Cold/rainy climate detailers - winter slow down???

J

Jpostal

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This is a question more for the detailers that operate in colder/rainy climates.



This is my first official winter operating my detail shop and I have been experiencing a terible slow down in business since December. I expected business to slow down during the cold and rainy season in Vancouver, but it has been slower than expected. Fortunately I have a couple wholesale/fleet accounts to keep me afloat, but my retail work has slowed dramatically.



Just wondering if this is just my shop or if everybody is experiencing this sort of slow down. What kind of drop (by %) do you experience during the winter? I'm down about 50% for December and January. Hopefully by March things will start to pick up again.
 
I am in Chicago and I see the same drop. Since I'm more of a weekend detail shop than a full-time shop and my clientele is mostly car enthusiasts who store cars throughout winter, I'm looking at probably 20-25% of my usual work flow. It's nothing surprising as it's been that way for the 4 winters since I started LUSTR Auto Detailing but it is definitely a huge slow down. I think the only way to stay extremely busy in colder climates is to do washes for those who daily drive their cars but even then way too many people like the crappy express $5-6 wash instead of doing a proper hand wash in the winter.



EDIT: Forgot to add... I usually see the demand jump up sometime mid-March, and by mid-April I'm usually booked about 6-8 weeks in advance. Hope it goes the same for you asap. Best of luck riding out the winter!
 
Definitely a slow period in winter, especially January and February. My maintenance customers keep me fairly busy, but overall, demand decreases. The DC area has had several minor snow storms this winter, and every time, they put too much salt down; before and during the storms. Because of this, I have been getting a high number of "spur of the moment" calls from people wanting cars "washed". Once I explain they have to make an appointment, most choose not too. Makes me wish I owned a commercial car wash to meet this need. Winter just has a negative psychological affect on most people when it comes to their cars.
 
We see a slight slow down in winter, more interior details, and less correction work. However, historically February is a busy month for us. Keeping a wholesale account is a good idea, but after a few years your clientele list will be big enough that you won't notice the slowdown too much. Best of luck.
 
Try being up here where last week it was -41 degrees outside. I've had about a 70% drop in mainstream retail customers since the snow started flying. You do what you can to tide you through the bad months (December, January, February and part of March), and then get ready for the massive spring rush.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I have toying with the idea of offering a Groupon deal to generate immediate business, and hopefully aquire some repeat customers. Anyone tried Groupon (or one of the many other services similar to this)?
 
JPostal said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. I have toying with the idea of offering a Groupon deal to generate immediate business, and hopefully aquire some repeat customers. Anyone tried Groupon (or one of the many other services similar to this)?
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I'm in the process of doing a deal with Tippr. I did a deal with Chitowndeals about a year ago but only sold about 10 deals. I believe that was due to Chitowndeals being new on the scene and not having too many members at the time. I think it's a great way to generate some extra revenue but I wouldn't count on it providing you with too many repeat clients. From what I've seen, most who buy that are looking to do a one-time thing within a certain category for the discounted price. Obviously YMMV.
 
I have heard some bad things about Groupon and Living Social. Apparently there are lots of rules that these companies impose, although I am not sure what they are. Second, the types of customers these types of deals generate tend to be people with cars in very bad condition and who expect miracles.
 
The minute it drops below 70 degrees F here, people stop thinking about getting their cars done. Give me 2-3 day 70+ days in a row with sun and my phone starts ringing. I can set my schedule to it. Thankfully I can often times sell previous customers into getting touch-up services done while it is cold, but this year has brought a long cold season.
 
I have a salary position that only requires me working from November - March with meetings once a month so I still detail all year for the most part. In the winter I do a lot of my full out 20+ hour jobs but it requires me having the car for several days as I'm busy with my other job too. Just finished with a 57' Bel Air and now have several 458's lined up where I'll be traveling throughout the United States with some other random Ferrari's and some other older classic muscle cars. Once end of March hits, I'll be back to 5-8 cars a week doing paint corrections and 1 step jobs.
 
I while back I was thinking about doing a Groupon deal but did not know what kind of deal to offer. I put it off too long I guess...my biggest competitor ran a Groupon offer yesterday and sold 250 deals in 1 day. His offer was sold as 51% off a $49 wash and vac package but was actually just a 2 for 1 deal (2 mini wash and vac deals for $49 instead of $99.90). I'm not sure what kind of % Groupon takes, but 250 deals at $49 is $12,250...a nice cash flow injection during the winter. The coupon expires in a year...I wonder how many coupons will never get used?
 
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