Day one of the Orgill Hardware Spring Market

How to Avoid a Slow Winter Season for Outdoor Equipment Dealerships

The outdoor power equipment industry is at the mercy of nature’s whim. Rather than succumbing to the highs and lows of customer traffic brought on by weather changes, proactively seek ways to make your dealership immune to the cycles of business.

Chances are your dealership has record sales in the spring and summer months, but experience a drop in customer transactions in the winter. Avoid this common rut and turn your dealership into a profitable business year round. By following a few steps, you’ll be that much closer to earning exceptional sales numbers and consistent customer traffic, regardless of what month it is.

1. Broaden your horizons. By expanding your product line and offering more services to your customers, you’ll be able to satisfy more needs of your customers. Also look for seasonal services or products to offer at various points throughout the year. Consider adding winter service specials, such as snow equipment service sales, or fall promotions on fall equipment preparation.
2. Peak and non-peak seasonal sales. By running a sale on the services or products needed by your customers at certain times of the year, you’re communicating your understanding of their needs and positioning your dealership as an expert who can meet those needs. They will appreciate your insight and that appreciation will reciprocate in the form of loyalty and increased spending. Further, if you promote your services during the slow months that pertain to off-season tasks, such as fall clean-up or winter equipment preparation, your customers will be more open to new service suggestions or clean-up products because of that loyalty and trust you built.
3. Employees are an asset. Although seasonal layoffs are often inevitable for outdoor power equipment dealerships, all businesses need a competent staff to deliver on promises to your customers. To keep your reputation as an expert in the green industry, you need staff members who are properly trained and adequately experienced to back up that reputation.
4. Diversify your market reach. Examine related markets to your dealership. When you identify a market whose needs are not being met, position your business as a source for the products or services they need. Look for various customer groups you may not be dealing with, such as golf courses, university groundskeepers, municipalities, equipment rental shops and so on. By meeting the needs of more niche markets, you are expanding your ability to earn more sales and recruit new customers.
5. Take care of your customers. If you do experience slow seasons, say during the winter, take this as an opportunity to build and maintain relationships with your customers. By learning their needs and why they need particular services or products, you are establishing the groundwork for a prosperous customer-dealership relationship.
Take some time to lay a ground-plan for building a business empire. By detailing a step-by-step action plan, outlining each season’s tasks and successfully implementing your plan, your outdoor power equipment dealership will be a year round profit building business.