How to rise sales year round

[Flintmotorsports]

does anyone else have any good ideas oh and i forgot to say i use craigslist any good idea will help alot

 

[chance123]

Word of mouth is the best testimony. If you have a client come in only for engine repair and you later see some other small repairs that are also needed, do those for free. Remember "to the client" the machine was brought in for engine work and if the client knows and sees other repairs you did for free, they will advertise for you and be back. Building trust is important. Also on the flip side, if you have just "one" unhappy client, he too will advertise in a negative manner. You never get a second chance to make a good "first impression"

 

[MBTRAC]

does anyone else have any good ideas oh and i forgot to say i use craigslist any good idea will help alot

For what it's worth I'll answer from a completely different perspective, as a major user of small engines.....
As farmers we run a heaps of small petrol 4 & 2 stroke engines on everything from the normal gardening gear (mowers, ride ons, brush cutters/hedges, blowers etc) to the ag stuff like the obligatory chainsaws, grain augers, portable fire pumps, pressure washers, gensets, compressors...etc....they'd be at least c. 25+ small engines on each of our farms.......& quite frankly (with all the other high value gear occupying maintenance time) they're generally used, abused, replaced by new & discarded to a corner of the sheds when they fail to perform even though there's usually nothing much wrong with them.... which is where a guy like you might have a opportunity & can add value by servicing/rebuilding these rural units on maybe a seasonal basis.....

So maybe there's a whole potential "bulk" market for your business if you can readily access major farms or even small rural ihobby farms should have c. 4-5 small engines....mobile repair & servicing on site is always more attractive to the "rural" people so maybe there's an opportunity close by or an opportunity to go on the road say 1 maybe 2 times a month (if you advertise timing & target areas in select local papers, letter drops, maybe also in ag stores/co ops etc. I'd expect you'd be able to schedule a viable regular "road trip" )

As for car signage it's a must, but because everyone does it you need to stand out from the crowd (just like the pizza delivery guys) how about bolted to you roof rack an illuminated fluoro coloured mower or chainsaw (be nice if you could lay you hands on one of those giant fibreglass Stihl chainsaws they use as dealer signage) - whatever you come up with make sure it's different, distinctive & recognisable as your "trademark" & use as a photo in your ads...

Offer value adds to make your service more unique, maybe a loan/hire mower for rebuilds, blade sharpening/balancing free with servcing...etc.... end of season specials when things are quiet e.g free chain sharpening with each saw serviced, free filter on mower servicing ...etc, 1st service free with each rebuild.....fix labour price for ring/piston replacement on select common engines...etc.

I'd suggest it would also be good if you kept a small number of exchange reconditioned warranted units available, maybe a few push mowers, & a chaiinsaw, brush cutter, blower or two......& if you're going to push into being "mobile" into rural areas maybe carry a couple of common exchanges engine for opportunity sales, say something along the lines of GX140/GX160 5hp Honda's

Word of mouth recommendations are everything to enable repeat/retained business, a consistently reliable quality experience will be remembered long after price is forgotten........

We apply the same principles with much success across our farming/earthmoving enterprises, whether it be our own cropping/grain/haymaking/feedlot , or our in equipment contract/sharefarming operations we have retained & built strong relationships with many customers over the years because of reputation & value (rather than being the "cheapest")......

 

[Flintmotorsports]

For what it's worth I'll answer from a completely different perspective, as a major user of small engines.....
As farmers we run a heaps of small petrol 4 & 2 stroke engines on everything from the normal gardening gear (mowers, ride ons, brush cutters/hedges, blowers etc) to the ag stuff like the obligatory chainsaws, grain augers, portable fire pumps, pressure washers, gensets, compressors...etc....they'd be at least c. 25+ small engines on each of our farms.......& quite frankly (with all the other high value gear occupying maintenance time) they're generally used, abused, replaced by new & discarded to a corner of the sheds when they fail to perform even though there's usually nothing much wrong with them.... which is where a guy like you might have a opportunity & can add value by servicing/rebuilding these rural units on maybe a seasonal basis.....

So maybe there's a whole potential "bulk" market for your business if you can readily access major farms or even small rural ihobby farms should have c. 4-5 small engines....mobile repair & servicing on site is always more attractive to the "rural" people so maybe there's an opportunity close by or an opportunity to go on the road say 1 maybe 2 times a month (if you advertise timing & target areas in select local papers, letter drops, maybe also in ag stores/co ops etc. I'd expect you'd be able to schedule a viable regular "road trip" )

As for car signage it's a must, but because everyone does it you need to stand out from the crowd (just like the pizza delivery guys) how about bolted to you roof rack an illuminated fluoro coloured mower or chainsaw (be nice if you could lay you hands on one of those giant fibreglass Stihl chainsaws they use as dealer signage) - whatever you come up with make sure it's different, distinctive & recognisable as your "trademark" & use as a photo in your ads...

Offer value adds to make your service more unique, maybe a loan/hire mower for rebuilds, blade sharpening/balancing free with servcing...etc.... end of season specials when things are quiet e.g free chain sharpening with each saw serviced, free filter on mower servicing ...etc, 1st service free with each rebuild.....fix labour price for ring/piston replacement on select common engines...etc.

I'd suggest it would also be good if you kept a small number of exchange reconditioned warranted units available, maybe a few push mowers, & a chaiinsaw, brush cutter, blower or two......& if you're going to push into being "mobile" into rural areas maybe carry a couple of common exchanges engine for opportunity sales, say something along the lines of GX140/GX160 5hp Honda's

Word of mouth recommendations are everything to enable repeat/retained business, a consistently reliable quality experience will be remembered long after price is forgotten........

We apply the same principles with much success across our farming/earthmoving enterprises whether it be our own cropping/grain/haymaking , or in equipment contract/sharefarming operations

thank you for the great info i will have to do some research about all you sugested

 

[Rivets]

MBTRAC is spot on with his recommendation, but I would be very careful doing this.

Offer value adds to make your service more unique, maybe a loan/hire mower for rebuilds, blade sharpening/balancing free with servcing...etc.... end of season specials when things are quiet e.g free chain sharpening with each saw serviced, free filter on mower servicing ...etc, 1st service free with each rebuild.....fix labour price for ring/piston replacement on select common engines...etc.

Over the years I have worked for 4 dealers, all who have tried these and have been burnt by them. They no longer use them. Loaners, most of the time they come back in worst condition than they went out and you have very little leway to get you losses covered. If you are a good businessman offering something free to the customers, it is both costing you money and your customers start to expect something free every time they come in. Fixed labor rates will cost you money. I don't of anyone who has not had to eat the costs something unexpected happens on either a quoted or fixed rate job. It happens more often than you think, we just don't talk about them. Sorry to rain on your great advise MBTRAC, but been there, done that, tossed it in the trash.

 

[MBTRAC]

MBTRAC is spot on with his recommendation, but I would be very careful doing this.

Offer value adds to make your service more unique, maybe a loan/hire mower for rebuilds, blade sharpening/balancing free with servcing...etc.... end of season specials when things are quiet e.g free chain sharpening with each saw serviced, free filter on mower servicing ...etc, 1st service free with each rebuild.....fix labour price for ring/piston replacement on select common engines...etc.

Over the years I have worked for 4 dealers, all who have tried these and have been burnt by them. They no longer use them. Loaners, most of the time they come back in worst condition than they went out and you have very little leway to get you losses covered. If you are a good businessman offering something free to the customers, it is both costing you money and your customers start to expect something free every time they come in. Fixed labor rates will cost you money. I don't of anyone who has not had to eat the costs something unexpected happens on either a quoted or fixed rate job. It happens more often than you think, we just don't talk about them. Sorry to rain on your great advise MBTRAC, but been there, done that, tossed it in the trash.

I've never run a small engine repair business so I'll bow to the Rivets voice of experience.....
As a customer though, these are the things that would keep me coming back/loyal to the same small engine repairer or change from the repairer I may currently use; no matter which way you look at it fix prices, value adds or perception of a "freebie" (albeit all built into the pricing) is very enticing to retain/gain customers.........might even be as simple as a notional $10 off the next additional item serviced as long as it clearly shown in the invoice so the customer perceives a reward/discount....

Suspect the USA is similar, but over here (Australia) the market is conditioned to "perceived" value adds ...... from new car Dealers just about all implementing fixed price servicing with great success, ditto for "free" car washing/pick up & delivery during servicing (though at the labour rates it obviously far from "free") to when you have a Lexus serviced you get a free box of chocolates, amazing how a supposedly free c.$10 box of chocolates takes the pain out of a $500+ service for the customer ...to similar competitive value added initiatives across most consumer transactions...

Even in our farm/earthmoving operations the market's evolving/evolved from the traditional price per Tonne/Bale or contracting/Hour/Hectare/m3 + freight, to a fixed price inclusive of freight....everyone wants to know the total price up front (without variances) prior to making a commitment....or demands a value add for their business retention..

 

[Flintmotorsports]

thank you for all the good info i will try some to see how it works