Winter Blues

[325iSBimmer]

For those of you detailers in the Northern Parts with winter climates that include snow,salt and just plain bad weather that makes cars dirty.



What kind of slow down do you notice in the winter..what do u do to cope with it.



just for numbers sake say you did 30 cars a month in the middle of summer. what woule you be doing in the middle of winter.

15? 10? 5 per month

 

[audipower]

I live in NE Ohio aka snow belt. I only did 20 details this winter and all of them where at the end of Oct and Nov. to get there show cars ready to hibernate and other cars ready for winter. I only do it part time and for people that love there cars. I can't deal with people that want to cut corners.

I am getting frustrated with the weather normally it's about 40o+. I have 17 cars to do before the end of April because of a big show in Kentucky. BUT it's been 20o here and only getting cars done that are parked in heated garages. Suppose to get in the 40's this week coming up. Need to get them done. Each one takes 8-16 hrs.

We should start a support group!

 

[salty]

I live in a smaller community and it will drop off quite a bit. I personally work out of an used car dealership that cares about their cars. (we carry between 20- 40 cars at a time) If you can hook up with such a situation, it is a good match.

I charge them full price - 25% for space and i charge for shop supplies (which they pay for). I am basicly an employee, but work on commission with a quarantee, if that makes sense.



You live in a huge city and should find you niche. I would try to push new car protection. It does'nt take long and you will undercut the dealerships greatly.



PM me if you need some great, easy, fairly cheap products for fabric, paint, vinyl protection that you could give a warranty. And not the lifetime or five year stuff. Just stuff that works.

 

[MichaelM]

I notice a significant drop off in business from Christmas time till about the last week in March but it can be a positive as long as you take advantage of your new found free time.



Your slow periods are a good time to take care of/update/improve the business side of your business. By that I mean it is a good time to revise your marketing program, research what other shops are doing and how you can apply new ideas to your own business as well as try out new products or procedures to make your detailing process more efficient while providing the same or better results. I have spent a good amount of time this winter remodeling my office/waiting room. Next winter I plan to overhaul my main detailing bay as well. Try to stay as busy as you can. Often times doing one simple task will give you an idea for an improvement in another aspect of your business.



If you find yourself with everything done pick up some good books. Even if you only get one good idea or thought out of a book it was worth the read.

 

[Scottwax]

This winter hasn't been too kind in the south either will all the rain we've had. November is normally one of my best months since people like clean cars to pick up relatives flying in for the holidays. This past November had 14 rain days and I did about half my normal business. I just caught up on personal stuff and cleaning at home.

 

[joburnet]

If I was doing 30 cars a month in the middle of the summer I'd be doing about 5 in the winter. It's been tough to get business not because it's hard to do in the winter but most people don't want to get their car detailed in the winter because it gets dirty so fast.



Things are starting to pick back up just now, I currnetly have 4 details scheduled next week and will probably pick up a couple. I do have employee's to keep busy though.