Pool work for the wintertime

By Emma Peterson. 

Get the most out of your cash flow at the end of the year with these five tips.  

Winter is often the slow season for pool and landscaping contractors. But just because business might be slower, it doesn't mean there isn’t work to be done! In an article for the International Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA), Rachael Pritz of RB Retail and Service Solutions shared five tasks that pool contractors should tackle this winter.  

1 – Take inventory 

Examine your inventory and look for aging or overstocked items. Products like chemicals, pool toys and seasonal accessories that, as Rachel put it, “Won’t be in demand again until the spring,” should be prioritized. Overall, if something has been sitting for over 60 days, consider marking them down or running a clearance promotion for them!  

2 – Utilize purchase data 

Take the time to reach back out to your prior customers. You can utilize client history tools to see who has purchased seasonal items in the recent past and then send them tailored emails promoting clearance items that work in tandem with previous purchases.  

3 – Update your marketing 

On the note of catered promotions, the off season is a great time to update your marketing strategy! The goal is to get customers to place orders online or give you a call. Any end of the year or seasonal specials and sales that you are running are great ways to encourage traffic. 

4 – Check your data 

The off season is also a great time to go through your business data and records to check for inefficiencies. As Rachel explained, “[When you] monitor what's moving and what's not, [you can] adjust your pricing or promotion strategies in real-time based on what your data is telling you.” 

5 – Deal with warranty claims 

Last but not least, you should make sure to process all your warranty claims from the previous season. This is a tedious process, but parts and labor claims can be a significant amount of revenue during the slower months. And if you haven’t already, the off season is an ideal time to implement a digital tracking systems for claims! Rachel explained the importance of this, sharing, “Manually keeping track of claims results in lost warranty revenue on both parts and labor...Running a weekly warranty report [through business software] helps pool and spa businesses find thousands of additional dollars of profit every year.” 

Keep up with the IPPSA Newsletter to get more tips for running your business!