December/January is fast approaching and generally builders couldn’t think of a worse time. Anybody in the building trade will relate to the ‘tumbleweed moment’ or lack of phone calls for potential jobs, leading up the to the Christmas period. The majority of builders have their quietest time over these months, as poor weather conditions are exacerbated by the fact that homeowners do not want to turn their home into a building site over the festive months ! But like any business, a construction business cannot afford to close. What can they do?

 Any viable construction business will sit and create a strategic plan to see them through these chilly months and should ask themselves mid year “what work can be done during this quieter time? What can we market? A cladding project? A garden room?  A small SIPS built porch?”

 From the consumers perspective, something to consider for larger projects is to use these colder wet months as productive ‘Planning Months’. Use this time to submit your planning application, sort out your quotations, take on your contractor and  plan carefully for your  project. Weather conditions dictate that builders cram in as much work through the summer months as possible, so having a well organized building plan will go in your favour and ensure you have a minimal on site time and a detailed project plan in place.

 Building with Frames use these months to help clients plan for their up coming projects, whether that’s drawing up designs or sending out quotations. This helps line up business for the New Year and schedule a strategic work plan, enabling us to complete projects throughout the 12 months. As a business we also use these quieter periods to review our stock levels, reflect on our previous 12 months of business, identify new trends, set out the next year’s strategy and compare our performance to previous years.

 Understanding your businesses rhythm is fundamental. Once you’ve been in  business for a year or two, your trade pattern is easier to see and strategic planning for the coming year’s peaks and troughs becomes a key element to maximising your business.

 There are always ways to use these quieter months to your advantage , embrace them with a  positive ethos and ensure that down time is not wasted.