Best Practices for Preparing Your Dealership for the Busy Season
When it comes to seasonal success, timing is everything. The difference between a dealership that’s thriving during peak season and one that’s barely keeping up often comes down to preparation. And that work doesn’t start when the first customer walks through the door—it starts months before.
Whether you’re a single-location dealership or managing multiple rooftops, this guide outlines the steps you can take now to make sure your business is ready when it matters most. From early planning and inventory control to proactive customer outreach and marketing campaigns, these best practices are designed to set your dealership up for a smooth, profitable season.
Click to Jump Ahead:
- When Should Dealerships Start Preparing?
- Inventory Management: Stocking Up on High-Demand Items
- Optimizing the Service Department
- Marketing Strategies for a Strong Busy Season
1. When Should Dealerships Start Preparing?
It’s never too early to start planning for the rush. In fact, the most successful dealerships begin their prep well before customers start walking through the doors.
The Ideal Timeline: Late Fall to Early Winter
The best time to start preparing for the next busy season is as soon as the current one ends. Dealerships that start planning in late fall through early winter are in the best position to take advantage of early-order discounts, improve inventory accuracy, and forecast customer needs with precision.
By reviewing what sold well (and what didn’t) during the previous season, you can make smarter decisions about what to stock, how much to order, and where to invest.
Leverage Past Sales Trends to Forecast Demand
This is where your DMS earns its keep. Tools like Ideal’s built-in reporting can help you break down your seasonal sales data to spot buying trends, understand customer preferences, and identify your top movers. Instead of guessing what will sell, you’ll work with data that shows precisely what’s likely to drive revenue.
Key insights you should review include:
- Top-selling equipment models by month
- Inventory turnover rates
- Service department load during peak weeks
- Parts reorder frequency
With these numbers in hand, you can plan more effectively and avoid costly mistakes, such as overstocking slow-moving items or running out of your bestsellers.
The Benefits of Pre-Season Ordering
Manufacturers and distributors often offer early-order programs during the off-season, giving dealers access to:
- Better pricing and rebate opportunities
- Priority shipping and improved availability
- Access to limited-edition models or configurations
Pre-season ordering also helps you beat the springtime rush, when equipment shortages and shipping delays are more common. You’ll not only be first in line for new inventory, but you’ll also have the time to prepare your floor plan, train your staff, and develop marketing campaigns around what’s coming in.
In short, starting early gives your dealership a competitive edge. The rest of this guide will walk you through how to make the most of that head start so you can hit the ground running when the season starts.
Read Next: Tips on Leveraging Software for Seasonal Inventory Management
2. Inventory Management: Stocking Up on High-Demand Items
Once you’ve reviewed your sales trends and pre-season ordering opportunities, the next step is dialing in your inventory strategy. When the busy season hits, the last thing you want is to tell a customer you’re out of stock or hold up a repair because a common part is back-ordered.
Focus on Fast-Moving Products
Your bread and butter during the season will be the items that move quickly and consistently. Think:
- Mowers and trimmers
- Blades, belts, and filters
- Oil, spark plugs, and other common maintenance supplies
By analyzing what sold most in past seasons, you can identify patterns and stock accordingly. This ensures your shelves (and service department) are ready for the most in-demand items, helping you turn more quotes into sales and reduce repair turnaround times.
Avoid Delays in the Service Department
Your service bay can become a bottleneck if the right parts aren’t readily available. And when a customer brings in a mower that needs to be back in use today, every minute counts.
By making sure you have critical service parts in stock ahead of time, you’ll avoid downtime, keep your techs moving, and maintain customer trust during the most critical months.
Use Ideal’s Inventory Tracking to Stay Ahead
Managing all of this manually is nearly impossible and unnecessary. With a DMS like Ideal, you can automate and optimize your inventory process from start to finish.
Use built-in tools to:
- Set minimum stock levels and receive low-stock alerts
- Automatically generate reorder lists based on sales history
- Track parts and equipment across multiple locations in real time
- Get visibility into what’s selling and what’s sitting
Instead of playing catch-up when shelves start to empty, you’ll always be one step ahead. That means fewer lost sales, faster service turnarounds, and a more profitable busy season overall.
3. Optimizing the Service Department
During the peak season, your service department becomes one of the busiest—and most stressed—parts of your dealership. Without the right systems in place, it’s easy to run into three major roadblocks:
- Long wait times for customers
- Delays due to parts shortages
- Overwhelmed technicians and backlogged work orders
These are common issues across the industry, but they’re also preventable with the right pre-season strategies.
Use Pre-Season Maintenance Specials to Spread Out Demand
One of the smartest ways to ease the strain is by pulling service work forward. By offering pre-season maintenance specials—oil changes, blade sharpening, tune-ups, and inspections—you encourage customers to bring in their equipment before the spring rush.
This not only helps level out your service load, but it also gives your techs more breathing room to do quality work without the pressure of a packed schedule.
Bonus: Pre-season work often uncovers repair opportunities you wouldn’t catch during a quick in-season fix—helping you boost revenue and prevent repeat visits.
Reach Out to Existing Customers First
Instead of pouring all your energy into chasing new business, start by focusing on the customers you already have. These are the people who trust your service, know your team, and are most likely to return—if you stay top-of-mind.
With TargetCRM, you can do exactly that.
Automated Customer Outreach with TargetCRM
TargetCRM makes it easy to launch automated email and text campaigns that remind customers about seasonal maintenance, overdue repairs, or even warranty checkups.
You can set up targeted messages that go out based on:
- Time since last service
- Type of equipment owned
- Purchase history or seasonal usage
That way, your customers hear from you before something breaks—keeping their equipment in top shape and your service department running smoothly.
It’s proactive, not reactive and it’s one of the most effective ways to reduce service bottlenecks, increase repeat business, and build stronger customer loyalty heading into the busy season.
Read Next: 10 Tech-Driven Solutions to Eliminate Bottlenecks in Dealership Service Departments
4. Marketing Strategies for a Strong Busy Season
Getting your dealership operationally ready is only half the equation. The other half is making sure your customers know you’re ready—and giving them a reason to come in before the rush hits. Targeted marketing can help you stand out, drive early traffic, and keep your brand top-of-mind when buyers are ready to make a purchase.
Here’s how to create a marketing plan that yields results before, during, and after the busy season.
Run Timely, Relevant Promotions
The best promotions speak directly to what your customers need right now. Heading into spring, that means:
- Pre-season service packages (oil change + blade sharpening, mower tune-ups, etc.)
- Limited-time discounts on parts or accessories
- Financing options on new equipment for commercial or residential customers
Utilize your DMS and CRM data to tailor offers to individual customers based on their past purchases or seasonal equipment requirements. For example, if someone bought a zero-turn mower last spring, they might need servicing or be ready to add a new attachment.
Create Educational Content That Builds Trust
Your customers aren’t just looking to buy; they’re seeking to learn. Position your dealership as a trusted resource by sharing educational content that solves real problems.
Start with:
- How-to videos on mower maintenance, spring startup tips, or fuel system care
- Blog posts that answer common seasonal questions
- Quick service checklists customers can use at home
Not only does this drive engagement, but it also positions your team as knowledgeable, approachable experts, which makes customers more likely to come to you when they’re ready to act.
Use Social Media to Engage Before They Need You
Don’t wait until customers are searching for help. Get in front of them before the season starts. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are ideal for:
- Promoting your seasonal specials
- Sharing quick service tips or product spotlights
- Featuring staff introductions and behind-the-scenes shop content
Consistency is key. A few posts a week can go a long way in keeping your dealership top-of-mind and building loyalty with both new and returning customers.
Read Next: 5+ Marketing Tips to Boost Your Dealership Sales All Year
Prepare Now, Profit Later
If you’ve run a dealership through a few busy seasons, you already know—once the rush hits, there’s no slowing down. Starting early gives you the breathing room to plan smarter, order with confidence, and get your team dialed in before the first mower rolls into the shop.
You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. Just a few strategic moves—such as reviewing last year’s sales reports, identifying your fast movers, and reaching out to existing customers with a pre-season service offer—can make a huge difference in how smoothly your season runs.
The truth is, you’ve already got the experience. Now, it’s about giving yourself the tools and lead time to make the most of it.
