With some garages currently facing a shortage of work due to the 2020 MOT extension, here are our five tips on how to survive any slowdown in business and get ready for the peak period at the end of the year.
Springtime 2021 has been challenging for many businesses in the automotive aftermarket, but there is a silver lining for garage owners. The work is still out there, but what is your strategy to seize the moment when it does come? These are just a few ideas:
1) A great time to upskill! Get your MOT annual training and assessment done and out of the way instead of leaving it to March 2022. Providing training will keep your staff engaged, valued, and motivated.
2) Get your equipment serviced and calibrated, so when the work does come, you minimise downtime and the risk of losses in peak periods.
3) Stock takes, garage tidy up, and customer waiting area refresh.
4) Reforecasting, accounts, marketing strategy, and recruitment.
5) What a great time to update your customer database, perhaps change or invest in a garage management system.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the MOT slowdown usually fell around Christmas and New Year when garage owners were on an end-of-year winddown and consumers were spending money on things other than their cars...
Now, better weather and longer days could allow you to complete some of the above modifications and improvements to your business now, instead of doing it in the dark and wet depths of winter.
All in all, it is either a glass half-full or half-empty situation. If your garage needs any help getting through this period before MOTs spike again later this year, please get in touch!