Old Man Winter is bearing down on many of us! Frozen roads, slippery slopes and stranded vehicles stuck in ditches (Hopefully not YOUR vans!) are an ugly sight. And yet, if you prepare BEFORE winter arrives it can even be enjoyed! The key is winter safety.
I recently focused on 6 ways to get winter work lined up BEFORE it gets ugly out there! But now that you have the jobs you must work safely and efficiently. (Even in nasty conditions!) Sure, I know the snow hasn’t hit… yet. That’s why my theme this week is the word “BEFORE”! For example…
Invest in good snow tires (on all four wheels of your vans) BEFORE the snow hits. (This week would be good!) And make sure your van’s charging system is in good shape. Freezing cold weather brings out the worst in all vehicles! But the very best way to stay out of the ditch…
Anticipate and THINK about what’s ahead BEFORE you get in trouble!
Yep, winter’s ice and snow mean you must recognize the problem BEFORE you are there. (“What happens if?” works for driving too.) For example…
1. If you can’t see all of an unplowed driveway park out of the way on the street and walk the driveway first BEFORE roaring in there and getting stuck! (Don’t ask me how my techs and I learned this one!)
NOTE: Remind your customers to clear their driveways BEFORE your techs show up. HINT: Add this request to your winter Phone Format.
2. Your loaded vans weigh a LOT. Great for traction starting out… terrible for braking! So SLOW DOWN and “feather” your brakes by tapping them lightly loooong BEFORE you have to stop. Once you start skidding it is too late! (You don’t want to know how I sadly learned this one either!)
3. Watch the curves and (yep- you guessed it) slow to a crawl BEFORE turning into a corner.
4. It takes time to readjust driving skills for winter. So find an unused snowy parking lot, set up some traffic cones and let your techs practice their “skid prevention techniques” BEFORE they go out in traffic.
5. And hey- you can’t tell your employees to sloooow down and yet continue to cram more work into their daily schedules! (And we are ALL guilty of this “shoehorning!) So give your techs extra drive time BEFORE sending them out on to those slick and icy roads! 🙂
AN INVITATION: We’re having great discussions on ‘winter preparedness’ in our Strategies for Success: Growing Your Business Facebook Group. Our members (thousands of cleaning and restoration contractors) will eagerly help you even if you haven’t graduated (yet) from SFS Training so join today!
And BTW, I wish you all winter safety BEFORE (and during) this winter!
Steve