Spend time preparing for the upcoming season and avoid the headaches and
trouble in-season.
As a landscaper, you really need to look at your efforts
through the eyes of a small business owner. Taking advantage of pre-season
buying programs keeps items on the shelf for quick repairs and manages
consumables. A little bit of attention spent is the difference between turning
a profit on the year, growing your business, and standing out among
competition.
Here is an example of the immediate financial impact of
not having backup parts:
- Cost of new part and overnight shipping.
- Lost time spent diagnosing and physically repairing the
issue.
- Lost revenue due to lost time. Your landscape crew is
not cutting and earning; they are waiting.
True Cost of Downtime
1.
Customers who pay for a professional expect great work, no excuses. Landscaper
says: “I broke a belt, I’ll return in 2 days.” Customer hears: “Call someone
else who can get the job done right.”
2.
$6000 buys a nice enclosed trailer and huge billboard… that
nobody sees when it is parked at the shop waiting for a repair.
3.
Failing to prepare says a lot about your business. Not having
pride in your work is reflected through your employees and ultimately
customers. If you don’t take your work, seriously neither will your customers.
Eventually the phone stops ringing and you will never know how many sales you
are missing. A reputation is the hardest thing to repair.
Take some time…
Look at what you spend on consumable items. Trimmer line, two-cycle fuel, air filters, oil
filters, and blades are replaced based on hourly use so you can estimate your
seasonal parts budget. If you only order as parts break, calculate your
shipping cost and lost income during the down time. You will find that it costs
more to order only when
you need parts vs having the consumable parts on hand.
Once you know what you spend each season, take 20% of what you
spend to place a bulk order next spring. Companies like ours, ProParts Direct,
have the best buying programs in January and February to help jump start the
season. You can also save by combining
several smaller orders into one large order. Shipping charges on individual
packages adds up quickly.
Knowing what you need makes it possible to take advantage of pre-season
sales and bulk discounts. It’s the little steps that will help increase your
bottom line and help your company grow.
For Parts view our website www.propartsdirect.net
For Parts view our website www.propartsdirect.net
