Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/588375
old saying "Cash flow is king!" applies here. Instead of sitting back and waiting for business to come to you, why don't you try to be proactive and produce as much business as you can in your service department? You have a great opportunity to gen- erate extra income through trying to encourage your custom- ers to get their service work done in the off-season. Your goal should be to re-train your customers to get their equipment to your service department early, so they can have it ready to use when the season is "to start" rather than wondering if the equip- ment "will start" when they bring it out of hibernation for the first time it in the spring. The more business you get in before the rush, the less strain on the system during the spring and the greater opportunity to get through the "slow times" without burning so much of your residual income from the previous season. Many outdoor power equipment dealers have been doing what I call "Early Bird Service Programs" for years and received a good response. Some actually have their customers calling be- fore they send out the notices in early winter. I love this kind of outcome because it means that your customer is now listening to the "expert," which is you and your dealership, putting you in a good position to make other suggestions such as replacing equip- ment, adding new items, or providing maintenance tips. People perceived as "experts" get the advantage of people generally feel- ing a sense of loyalty toward them. Loyalty is one the top things that you should be looking to establish with your customers. A service program offers benefits far beyond just cash flow. How do you make sure that your program works the best and attracts as many customers as possible? Here are some suggestions: CREATE AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE "Free" pick-up and delivery seems to be the best offer that mo- tivates people to do this type of service from most dealers I have talked to, but a "discounted" parts or service package can be mo- tivating too. Whatever you are offering, it has to be something that causes customers to do something they really don't want to do, which is service their equipment. It also is a time where they are most likely thinking about the holidays or focusing on the snow that is in their front yard rather than the grass that will be growing in a few months. A follow-up call/text/email, after the initial advertising, goes a long way again toward reinforcing how important you think this is for your customers to schedule service for their equipment. I like the offer to have an end date of at least a couple of weeks before spring season starts, so that you can say time is of the essence in getting service scheduled. Whatever you offer, there must be a sense of urgency that you create within your customers to make sure they know this needs to get done by that date. COVER STORY www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT NOVEMBER 2015 15