How do you guys 'up north' countermeasure the 'slow time'?

[Niko Molina]

Due to the snow and terrible weather. Do you change marketing tactics? i.e. Advertise undercarriage cleaning/salt removal + protectant? I've seen products such as Salt Away that are for this and could perhaps keep clients coming in throughout the winter months.


What are your tactics? How do you go about managing it? Also I'd imagine it may be different for Shop vs Mobile.

 

[Andr3wilson]

I don't see a change in volume, more a change in jobs. Winter months yield interior jobs and rarely polishing, summer is opposite. All polishing, rare interior.

I really don't see how to be mobile year round in my city. We have snow 6 months and are well below freezing the entire time. In -40c, water freezes instantly lol.

Another problem that I don't think many have experienced, is in -20 below, if you drive the car out as the brakes are wet. They freeze a layer of ice which renders them useless after a couple good hard pumps.

So with all that, to run year round you need a shop and need to adapt.

 

[Niko Molina]

I don't see a change in volume, more a change in jobs. Winter months yield interior jobs and rarely polishing, summer is opposite. All polishing, rare interior.

I really don't see how to be mobile year round in my city. We have snow 6 months and are well below freezing the entire time. In -40c, water freezes instantly lol.

Another problem that I don't think many have experienced, is in -20 below, if you drive the car out as the brakes are wet. They freeze a layer of ice which renders them useless after a couple good hard pumps.

So with all that, to run year round you need a shop and need to adapt.

We have potential snow from October-March. Definite snow November-February. Damn Ohio weather...

brb 4 seasons in 1 week

 

[Pureshine]

I go from 4-6 weeks booked to 2 weeks booked. I do a lot more interior cleaning than exterior. It doesn't get that cold here and my garage is heat so that helps. For marketing tactics I don't change anything really.

 

[Niko Molina]

I don't see a change in volume, more a change in jobs. Winter months yield interior jobs and rarely polishing, summer is opposite. All polishing, rare interior.

I really don't see how to be mobile year round in my city. We have snow 6 months and are well below freezing the entire time. In -40c, water freezes instantly lol.

Another problem that I don't think many have experienced, is in -20 below, if you drive the car out as the brakes are wet. They freeze a layer of ice which renders them useless after a couple good hard pumps.

So with all that, to run year round you need a shop and need to adapt.

Won't be getting a shop since I'm just starting out. Renny Doyle's book recommended for just starting out doing it mobile and that is actually what I've been planning all along even before reading his book.

Just going to really have to think about how to prepare and approach the winter months.

May go around to current detailers within my area and ask how they approach it... but perhaps they won't like to give their 'secrets' out to a 'potential competitor'.

 

[tbaz]

It's a catch 22 , owners abuse their cars in the winter with communal brushes and the elements cause swirls /damage , and spring is always busy, I don't know how ever the answer to how the sealants hold up to the elements. Anyway busy interior I can imagine in winter, really busy spring . And I'm waaay north