallas Detail offers the following benefits to new car owners:

Wash vehicle inside and out Clean all glass and windows

Remove industrial fallout, over spray, and rail dust

Paint compound, polish and wax

Vinyl dress all rubber sufaces

Install license plate frames with dealer inserts

All services at Dallas Detail are customer service oriented. The prices are more reasonable than most dealerships in the area and the quality is better. Customers that filled out customer satisfaction reports rated Dallas Detail as the best in the area nine times out of ten, mainly because of our quality services and unique money-back guarantee.

One of the best places to reach the target market is the local newspaper. Unfortunately, that medium is…