As we find ourselves in late September, the seat belt branding, scorching Australian summer is right around the corner. While you might be wishing you were about to be on a Bali trip rather than crawling around in a hot roof getting a fibreglass itch. It’s essential to shift our focus to business matters. Now is the prime time to ensure your CRM systems are up and running before the summer tsunami hits. So, grab a cold one and your commando zinc stick and let’s dive into how to turn your summer hustle into a year-round profit engine. 

The Summer Surge:

We all know that as summer approaches, the demand for air conditioning installations and repairs skyrockets. It’s the season when our business thrives, but it’s also a season that can quickly overwhelm us. We don’t get the time to work on the big picture or prepare for the post-summer crash. That’s why now is the perfect moment to get your CRM systems in order!

Why do I need a CRM?

A CRM is a Customer Relationship Management software. Basically, your internal database of previous clients you have done work for as well as potential future clients you are looking to gain work from marketing to them about your services.

After you do an install or service call, ensure you plug each client into your CRM. You want to document the obvious details like contact information and address, as well as unit type, model, date of installation and warranty end date. Having a well-built CRM system will make it a 90-second job for your technicians to add all this information to your CRM after they have done the job. Imagine doing this for all your jobs over the year – you guarantee yourself a large database you can leverage, especially if you have been in the game a few years.

Off-Peak Cashflow Blueprint: Securing The Year-Round Cash Cow 💰🐄

Now imagine this: Instead of scratching your arse, getting the apprentice to clean the ute for the fourth time or asking your team to take holidays during the slow season, you could be doing actual moneymaking work. How, you ask?

Because you’ve gathered a list of satisfied summer customers, it’s time to unleash your scheduling prowess. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of sweaty, sweltering cures. Set up your CRM to automatically send out friendly reminders that it’s time for their annual AC servicing. Send this out during the quiet months of roughly late March to May and September to early Nov (depending on when the heat wave starts- this year it looks like it’s already begun!) that keeps your technicians busy and your bank account cash flow consistent.

You can automatically contact past clients based on a number of factors you have been tracking. For example:

• If you installed a unit 3 weeks ago and want to see if everything is okay.
• If it’s been more than 12 or 18 months since you have last done a service call.
• If their unit is 6 months from running out of warranty they can get a final check.
• If the weatherman is warning of a coming heat wave, cold snap or another armageddon bushfire season you can reach out to your database and preemptively check if everything is working as it should be. 
• If there is a part or unit recall (Like in 2019 with both Braemar and Carrier Corporation having to recall their units), or a special deal with a particular manufacturer you can contact just your customers who have that brand installed.
• Wish them Happy Birthday and send them a coffee voucher

I think you get it ✌️ . The potential for customer re-engagement is endless. And the best part? It’s all automated through your CRM! No mental load of calling people on the road between jobs. No staff member looking at the calendar trying to manually message each customer. It’s all automatic.

Grow Your Sales Team Without Employing Anyone:

Consider then implementing a referral program that rewards your happy customers for spreading the word about your exceptional services. Offer incentives like discounts on future maintenance or installations, or even a special gift as a token of appreciation. Happy customers are more than willing to recommend your business to their friends and family, and a well-structured referral program that links with your existing CRM can effortlessly transform them into your unofficial brand ambassadors. So, make sure to let your clients know that their recommendations are not only valued by you, but also rewarding for them! You can then track referral data and leverage to your advantage; such as peak referral seasons or specific geographic areas that are more likely to give out referrals than others.

With this system up and running, after a few years, there will be no such thing as a quiet season for your business.

Embrace Your Next Lull 🛠️:

Lastly, for now: think of the slow seasons as an opportunity not for business decline and forced holiday season, but for strategic business development. Use this downtime to train your staff, fine-tune your marketing strategies, fix your gear or business processes and explore new opportunities. Who knows, you might discover a niche market in your area or branch out to further business opportunities.

To Sum Up:

So, lads, there you have it—a surefire way to transform those mid-year blues into a winter wonderland of profits. By building a client database that grows itself and offering off-peak season maintenance services, you can keep your business thriving no matter the season. It’s time to stop fearing the lull and start embracing it as an opportunity to heat up your bottom line. Stay cool, stay profitable, and remember, in the air conditioning business, it’s not just about keeping things frosty for your happy customers—it’s about keeping those dollars flowing all year round!

Getting an Aircon Business-Specific CRM

If you don’t have your ducks in a row then reach out to me. I’d be keen to show you more about my automated CRM that is built for our industry specifically.