Preparing for Winter 2024: Upselling to Secure Homeowner Safety

As the air of autumn settles in, it’s time for homeowners to begin thinking about winter preparations. For those of us in the garage door industry, this season presents a unique opportunity not only to ensure that your customers’ doors are functioning optimally but also to upsell products and services that enhance homeowner safety and security.

Here are a few things to consider offering to your customers this winter to secure their safety – and comfort!

1. Understanding the Importance of Winter Maintenance

Winter weather can take a toll on garage doors. Ice, snow, and freezing temperatures can potentially lead to malfunctioning systems, which is why proactive maintenance is essential. Encourage your customers to schedule a winter inspection to check for any issues such as:

• Weatherstripping: Ensuring the weatherstripping is intact helps to keep the warm air in and cold air out, while also reducing energy costs.
• Lubrication: Regular lubrication of hinges, rollers, and tracks can prevent freezing and ensure smooth operation of the garage door system.

Check out SSC’s variety of lubricants, including a few you can personalize with your own branding and logo.

• Battery Backup Systems: In areas prone to weather-related power outages, a battery backup can keep doors operational even during winter storms.

Upsell Opportunity: Winter Maintenance Packages

If you live in an area that experiences the winter season, consider offering bundled winter maintenance packages that include a full inspection, lubrication, and a discount on any necessary repairs. Be sure to highlight the importance of keeping the garage door functioning well through the colder months as you promote the package to homeowners.

2. Enhanced Safety Features

The unknown winter weather poses challenges for homeowners that differ from those in the summer months. Your homeowners will appreciate enhancements to the security and accessibility of their garage doors to keep their families safe.

Smart Technology

Smart garage door openers can provide peace of mind, allowing homeowners to monitor their doors remotely.

• Smart Locks: Upgrade to smart locks that offer keyless entry options.
• Cameras: Motion-activated cameras can be integrated to monitor garage entry points.
• Security Alarms: Promote alarms that can alert homeowners to any unauthorized access.

Upsell Opportunity: Comprehensive Security Solutions

Package these smart technologies with installation services for a complete home security upgrade. Emphasize the convenience and peace of mind they bring, especially during the darker, cooler months.

3. Emergency Preparedness

Winter storms can lead to emergencies, and homeowners should be prepared. Educate your customers about the importance of having a plan for garage access during inclement weather such as a snowstorm or below-freezing temperatures.

Encourage the installation and education of safety features such as:

• Emergency Release Mechanisms: Ensure homeowners know how to manually operate their garage doors in case of power outages.
• Community Partnership: Consider partnering with fellow local businesses to offer joint winter promotions and support. Snow removal, locksmiths,

Upsell Opportunity: Battery-Powered & Manual Tools

Battery-powered and manual tools to ensure access to the garage during a power outage will provide peace of mind to homeowners – especially families with children letting themselves in after school.

Networking Opportunity: Community Partnerships

Whether you network with other local businesses, manufacturers, contractors, or homeowners, networking can help you in many ways. In this case, working with local businesses to create a collaborative promotion partnership ensures that they recommend your business to homeowners who are already proactively preparing for the upcoming winter.

Want to learn more about networking? Check out our blog all about networking and building referral relationships.

4. Energy Efficient Upgrades

Homeowners may be unaware that their out-of-date garage door system is adding to their growing energy bills. Whether it’s a lack of weatherstripping causing the cold air to enter the garage and home, a lack of insulation on the garage door, or just a dated operating system, the garage can be an energy suck. The good news – you can help homeowners lower their bills while enhancing their garage experience.

• Upgrade the Garage Opener: New model garage door openers are more energy efficient than older models, plus they offer the added bonus of battery backups, cameras, and more.
• Weatherstripping: Adding or replacing old weatherstripping helps to keep the warm air in and cold air out while reducing energy costs.
• Insulated Garage Doors: If your homeowners are looking to invest in an aesthetically compatible and energy-efficient upgrade, a new garage door is the way to go. New garage doors with ample insulation, in addition to weatherstripping, will decrease energy costs while enhancing the home’s exterior.

Invicta Door®, manufactured by SSC, offers models with the R-value, climate control and even soundproofing properties your customers are seeking. Invicta Door® offers three insulation choices for our garage doors – no insulation, double layer insulation, or triple layer insulation. 

Upsell Opportunity: Energy efficiency is an added bonus of many garage upgrades and maintenance checks. This is a timely consideration with inflation on the rise. Homeowners are seeking cost-cutting measures wherever possible, so be sure to explain how your products and solutions will lead to lower bills.

Conclusion

It’s important to maintain integrity, honesty, and understanding, no matter what you’re selling. That same rule applies as you seek to enhance your customer’s comfort this winter season. You and your techs are selling more than just a new operator or a seasonal maintenance check. You are selling safety and security in the winter, something each of us can relate to needing for ourselves and our families.

Keep that in mind as you set forth building out a plan this winter. Adding a winter maintenance package is a great way to start; you can connect with your active customers while also connecting with community members who may not be a customer of yours yet. For many, the winter season lends itself to a strong sense of community. Lean into the season and build relationships with the small businesses near you. It not only fosters goodwill, but it is also mutually beneficial for each business to aid in spreading the word about each other.