If you drew a line on a graph representing the highs and lows of business demand in the electrical service industry, it would probably look like a roller-coaster ride. People generally like to stay busy, and when demand for service is up, so is morale. But what do you do when your technicians find themselves with idle hands?
Most years, the electrical service industry experiences a slowdown during January, February, and March. Business can seemingly slow to a crawl, but don’t despair. Use this opportunity to prepare your business for the rest of the year, such as the hiring and training of new employees. This can be a daunting task because while your hiring new employees, your existing employees are competing for hours on the clock, and each call that comes in is like a golden nugget that turns into a paycheck.
What can you do to offset technicians’ complaints that there aren’t enough calls coming in while you’re doing your best trying to keep the business budget on track? My advice is to become a proactive leader by completing the tasks you’ve put off all year long, and reposition your business for profitable subsequent three-quarters of the year.
The following tips may help you maximize your potential during the downtime at the beginning of the year:
1. Be calm and organized in your approach. It doesn’t do any good to worry yourself sick during the low-demand season. Instead, make a priority list. Start with the items that are necessary to complete to stay in business, and focus on those diligently until they are done. You can move on to lesser priorities after that.
2. Pay attention to overtime. Prepare your employees by letting them know that when demand is high, overtime can be expected. However, when demand is low, they should adjust their expectations. Make sure overtime during slow periods is well documented with detailed descriptions to prove it’s needed. Try to keep overtime hours to less than 1% of all revenue.
3. Work on relationships with existing clients. Give them a call to check in. Ask them how the weather has been affecting their electrical infrastructure. Make sure they know you’re there when they need your services or an estimate. If they were given an estimate within the past few weeks, ask them what steps they’ve taken since that point, and try to work out a way to get the work quoted done as soon as possible.
4. Get your foot in the door, literally, by offering free inspections and quotes. Inspections are a great way to drum up new business when seasonal demand is low. Make sure your inspections are thorough. Train your technicians to understand that a stellar first impression can lead to a loyal customer. It’s the technician’s chance to help build your brand as a trusted authority.
5. Work on sharpening the skills of your sales team. Consider invoice training that will help streamline processes, saving time and money. Your sales team should be at the top of their game during lows in service demand. One call could cover half of your budget on any given day. A philosopher got it right when he said, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”
6. Survey your marketing materials. Look at your website, brochures, logo, and branded collateral. Update your online presence. Is your business easily found on Google or other search engines when someone types in “electricians near me?” Make sure your online reviews are mostly positive in nature. Have you addressed any negative ones and made corrections based on feedback from your customers? There’s no excuse for having less-than-perfect customer service reviews during slow times of the year.
Talbot is a licensed, master electrician in Georgia, where he was born and raised. He has been in the industry for 17 years and is currently the operations manager for Mister Sparky Atlanta, where he manages a team of technicians. In his spare time, he plays with his kids, volunteers, and is flipping his fourth house. He can be reached at [email protected].
