Check that the September sales and production goals for your company match or exceeded your goals for the month. It’s late to be playing catch-up. If your sales and/or production are down, you need to reduce your overhead accordingly.
Send a letter to all your old customers reminding them to winterize their homes. Be sure and emphasize plugging foundation vents and covering hose bibs and maybe give them two or three other hints that will help them. You might also suggest that you can do it for however many dollars. You never know what new business this might turn up.
Speaking of which, check the maintenance schedule for your office building. Be sure and schedule winterizing your building.
There is good money in holiday lighting work, don’t ignore it. Get a letter out to all your old customers that you install and take down lighting and ornaments, etc. They aren’t mind readers – if you don’t tell them you can do it, they won’t call. With a little research you can find companies that will teach you how to do holiday lighting. Don’t ignore this great source of end of year income.
Speaking of holidays, a few years ago we recommended using pumpkins and Halloween in your marketing in this blog post. There might still be time to get it together?
If you do a good job of advertising now, you won’t have downtime in January-February-March. Make sure that includes any needed updates to your website.
How is your website? You should be getting 40-60% of your leads from your website. If not, see what needs to be changed and change it. If potential clients aren’t calling you from your website, the problem isn’t your potential clients, it’s your website. Consider MyOnlineToolbox’s classes to improve your website and start getting some good leads in the door. You can read what they do here.
Start gearing up mentally for the end of year review and planning beginning in November. Having a plan gives you a guideline to start 2024 and adjust from there. You can read about how to do this drill here: Planning Part 1 and Planning Part 2
Hunting season is amongst us. All vacation time for hunting should have been scheduled by now. Remind your employees that you need advance notice if they plan to take time off for hunting this fall. Make sure your employees know how much notice you need to keep your jobs running smoothly and on time. This, by the way, should be covered in your employee manual as well.
How is your employee handbook doing for you? We continue hearing about problems with employees from your fellow contractors. If you need some help getting an employee manual started, we’ve done it for you.
Check that all your subcontractor’s license, bond and insurance are up to date. Stay on top of this; you don’t want to get bit. If you don’t have a subcontractor manual, this can help you get started.
Start planning to spend the Thanksgiving four-day weekend with your family and an equal amount of time off at Christmas. The most important thing you have is your family; plan now so you can invest the time.
Third quarter taxes are due soon. Get that distraction off your list of things as soon as possible.
Have you taken that special someone in your life out on a date recently? A nice dinner out, maybe a movie would be great. Work on the flame with your flame.