Winter is here and the likes of it will be staying around for at least 6 more weeks according to Punxsutawney Phil. If you operate your auto detailing business in parts of the country that are experiencing snow and other nasty weather conditions you should be making the best of your time by preparing for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons. Shown below is what your To-Do list should look like:
• Develop an email for my past customers offering my auto detailing “Spring” Clean-Up services. Schedule this email to be sent out to all of my segmented lists the last week of February.
• Prepare a flyer to be included with my chamber of commerce’s monthly email or snail mailer that will be sent out to all chamber members. Offer them an exclusive winter clean-up package for all of their employees. Be sure to list my other car detailing services too.
• Schedule face to face appointments with business principles and office building managers where there are multiple vehicles parked all day. I will use my LinkedIn account and Chambers membership roster to determine who the decision makers are at these businesses.
• Visit all the automotive service oriented businesses in my area to be sure they have my flyers and business cards on their counters for the up-coming seasons. I will go and see express lube centers, tire shops, tune up shops, stereo shops, muffler shops and service repair garages and ask them if they are interested in co promoting.
• Make a deal with some of the better local tunnel car washes that do not offer auto detailing services. Talk to them about setting up a canopy on Fridays to offer express services. Work them out a commission for every car I detail while I am there.
• Talk to the pro shop manager at the local golf clubs about working out a referral program with him so all the golfers are made aware of my services. Offer to detail the golfer’s cars while they are at the country club golfing.
• Call my past customers that I have not heard from in a long time and see how they are doing and what I need to do to earn their business back. Offer them a free car wash to entice them.
• Meet with my web master and review every page on my web site to be sure they are optimized for my core key words for each page. Update my web site with fresh content and new images. Have my web site optimized for mobile devices.
• Call the local college’s student placement dept. and ask to speak to a student that knows how to make short videos and hire them to create new short videos of me performing detailing services. I need to post these videos on YouTube, Facebook and my web site.
• Set up an Instagram business account and start posting my before and after detail jobs.
• Look at ads daily on Craigslist for pre-owned vehicles that are for sale and email the sellers with information about my Sell Your Car detail package and how it could help sell their vehicle quicker at top dollar.
• Be sure I am subscribing to Detail King’s blog posts at cardetailingblog.com and getting their e newsletters so I can stay on top of my game all season long and save money with their special offers. I must also meet with my advisors to discuss everything listed in this document and up-date my business plan accordingly.
Being organized and preparing for the busy season that is quickly approaching is very critical. You will be setting yourself up for success if you do this now. If you do not take the steps to set yourself up for success you will be challenged to succeed. Chances are your competitors are reading this blog too, don’t let them get the edge. You are now in the driver’s seat and know what it will take to boost your revenues in 2015. Get out there and make it happen!
