Establishing and maintaining a successful moving company is a rewarding venture. You experience the joy of seeing a family move into their forever home. You might also get to help that 20-something start a life of their own by assisting them in moving into their first apartment.
Doing this kind of work is a beautiful endeavor. With that said, a moving company is still a business. As such, those managing it must maintain and improve upon its operations whenever required. Luckily, the process is simple with these tips for elevating your moving company.
#1. Prep for Off and on Seasons
Like every other type of business, moving companies have off and on seasons. Specifically, movers don’t have as much business in the winter months as in the summer. There are various reasons for this.
But mostly, it’s because:
- Lots of leases end in the summer.
- Buyers’ markets are sometimes better in the summer.
In any case, it’s crucial to prep so that your business has what it needs to remain successful and profitable throughout the year. Because summer is typically the busy season, it’s beneficial to ensure that you’re fully stocked on supplies like boxes and moving trucks.
You should also ensure that you’re fully staffed. Putting some money back to help you manage your expenses during the slower season is also wise.
#2. Keep Things Organized
Preparing for the busy and slow seasons is only part of the equation. Keeping everything organized is also key to improving your moving business. There are many things to keep track of, from paperwork and service quotes to references and customer inquiries. If you can’t find these things quickly, keeping everything running smoothly might be a challenge.
For this reason, it’s imperative to ensure that everything stays neat. If you’re working from a digital platform, organize all your files into digital stacks and folders. Suppose you’re taking phone calls and in-person orders. If so, use highlighters, post-its, and file cabinets to label and prioritize your work. This type of organization applies to your actual moving processes as well.
Don’t let your staff pack client boxes randomly. Instead, have them use colored tape to identify which packages have fragile, soft, and solid items. Doing so will help them keep track of everything and ensure your clients always receive excellent service.
#3. Emphasize Your Credentials
Organization is crucial to a moving company’s success. But even more important than efficiency are the credentials of you and your staff. If you own and operate a moving company, we can only assume that you have all the right qualifications. But that won’t matter if the public doesn’t know about them.
For this reason, underlining your credentials is crucial. If you have a website, create a landing page that showcases your licensure. Explain to your customers what qualifies you to manage their move. Moreover, highlight any unique experience you may have. For instance, you might be qualified to handle a large-scale commercial move. If so, emphasize that on your website and any other marketing materials you may use.
#4. Get Involved With Your Community
Movers rely on client testimonials and customer loyalty to thrive. After all, the only way to know a moving service’s quality is by experiencing it first-hand. That’s why successful moving companies always get involved with their communities. This might mean signing up to help with a church garage sale clean-up.
It could also involve volunteering to help with estate sales, clearing out homes impacted by natural disasters, and even doing free food deliveries for your local food pantry. Think about it—you already have the resources to pull this stuff off. Plus, it’ll be an excellent way to keep things moving during your slower seasons.
Doing things like this shows the people in your community that your company is built on a foundation of compassion, hard work, and love for the people you serve. Not only does this instill a sense of trust, but it also showcases your high level of service.
#5. Get Creative With Marketing
We can’t discuss taking your moving business to the next level without mentioning marketing strategies. You can always stick with tried-and-true methods like local commercials, digital ads, and word of mouth. Those are all undoubtedly effective. But we’d also like to challenge you to think outside the box a bit.
We live in a digital era, and it’s rife with opportunities to showcase your business uniquely. For instance, you could set up social media accounts and vlogs that take prospective customers through your service processes intimately and transparently.
Building an SEO blog where you offer customers free advice and moving resources is another fantastic route. And posting client reviews and testimonials on your official website probably wouldn’t hurt either. Whatever you choose, diversifying the way you market can make a massive difference for your business.
#6. Pitch To the DIYers
Lastly, don’t be afraid to pitch to the DIY movers in your service area. Moving services are quick, easy, and convenient—especially for those with health issues that make heavy-lifting painful or impossible. But many people choose the DIY route anyway. Why? Because they feel the bill for moving services would be much too high.
They’re not wrong. Moving is grueling work, and your staff deserves to be compensated fairly. The bottom line for the service is often relatively steep. But nothing says you can’t offer payment plans for customers in need. You might also be able to sell them with a hefty discount when they recommend two friends.
Doing this will not only expand your customer base, but it’ll also give people of all economic backgrounds an opportunity to benefit from your services. And truthfully, people tend to get excited about interacting with businesses that show compassion and have a vested interest in the people they serve.
In short, there are various ways to enhance your moving business and take it to the next level. Being prepared and keeping things organized is an excellent start. Of course, it’s also beneficial to remember that thinking outside the box and reaching out to your community are both fantastic ways to improve your business and expand your customer base.
