Running a successful field service business is about more than making money. Becoming accomplished relies heavily on being prepared and efficient. When running a snow plowing business it can be difficult to maintain a constant cash flow like with your summer business. Your success is at the mercy of the elements and when it doesn’t snow for months at a time you may begin to have panic attacks. To combat these stressful months fill your time with productive alternatives to pushing snow. If you can’t make money today, at least you can figure out how to make or save money tomorrow.
- Maintain Equipment – If you’ve got no work to complete it is always a good idea to run through your tools and machines to ensure they are running properly for when you do need them. Wasting time on fixes in the field or whole days lost to a down truck can be more frustrating than dealing with frugal customer and harder to recover from. The time to spend $1000 dollars on a fix is not on the day you’re losing $2000 on a job.
- Scenario Training – Take free time to run through some crazy scenarios with your crews, like how you will handle extended storms, what to do when equipment does break down in the field, or how to handle personal issues accordingly.
- Education – Also provide educational material that your crews can take home with them, whether that is technical training, finishing up certifications, or brushing up on some of the basics. Industry and state associations are a great resource for content your employees may need to brush up on. If you use snow plowing software, see if you can schedule training with your vendor.
- Client Updates – Head out to some of the previous jobs you’ve worked in the last few years. See what updates or maintenance they may be in need of and that you still have current contact information. If it isn’t snowing, there’s a good chance it’s raining. Look for standing water hazards, properly working drainage tiles, and suitable grading. A lot can change in a year or two.
- Additional Services – If you’ve got a good grasp on everything so far, do some research as to the services you could be offering but don’t already. See what it would take to get your guys trained and if it would be a cost effective use of company time to start providing the new service in question.
- Marketing – There is no better time to perfect your marketing plan than in the slow season. Aside from the customer service your company provides, probably the most important aspect to your business is marketing. Make sure you are covering all avenues, whether that be social media/email marketing, getting your logo in some sort of publication, or old school door-to-door canvasing.
Instead of stressing out, look at the lack of snow as an opportunity to improve your business. Doing so can make you more efficient – and more profitable – the next time a big snow event happens.