For lawn mowing pros, rain is both a nightmare and a godsend. It ruins your jam-packed mowing schedule, but it also gives you time to breathe and catch up on all those things you never get time for when you’re rushing from one mowing job to the next.
On the very off chance that you don’t have a long list of to-do’s when it rains, here are some ideas of what to do in your mowing business when it rains:
1. Sharpen your mower blades
Sharp lawn mower blades are the secret ingredient of good lawn mowing. This is because instead of ripping and weakening the grass, they cut grass blades cleanly and quickly. This means that your mowing time is reduced and your end result is more neat and consistent. So, a rainy day is the perfect time to give some love to your mower and sharpen its blades.
Quick read: How do I sharpen lawn mower blades?
2. Update your Facebook business page
Starting a Facebook business page is easy. But updating it can sometimes be a chore. So, a rainy day is perfect for uploading some before/after photos, broadcasting any recent promotions or news, and checking out what your competitors are doing on their Facebook pages. If you’re looking for ideas, check out our GreenSocks Facebook page for inspiration.
3. Follow up lost customers
This takes some courage, but if you could find out why someone cancelled your service, and if it’s something related to your service that you could improve (because many times it has nothing to do with you, remember), then this simple act of bravery could potentially save you thousands of dollars in the future, if you don’t lose customers for that reason ever again. It could also get you some unexpected business back, if lost customers are currently unhappy with another provider and willing to give you another go.
Good read: 20 Ideas to Get Customers for a Lawn Mowing Business
4. Get in the news
Journalists are always looking for good, local stories. You might not think you/your work is very newsworthy, but that’s where you could be wrong. Did you see something interesting or unusual in your work recently? Did you help someone out or donate some time to a local charity? Have you noticed some trends (lawn growth, lawn mowing bookings, customer habits) that others haven’t been talking about? If you put some brainpower into it, you might be surprised not just at whether you have a news story, but how many you have. And who knows… maybe you’ll end up on the same page open as the Prime Minister!
5. Knock on doors
The beauty of a rainy day is that potential customers might be stuck at home and desperate for a conversation, especially if it’s been raining for days at a time. So, throw on a raincoat, put some business cards in your pocket, and go knock on some doors and introduce yourself and your services. You’re likely to be the only guy dedicated enough to be doing so, and you’ll certainly make an impression. You might even get some jobs out of it for those who feel sorry for you in the rain. Feel free to sing whilst doing it!
6. Check your website
When was the last time you checked every single link on your website? Do all the links work? Are all your contact details still correct? Is anything out of date? Could you add more pictures, stories, blog posts or details? Websites are evolving beasts. They need constant refining and enhancing – and a rainy day is perfect for investing time into one of the channels that brings you new customers!
Feel free to check out our blogs for ideas…
7. Service your lawn mower
Even mowing pros get behind on essential lawn mower maintenance. But remember, if you look after your lawn mower, your lawn mower will look after you on those 12 hour work days when you can’t afford it to fail. So if you’re looking for things to do in your mowing business when it rains, here’s a quick checklist for mower maintenance:
- Clean away dirt and clippings
- Wash the undercarriage
- Empty the fuel tank
- Add fuel stabiliser to the fuel tank
- Clean and replace the air filter
- Replace the spark plug
- Consider checking your mower into your local mowing repair expert for a professional tune-up
Want more? 6 Best Ways to Maintain Your Lawn Mower
Got more ideas?
If you’ve got more ideas about what to do in your mowing business when it rains, please share them in the comments below. We’d love to hear them!
Notes: Featured image at the top of the page was sourced here