As we transition from the busy and warm summer months to the slower and cooler fall, it is a suitable time to prepare your locations and your teams for the colder months of the year. There are a number of things that you can do now so you are set up for a successful down period. Let’s go over a few of the things that you can do, starting with your sales training.
Wait—sales training can benefit just a particular seasonal period? Well, of course! Do we not jump on the hype train of A/C recharging every time the temperature outside rises above 70 degrees? So, for the winter months, it is a good idea to start in the fall with radiator antifreeze exchanges. It is a service that many people neglect based on mileage. It's not top-of-mind, but changing this out in timely intervals will protect the engine from freeze-ups and cold starts.
Another product that not all of you carry (but can get to) is a battery service. Are you checking the batteries when you come in? If not, get started. With colder weather, a low-charge battery can leave a customer stranded or unable to start up properly. These may not be the best cost of goods items, but they can put some dollars on your sales total.
Start working on your presentation and testing of these services now to be ready to go. Remember that there are always tools to assist in this such as testers and coolant strips, so there are many ways that you can go about pushing these when they are much needed.
What about your stores? One of the biggest things that people neglect in our stores is proper preparation. When it gets icy or snowy in your area, is this when you start looking for de-icer and shovels? Proper planning prevents poor performance.
De-icer is a good one to get now as it is cheap and readily available. So, go ahead and get two or three bags for each of your locations. When the weather turns and you have nasty stuff in the forecast, spread out the product in your walkways and bay areas outside. When your competition is scrambling to find this product, you are servicing their customers.
Another tip is to watch your machinery. I guarantee that most of you have these things stored in bay areas. That is a great spot for daily use. However, when the temperature drops, you need to protect this equipment from the elements.
Move these machines into nightly storage in your lobbies. I know most of you will keep these at 65 degrees to 75 degrees in the winter, so these areas are good for a very costly machine failure.
Finally, let’s talk about the one thing no one wants to talk about: people. In that, I mean staffing. It’s not a fun thing to discuss in the winter, but it is the time when most of our industry falls back. It happens in the dealers, Multicare shops, and quick lubes as we staff up for the busier months from late spring to early fall, but in the winter it's overstaffed. Now, most of us are not talking about massive cuts, but one less person on your roster for the slower months is usually needed to make sure that you are keeping the labor variable in check.
In my case, we try to find younger employees to fill that “extra man” role. They are sometimes high school seniors or college kids working 40 hours a week, but when school starts, they can fall back to a weekend spot or just fall off the roster. If you do not have this option, gauge who your key personnel are and make a tough decision to either cut back hours on a few or just condense the crew.
We discussed sales, safety, and operations this month. Obviously, you do not have to do any of these things (for example: Florida or Texas) but use them as conversation starters.
The one thing that you cannot do when the temperature drops is nothing. You will soon find yourself in more trouble than good. So, like they said on a certain show, winter is coming. Will you be ready?
