5 Summer Marketing Tips for Snow

By Brian K. Birch

As this crazy and eventful spring comes to a close and it starts to heat up outside, the easiest thing you can do is forget about snow and ice. My counsel to you is to NOT forget about the winter, this is perhaps the most critical time of the entire year for you to get in front of key decisions makers BEFORE they make their product and supply decisions for the 2011-2012 winter season. Here are 5 tips:


• Touch-base soon: Send your snow clients a letter, email,  or post-card in June, wishing them a great summer and reminding them that you are still thinking about winter even in the heat. Remind them that you care about snow. Make this more about personal relationships than a pitch for a product, early on in the summer you want to just stay on their radar.


• Set appointments: These folks, especially the landscapers, will be extremely busy, although things will slow down for them toward the end of June. Make sure you try and set up some face time in late June (for example, at SIMA’s Annual Snow & Ice Symposium) or at their office; if you are a national outfit, you won’t be able to do this, but maybe you can support your dealers/suppliers by helping them coordinate barb-e-cues or other events to stay in touch.


• Get the timing right: Most suppliers in this industry tend to market heavily in the fall, as that is when they see the sales come in and web traffic spike. I believe that many contractors, especially the most efficient and successful, are in decision-making mode long before this. However, many (except for perhaps larger salt purchasers) won’t pull the trigger on purchases for a while, as they want to see what their bids bring in for the next season. How can you position yourself as a resource for them leading up to that point? Keys to success will be to communicate flexibility in ordering, speed in order/turn-around time, and a fair price that meets their needs.  You want to be their choice before they know how much work they sold; you want to be waiting for their order so you can respond accurately, competitively priced, and fast!


• Be patient: Snow contractors can be frustrating, especially leading into the fall, as they are unsure exactly how much work they will seal up for the next season.  Their biggest challenge will be matching their contracted work with manpower, materials, and equipment, so they will be late in making the final call on many purchases; if you want to work with them, you will have to embrace this challenge, as they are often waiting on their potential customers to sign contracts, and these folks usually wait until the last minute (and just before or during the first snowfall of the season). 


• Develop programs that match their cash flow: Snow contractors face a great deal of risk in the late summer/early fall, as they are making investments in supplies/equipment and allocating employee time toward winter work. They are outlying cash and time before they generate a shred of income, and they are not 100% sure what the winter will bring. From a cash standpoint, they may not see significant cash flows from winter work until December or January, so it is key that you structure any special offers/billing/invoicing programs to meet their needs. You should be planning these programs now, so you can be ready to hit the ground running with them in late summer/early fall.