How to keep your business busy over winter

From the Resene Trade blog

We know it’s only autumn, but those winter months are just around the corner so it pays to start thinking ahead.

With winter on its way, you’ll likely notice a drop in projects as homeowners take a break from renovating and updating their houses.

While a break from the hectic summer months can often be a welcome reprieve, you still want to make sure you have enough work to provide a good income over the cooler months. If you’re looking for ways to boost your work over the cooler months and maintain a steady income, try a few of these marketing tips and tricks.

Make the most of winter holidays

As winter approaches, many people plan ahead for a mid-winter break. Those with kids will typically travel during the school holidays, whereas others will purposefully avoid travel during the school holidays.

These winter travellers are great prospective customers for your winter work. Instead of waiting until summer to organise their renovations, they have the opportunity of getting work done while they’re away, so they won’t have to worry about the hassle of working around floors that are being varnished or a living room that’s completely covered with dropcloths.

All you need to do is make that opportunity well known. Target your marketing and advertising campaigns towards those heading away, highlighting how much easier it will be to get work done when they don’t have to make room for it. Plus, coming back to a new and improved home is a wonderful way for them to return from holiday.

While the family heads away on holiday, you can complete their home renovations without getting in each other’s hair.

Reach out to clients who may be interested in interior services

So, you repainted a home’s weatherboards or outdoor area over summer – now could be a great time to get in touch with that same customer and see if they want any interior work completed.

Getting in touch with past clients is always a strong marketing technique – as these customers are already familiar with you and your quality of work, they know you are trustworthy and great at your job.

Did you complete an outdoor project this summer? Contact the client to see if they’d like a new indoor space to match.

Offer special discounts

While many people may have renovations on their mind this year, you can guarantee that a lot of them will be waiting until later in the year to organise it. Whether they’re waiting for the weather to warm up or to secure the necessary funds, they wouldn't otherwise book your services during the middle of the year.

When people already know they’re going to need your services at some point, a discount or special offer is a great way to encourage them to do it sooner rather than later. Perhaps you can simply offer a better rate, or additional services as part of a package deal. Or even a reward for an existing client who refers you to a new client.

Focus on attaining bigger projects

Larger projects take more time and will keep you busy for longer, so you won’t need as many of them to tide you over during the off-season.

Look for ways to tackle bigger projects by marketing to schools and businesses that could be needing work done, or promote your services for full home renovations. Whether you follow up on old leads, talk to colleagues and contacts about possible work, or get in touch with past clients about bigger jobs, you may be able to track down some time-consuming work.

Assure customers winter painting is possible

When the weather gets cold and wet, some customers will assume that you can’t get any painting or decorating done. Talk to them about Resene Wintergrade Additive and wintergrade paints and Resene Umbrella Additive. In many regions and for many projects, painting over winter can actually be easier than painting over summer when the weather is scorching. And when it comes to wallpapering, wallpaper suppliers often love the wetter weather as it’s a perfect time to get the wallpapering finished.

Mix and match different techniques to help boost your winter income.

April 2020