Weather Got Your Business Down?

Has the weather got you down? You are not alone! Snow, sleet, ice…STOP WE CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE is the cry I am hearing from many.

There is no doubt about it. When you see piles of snow, your balance sheet is likely to see RED…and there is nothing more depressing than that. Staff can’t get to work, clients become indifferent, and the phone definitely stops ringing. What can you do?

Move, Don’t Cancel – One way to reduce the pain of foul weather and to take charge with your clients and reschedule due to weather, and take no prisoners. Saturdays, Sundays, whenever. Nothing is off limits. Tell your staff, that you know it is going to be painful to miss out on the income, so you are scheduling extra jobs for them to make up for it. When your clients try to say “let’s just skip it”, then use your powers of persuasion to let them know that your staff who is counting on income is has room to on Saturdays, and we are even throwing in some free snow-day extras.

Become a Chauffeur – If it is safe jump in your car early and go pick your staff up and ferry them to and from the jobs. Clients will be impressed that you made the effort, and staff (though sad they did not get the day off) will be happy to not lose out on the revenue.

Money Talks – Do everything in your power to be sure that your staff does not come out of a two week period with no money. One year we had a big snow storm that hit Seattle between Christmas and New Years. What horrible timing! Clients all said “I’ll just spend time with my family and see you next time”. Oh dread. Nobody made money for ten days, and then came in the on-slot of resignations.

For Next Time – Make sure that for the future you have a “foul weather policy” that protects you from lots of losses. Make it your policy that in case of foul weather client homes will automatically be rescheduled, and that staff know exactly how they will be notified of what to do, so you don’t scramble to fill schedules, only to find out that staff isn’t coming into work.

Plan Your Spring Attack – Spring Cleanings can add tens of thousands of dollars onto your income, but only if they are well thought out. Take the time now to create a tantalizing package that nobody can resist. Think of 10-12 extra things beyond your normal cleanings that really make your spring cleaning a “must have” event for your clients. And, plan how you will get this message out. Press release, door hanger, direct mail, newspaper advertisement. How will you get fresh new leads in the door ready to spend money in the spring, and beyond.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow – Hang on…I guarantee that the second it looks like spring that phone will ring and you can be ready to start making some money again.