Heads Up: This article is written with northern contractors in mind. If “Winterization” is a foreign word for your business, you might find a few tidbits, but we know this article may not pack the usual punch for you.
First and foremost, if you don’t do annual/seasonal agreements, then we need to talk. You should be, and if you’re not, I would love to learn more!
If you do, but don’t send them out in October… We still need to talk.
Think of it this way. Because you’re damn good at your job, your customers are at peak happiness in October. They’ve enjoyed a full summer of a beautiful yard, and despite the few issues they’ve experienced, your team has been on top of it and delivered excellent customer service. You are in great standing with your clients, so it’s a great time to sign up for next season.
Several of our clients have told us that they structure the agreement with the winterization first. The package is a Winterization + Startup, with the usual incentive on service (x% off material, labor, or both). Remember, your client is at peak happiness, so this is an easy conversation, and they are eager to maintain that beautiful yard they’ve been looking at all summer.
And, for those ever-present handful of DIYers, hovering over your tech’s shoulder to learn how to turn on and attempt to program a controller… If you sign them up with a winterization first (because they won’t do that themselves), locking in the startup is much easier. Honestly, they’ll need that service call at some point, so instead of a surprise (i.e. emergency for you) repair, help them out with a discounted service call up front, diagnosed early by a professional.
If October doesn’t work for you, at least run your renewals immediately following the winterization. Let the one agreement flow right into the next. Either way, the fall becomes a significant revenue-boosting period for you, right as you start placing those early-bird orders for next year’s materials, AND are about to go into the leaner winter months (unless you’re one of the crazy folks pushing white gold). No one gets upset about a pile of cash leading up to Black Friday!
So don’t wait until February or March, when there’s still snow on the ground, to ask your customers for a check. Do it when they're in a good mood and when your business can likely use the added cash.
And, just real quick, if you’re not doing service contracts, here are the quick reasons why:
- Consistent, “guaranteed” revenue makes your business more valuable. Even if you’re not looking to sell soon, showing a history of this, with great customer retention, will absolutely improve that future sale price.
- Getting cash in the winter, vs. as the service is provided, supports a more steady cash flow for your business.
- Scheduling and routing efficiency goes through the roof. When you know you can do a whole neighborhood in a day, instead of bopping back and forth as people call? Less windshield time, more jobs per day, faster revenue, more opportunity.
But even if you don’t, FieldCentral will still make your scheduling and routing, payment collection, and overall operations more efficient, giving you more time, and more green. Click here to learn how!