Member Spotlight: Brian Finn, CD-SV, MC, RT

Each month we feature a Member Spotlight. This month we spoke with Brian Finn, CD-SV, MC, RT member of the Certification Committee, and Northeast Sales Representative for PRO® Products.

    

International Detailing Association (IDA): How did you get into the detailing industry?
Brian Finn (BF): I started when I was 13 years old. My dad came to me one morning and said, “You have two choices. You can either clean the kitchen or wash and wax my car.” So, I chose his car, and it turned out amazing. My dad told me, “You have a touch, Brian.” So, when I got older, I started working for a mobile detailing company, and I really did not like that. I had an opportunity to work for a major overspray removal company out of Texas called Detail Masters. We traveled around the country removing paint overspray from vehicles. That was when I knew I could succeed in this business.

IDA: Tell us more about your business. 
BF: I worked in detail shops for years, started my own business, and built it to the point where I could sell it. I moved back to California from Delaware and looked in the want ads for a job and saw Prowax was hiring. I looked at their website and told myself that I knew all their products from years of using them. I got the job as the West Coast Sales Rep and learned from John Bell and Bob Myers how to use my skills to help distributors and detailers to make their jobs easier and raise the quality of their work. In the past years with Pro, I have been able to accomplish aspects of the detailing industry I would have never thought possible. I feel so blessed to have the opportunities and ability to meet the great people in this industry.

IDA: In what products or services does your company specialize? 
BF: Pro Products offers one of the finest detailing products in the industry. We also specialize in detail training, certification, and IDA certification.

IDA: What do you think is the most important factor to being successful in the detailing industry? 
BF: I think the most important factor, hands down, to be successful in this detailing industry is quality. If you have pride in your work and don’t accept mediocrity in your work, you will be a success. Customer service is also very important, but I group that with quality. If your customers feel like they are taken care of you will have them forever. I have customers in my detailing business that have been with me for over 25 years. Their kids were not even born when I started cleaning their cars. Now, I am cleaning their kids’ cars. 

IDA: Are there any awards/certifications/accomplishments that you or your business has earned and would like to share with us? 
BF: With Pro Products, I am so proud that we have recently won Manufacture of the Year with both the IDA and SDC. That is a great achievement in my opinion. I only wish the late Frank Bell was with us to accept it because he is a huge part of getting it.
Personally, I am most proud of being a Recognized Trainer in the IDA, being one of 40 in the world feels amazing. I have also accumulated certifications in ceramic coatings Synergy, Glassparency, and System X.  

IDA: What is the best advice you ever received? 
BF: The best advice I have ever received was from my father and that was to take pride in everything you do, and you will never have to worry that you are not doing a good job. 

IDA: What tips do you have for the new detailer? For the experienced detailer? 
BF: For the new detailer, I would suggest that you learn a good system and that you stick to it every time you do any detailing. The secret to my success has been to keep to my system. I start at the driver’s side and work my way around. I do not stray from that system, and I use it on every service that I provide. That way I never forget what I have done and don’t have to go back. Also, compartmentalize everything you are working on because you can get overwhelmed in a detail job if you don’t control your mind. Everything we do in detailing is muscle memory and when you do things like compounding and polishing you don’t really think about how to do it once you have learned it, but your mind can mess with you if you are thinking, “this is too much. I will never be able to finish this.” So, try to only think about the area you are working on and move on to the next area, and all of a sudden you will be done.
For an experienced detailer, I would tell them to be open to new techniques and always be learning and staying up with the times. Don’t get stuck in your old ways. It will hold you back. I learn new things every week and I love to research new ways to make my job easier and I have been in the business for almost 30 years. For example, when I was first introduced to the Flex polisher, I was so used to using a rotary buffer. So, I buffed a panel and it looked really good, in my opinion, and my coworker Bob Myers handed me a Scan grip light and told me to shine it on the panel and I was able to see the damage I did. I was so surprised that I almost reevaluated my whole career, but instead, I took the time to learn how to use a forced rotation DA and now I have mastered the technique and I am training new and experienced detailers how to use it. It just shows you that you cannot get stuck in your old ways.

IDA: Funniest Business Moment? 
BF: When I was young, I took over a detailing business from my boss and I inherited a couple of employees when I took over. One day, I was working on a detail job. I was on one side of the car and my employee was on the other side. We were both buffing the car with Dewalt buffers and anyone who has used a buffer knows you need to put the cord over your shoulder on one side. Well, this guy put it over both shoulders and somehow the pad grabbed the cord and started to twist it up and was choking him. He was yelling, “Brian! Brian!” I looked at him and he was holding the trigger down and I was like, “dude, let go of the trigger!!” As scared as he was, he did not get hurt and we all had a good laugh about it.

IDA: Why did you decide to get involved with the IDA? 
BF: I was introduced to the IDA by John Bell and Bob Myers. We are a founding member of the IDA and I have always wanted to have something like an ASC certification that would put a detailer above the stigma of just being a glorified car washer. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with washing cars. I do it on a regular basis but being an Auto Detailer means so much more and should be recognized as such. When I was told I could be certified and could get a certificate to prove it I jumped online and took the certified detailer tests that day and passed with flying colors. After that Bob Myers did my SV test and it felt great to get those certificates and badges.

IDA: How has your involvement with the IDA affected your business and your career?
BF: Being involved with the IDA has helped me in many ways. We do a lot of training at Pro Products, and it really helps when you go into a shop and the detailers see those badges on your arm. They immediately know that you are serious about what you do and will listen to what you have to say. The IDA has also helped me with the distributors that we have. We will certify them and that can help them gain sales on their routes. The last area the IDA has helped me with is that I have met so many great people in the IDA network. The biggest names in the business are part of the IDA and they are all very helpful. It makes you feel like you are part of an exclusive club, something detailers have not had in the past.