Is Your Business Prepared for the Fall Rush?

It happens every year... the Fall Rush. Labor Day arrives, the kids go back to school, and everyone wants to get their projects in before the holiday season. As we see an increase in orders and lead times creep up we wanted to share some best practices to help you succeed during this busy time of year. 

Panoramic View of Our Operations

I don't expect all of these best practices to apply to everyone so take what works for you and see how it can help your business this fall. 

5 Tips to Prepare for Fall

1. He Who Hesitates is Lost: Procrastination is common in our industry but when you're racing against time and the elements you best not leave it to chance. Fall is a busy time of year for us so we suggest ordering your material in advance to have in stock or discussing a timeline with your customer. My high school English teacher told me "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance". Back then I laughed at it, now I live by it. 

CT Blend Ledge Fireplace via NE Landscapes Instagram

2. Know What Sells: Heading into the fall we see more fireplaces built and complete than any other time of year. Earlier this year we partnered with Mason-Lite to offer pre-fabricated fireplace kits to help our customers be prepared.  Want to win the job? Know what your customer wants before they do and have it available. See our first point for clarification. 

3. Communication is Key: We take pride in the quality of our products but also in our service, which means communication. No one wants to feel rushed or pressured when making a decision but explaining to your customer (the project owner) the timeline and the importance of getting an order in to have it done by a certain time will help them. 

4. Consider the Elements: Anyone who handles shipping or logistics has a horror story related to the weather. It may be hurricane season or an early snowstorm but there is always the possibility of weather interrupting the schedule. If you wait you run the risk of this having a serious impact to your timeline and it can be costly if it holds up the job. Business is hard enough with the things you can control, forget the things you can't. Factor this in to your planning as well as the planning for the project.

If you want to end the year strong be prepared. If you have enough stone in stock to get a project started it may be enough to get you the entire project and have the rest shipped in shortly after. 

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