15) Hints, tips,
tactics and ideas to improve our hire businesses...
BIHA note: A big thank you to all the members who
contributed their ideas, hints and tips to this section of the newsletter. If you have any ideas that you would like to
share – please email them to me at mark.jerram@ntlworld.com
Thanks…………
Has anyone come up with a method of
extracting air from castles in a quicker way than rolling i.e.. a reverse poll
motor ? I would be pleased to hear from anyone that has developed a solution
Kev
Thompson - AT UNDERBRIDGE LEISURE – HULL 01482 652751
I had several replies to this email. All of them said roughly the same
thing: Buy a garden vacuum cleaner from
B & Q (or similar) and insert the nozzle into the inflation tube at the
rear of the inflatable, switch it on
and after a couple of minutes most of the air would have been
removed…..brilliant idea…Thanks to all members who submitted it. Please let me know how you get on with this
idea.
Mitch from Midi Leisure in Bristol came up
with an excellent idea to help suck the air out of the inflatables. You get a piece of cardboard tube about 3
feet long and about 6 inches wide (The tube which carpets are wrapped around is
ideal) you then insert one end of the
tube into the tube at the back of the inflatable, and then the other end of the
cardboard tube is placed on the vent of the blower which obviously needs to be
turned round 90 degrees so that it is facing sideways. You then switch the blower on and the vent
should then suck the air right out of the inflatable. Incredibly simple and yet ingenious.
Here’s an idea from Jumping
Jeremy’s Moonwalks in the USA.
The best idea or thing for our
business has been to always leave a "free gift" with every
rental. We spend a bout $5.oo on a nice candy jar, fill it with mints or
hard candy, and leave it with the customer. How does that help?
First, they will not throw it away like a business card or something.
Second, we ordered the candy jar with our name and phone number engraved in
it. They always have our number at hand.
Hope that idea helps some
one.
Jerry McGuirt, Jumping Jeremys
Moonwalks
Here is an
idea to generate more bookings (nothing new about this idea but it definitely
works).
More and
more of my clients are telling me that all the parents of the other kids at the
party loved the inflatable and that they passed on my number. So I got some key
rings made with Irish Inflatables and my phone number printed on them, now
after setting up the inflatable and the mum or dad is standing there admiring
it I give them a handful of key rings so if anyone asks for my number all
they have to do is give them a key ring. This generates a lot of repeat
business.
Bob
Clohessy
Irish
inflatables
079 62770
086 8792423
Have a
Birthday Club for all the children in your area.
Encourage
customers to share the cost of hiring an inflatable (I have heard of cases
where 3 families have grouped together and each contributed £15 - £20.
Don’t
forget to top up the anti-freeze in your vans and other vehicles – failure to
do this may result in your engine being seriously damaged if there is a very
cold spell.
The key to winter hire is the
legwork in the summer
Telling
customers of halls where you can put castles up for parties in the winter …