Yes, this is a profit opportunity.
Let me tell you how I turned "dead money" into profit.
I want to tell you a quick story about a promotion I ran years ago in my truck accessory business. It’s relevant because I see business owners making the same mistake today—staring at a problem instead of exploiting an inefficiency.
We were in Winnipeg. And if you know anything about Winnipeg in the winter, you know people want to get the hell out of there. They fly south—Mexico, Florida, wherever—for a week or two.
Here was the friction point: To do that, they were driving their trucks to the airport and parking in the long-term lot.
Think about that transaction for a second.
They were shelling out maybe $150 or $200 for parking. And what did they get for that money? Nothing. Zero value. Just a cold truck covered in snow when they got back. That is a "dead expense."
So, we looked at that and said, "Why don't we intercept that money?"
Airport Parking Is Expensive
We came up with a promo that was dead simple. We told them:
"Look, stop throwing money away at the airport. Instead of blowing a couple hundred bucks for parking, apply that same amount to upgrade your truck while you’re gone."
See the difference? We weren't asking for extra money. We were telling them to take the budget they had already set aside for a waste of space and apply it to something tangible—like a tonneau cover or a remote starter.
The logistics were easy.
They came to our shop first. We did the paperwork, they pre-paid (always get the cash up front before they max out their card at Disney World!) and I or one of my sales guys drove them to the airport in their own truck.
(This gave us 25 1-on-1 minutes to find out what we could sell them next year!)
We brought the truck back to the shop, kept it warm and secure, and did the install.
When they flew back in, we drove the finished truck to the airport, parked it, locked the keys in the cab, and texted them the location. They paid for maybe a few hours of parking instead of two weeks. Additionally, all their worries about dead batteries, not starting, etc - GONE.
It was a massive win-win. We were getting one or two extra installs a week all winter long—business we never would have touched otherwise.
Why am I telling you this?
Because you are likely sitting on a similar opportunity right now and you don’t even see it. You are trying to compete on price or you're waiting for the phone to ring, while your customers are bleeding money on stupid expenses that you could be capturing.
At Route Cause Consulting, this is what I do. I don't care about "brand awareness" or corporate fluff. I care about leverage. I care about taking a process that is losing you (or your customer) money and flipping it into an asset.
Whether you're in coatings, spray foam, or heavy equipment, the principle is the same: Find the dead money. Re-route it to YOUR bank account.
If you are tired of guessing where your next lead is coming from, let’s actually talk. We will look at your business, find the gaps, and build a system that makes saying "no" to you financially stupid for your prospect.
Click HERE to book a complimentary, no obligation Strategy Session with me.
Let’s get to work.
0 comments