Turn Winter Woes to Wins with Remote Starters & Batteries
Some of the most irritating, nasty and safety-related winter woes have to do with automotive problems. Two readily come to mind: Vehicle security and dead batteries in relation to warming up a vehicle. Retailers that cater to the driving public have an opportunity to take those potential winter woes and turn them into winter wins.
Warm up the Car for your Customers, not Thieves!
During this time of year, we’re sure to see at least one story on the news about someone warming up their car in their driveway, going back inside for just a minute and then emerging to find their vehicle gone.
This situation alone makes a perfect case to sell and install an aftermarket remote starter. With many models with ranges well over 1,000 feet coupled with a security system, remote starters morph into a crime-fighting dynamic duo that’s hard to beat. Users can remote start their vehicles, or exit their running vehicle all while keeping the doors locked. Remote starters can include other features like starter kill, door-open alerts and anti-carjacking technology. Considering how ubiquitous smartphones are, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are a number of remote starter systems on the market today that incorporate downloadable apps. Take, for example, the Python® SmartStart™ Security with Remote Start System. The SmartStart™ app lets users lock/arm, unlock/disarm, remote start, release the trunk and hit the panic button from a smart device. It can also control systems installed on multiple vehicles, and allow more than one user to control a car. Other systems even include vehicle tracking, such as the Directed® SmartStart™ with GPS Tracking and the ScyTek GPS Vehicle Tracking System.
Another class of remote starters/security systems provides individual remotes in the kit. The Avital® Two-Way LCD Remote Start with Security is a top-of-the-line system and will remote start a car with the push of a button from up to 1,000 feet away—and then confirm it has started on the large LCD screen of its two-way remote. Security works the same way. When the user arms or disarms the system, confirmation is received on the 2-way remote. Should the siren sound, the remote will beep or vibrate, again from up to 1,000 feet away.
One way to showcase the remarkable features found on today’s remote start security systems is to set up a demo. You could start by donating remote starters to your employees and for use in their own vehicles. That way there will always be several cars in your parking lot equipped with systems you can showcase and demo. (Just make sure your employees keep their vehicles clean as the tradeoff!) Then you can place an indoor display within the sight line of the demo vehicles so one employee can demo the various features while an employee outside plays the bad guy, opening vehicle doors, thumping the side or the vehicle and so on. Seeing is believing!
Keeping up Strength
Although car batteries can die any time of year, cold weather puts a real strain on them. According to Battery University, many manufacturers consider 77°F as optimal. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, according to the AAA® Automotive Research Center, a car battery loses 35 percent of its strength at 32°F, and a whopping 60 percent at 0°F. Why don’t batteries work as well in the cold? The engine oil has become much thicker, requiring more current from the battery. And chemical reactions inside the battery move more slowly at lower temperatures. So during cold weather, starting an engine can take up to twice the normal current.
Plus, the battery itself just doesn’t recharge as quickly while driving in the cold. Does the vehicle have a lot of electronics that tap into the 12-volt power port after the ignition is shut off—think dash cams, GPS units or portable DVD players. Add to that an increased load of lights, fans, wipers and heaters, and the result is a cold-blooded conspiracy to kill batteries that are about five years old and older. To add even more insult to injury, when a vehicle car is not running, the battery continues to supply power to the clock, the anti-theft system and the other conveniences found in today’s automobiles. But you can help your customers cheat battery death a couple of different ways:
Get a Jump Start on Dead Batteries
Jump starters come in all sizes and capabilities. Thanks to various lithium-based technologies, many are very portable and easily fit inside a vehicle, providing peace of mind on bitterly cold days. Some like the Cobra® Electronics JumPack™ and the WaganTech iOnBoost V8 Li-Poly Jumpstarter are small enough to store in a glove box or toolbox, yet offer multiple jump starts on a single charge. Plus, they can hold their charge for up to 3 months or even a year, depending on the model. The Cobra® CJIC 250 takes things further by combining a jump starter, power inverter, air compressor, 12V outlet, USB port and flashlight all into one surprisingly compact unit. Motor Trend® also offers a combo jump starter/air compressor as does UPG™.
Trickle for Longer Life
Maintainers/trickle chargers are more of a preventive step, and best used on batteries that will sit idle for a while. They will not work on a totally dead battery where the cells themselves are dead—especially automotive batteries. Marine and deep cycle batteries can be a bit more tolerant of a deep discharge. Some can be left connected to a battery indefinitely to prolong its life without overcharging (sometimes called float chargers) while others should only be left on for a few days. Be sure to find out which kind your customer needs. And be sure that whatever you sell matches the same voltage and current as the battery in question, or that the charger will automatically adjust to match the battery’s needs.
Black and Decker® has several dedicated chargers/maintainers as well as a combo jump starter and maintainer. Battery Tender® offers several chargers that automatically switch from charging to float charging, like the 12-Volt 1.25-Amp Battery Charger and the 12-Volt Battery Tender® Junior.
Battery Showcase
Obviously, this time of year is perfect for educating your customers on the best ways to maintain battery health. Build a multi-station promotion by first offering free battery checks. Put a sign near the battery-check staging area that leads them to a separate display you create. This second area explains the factors surrounding battery life. Have someone on-hand to answer questions and demo the difference between jump starters and trickle chargers/maintainers. And don’t forget to stock the display with relevant products! That way you’ll raise customer awareness before they have to deal with a dead battery. Plus you’ll have a great opportunity to make positive relationships as well as sales.
So turn those potential winter woes into displays that solve those problems. It’s a win/win for all! Call your Petra sales representative today or check out our website for even more products to sell this winter. Everybody loves solutions, including your bottom line.