If your staff are not making a living wage all winter long, chances are they will be looking for employment elsewhere. This can be challenging during winter months when you are reliant on snow events to provide them with hours. You’re going to need to get creative.

Can you work on a banked hours system through the summer? They wouldn’t make overtime but the banked hours could top up their pay throughout the winter months.

What about the SUB program we've chatted about previously? Look into it and see if your staff are eligible for it. You can read more about it HERE.

Can you set up an on-call schedule in advance (like some of our clients do) so that your staff know in advance when it’s their turn to watch the weather as opposed to being on-call all season long?

What about offering them new or late model equipment, training, regular communication and employee events during the winter to maintain culture? Whatever you do in the summertime for your staff - bbq’s, weekly staff meetings...

As a snow contractor, the possibility of a slip and fall on one of your properties is always in mind. Obviously, we want to take every precaution to ensure the safety of our clients. But what do you do when you receive notice that a claim has been filed? Do you have the proper information and documentation available in order to respond? 

Record-keeping is key to being able to respond to a slip and fall claim. Here’s a list of documents that you should have easy access to:

• Time sheets 
• Email conversations
• Weather reports
• GPS trail
• Related maps and descriptors
• Training modules
• Training certificates
• Truck sign-out sheets
• Phone messages
• Contracts
• Snow maps
• Previous contract dates
• Pre-season site inspection form
• Customer communications

Being prepared can make the process a lot smoother, less stressful and less costly. 

If you need help with creating or sourcing these documents, or if you have questions about your existing process, give me a call. You can schedule a call...

Planning ahead regarding your fleet needs has always been important to ensuring a successful season, but this year it’s more important than ever. With the shortage of parts and trucks, being prepared and flexible is going to be crucial.

Your relationship with your suppliers will play a key role in this. You can help them out by getting your equipment ordered early and/or getting your existing equipment scheduled for service before the forecast is calling for snow. Setting up a system where they can call you when they have some time and they know what equipment needs servicing is a small thing that can make a huge impact.

I highly recommend working with local suppliers for ordering and delivery of trucks, equipment and small machinery. I would also choose a supplier that allows you to standardize the equipment you’re using, making it easier for budgeting and repairs. For example, if you’re using all the same equipment (like the same type of plow), you can order parts that will work fo...

Are you a snow fighter? Or do you simply plow snow? It may seem like we’re splitting hairs, but author and entrepreneur Brad Caton would argue it’s not. How you see yourself changes how you react in a snow event.

You may remember him from an interview I did with him on the “Nextra Presents…!” podcast last year. If you missed his episode you can listen to it HERE. 

Throughout his book “Brad draws on nearly two decades of experience running his Vancouver-based snow and ice management firm, Invictus Professional Snowfighters, as well as in-depth discussions with industry experts ranging from attorneys, insurers, advocates, property managers, salt distributors, and fellow snowfighters, to present a rare, broad-scoped analysis of the challenges, solutions, and dire importance associated with the snow and ice industry.”

A couple of things stood out to me throughout the book:

1. Brad Caton and his team at Invictus only do snow and are profitable doing it. 
2. They see snow removal as an emer...

Have you thought about adding liquids to your snow operations? It can be a little daunting but the overall benefit far outweighs the learning curve.

A number of years ago, I attended a SnowEx seminar by Daniel Gilliland. He is a pioneer in bringing liquids to the forefront in Ontario. I learned so much through his presentation and I want to share what I learned with you. 

There are four main reasons to use liquid strategies for Snow and Ice Control:

• Improve safety outcomes
• Reduce the environmental impact/property damage and the amount of chlorides going into the environment.
• Drastically reduce your materials, especially if you make your own salt brine.
• Using liquids to anti-ice prevents snow and ice from bonding to the pavement which results in a significant reduction to post-storm labour, equipment, and material clean up costs.

Did You Know?

• Slip & Fall claims related to winter maintenance account for more lawsuits than in any other sector except auto accidents.
• Nationw...

How do you handle objections when speaking with potential clients? 

Do they derail you because it feels like rejection? OR do you see an objection as a question - one the client is looking to have answered before they accept the terms and finalize the sale.

In a recent article written by Bruce Wilson, he shares that “objections are simply a sign that a prospect needs more information to make a decision.” It’s a small shift in perspective that can dramatically change your outcomes.

Here are Bruce’s 10 tips on dealing with sales objections:

1. Listen up and validate
2. Rehearse your response
3. Be prepared
4. Isolate the objection
5. Postpone objections
6. Ask questions
7. Talk about money
8. Focus on them
9. Avoid better, faster, cheaper
10. Convert the objection

If you’d like to dig into these a little more, click HERE to read the full article and remember: an objection is not a rejection, but your response to the objection might make it one.

Sales are a critical part of every business and while this may seem like common sense, I see owners all the time that forget to sell. A while ago Dynascape posted an article outlining 12 sales tips to increase your closing rate and your profitability and they are too good not to share.

In my experience as both a landscape business owner and coach, I’ve noticed that there are 3 of these tips in particular that most contractors neglect to do:

1. They don’t find out why they lost a bid. Most contractors do not follow up on lost bids and therefore lose out on an opportunity to learn.
2. Say “no, thank you” to lousy jobs.
3. Keep selling. Most contractors shift from sales to operations until they are in an “oh no - we don’t have enough work” type of situation.

To read more about each of these tips and find out what the other 9 are, click HERE and read the full article.

If you joined us in Stoney Creek this week you saw the Metal Pless Live Edge blade in action on the Merlo machine. With that in mind, we are thrilled to hand over the blog to Metal Pless this week as they share more about their company with you. 

Metal Pless of Plessisville, Quebec is a frontrunner in the snowplow manufacturing sector. Clients rely on the company’s products to clear public roadways, commercial and industrial properties, as well as airports during and after a snowfall. It is a task done under intense time pressure and scrutiny; city streets and parking lots must be plowed quickly to maintain access in adverse weather conditions.

The company’s products can be fitted on various vehicles including tractors, wheel loaders, backhoes, skid steers, and tandem trucks. Plows are sold through a North America-wide dealer network. Dealers, in turn, sell to customers – typically snow contractors, Departments of Transportation (DOT), airports, or other government entities. Sales ar...

Years ago I read an article by Brian Tracey about identifying and finding your ideal client. The information he shared then is still so relevant that I wanted to share it with you today.  

I really liked how he worded these 6 tips on how to find your ideal client:

1. Define your product from your customers' point of view. Ask yourself these questions: What does your product do for your ideal customer? What problems does your product solve for your customer? What needs of your customer does your product satisfy? How does your product improve your customer's life or work?
2. Define your ideal customer for what you sell. What is his or her age, education, occupation or business? What is his or her income or financial situation? What is his or her situation today in life or work?
3. Determine the specific benefits your customer is seeking in buying your product. Of all the benefits you offer, which are the most important to your ideal customer? What are the most pressing needs that your pr...

Recently I read an email from Marty Grunder of the Grow Group on the importance of defining and selling only to your ideal client. Below is an excerpt from that email that I think is worth reading.