Boost Rental Sales

Some time ago, we had the opportunity to collaborate with a friend who owns a mini-call center that operates at night and doubles as a computer rental service during the day. Our primary Key Result Area (KRA) involved managing key personnel and maintaining the equipment. The establishment housed approximately twenty older-model Pentium computers. Beyond overseeing the shop’s operations, we were responsible for conducting preventive maintenance once or twice a month to ensure all computers remained in optimal condition, which would boost rental sales.

In addition to these tasks, we conducted daily sales audits and ensured the deposits were made by the next working day.

Our efficient management allowed us to run and monitor the operations remotely with ease. However, one day, the owner contacted me with a pressing concern: weekend sales had plummeted, often resulting in minimal or zero revenue.

This situation posed a significant problem as the business still incurred costs from two alternating staff members, electricity, and air conditioning over the weekends. The owner frequently found himself operating at a loss during these days. The core issue was the lack of patrons on weekends. Most of the clientele consisted of students residing in nearby boarding houses, many of whom were avid gamers.

To address this challenge, we brainstormed strategies to attract these gamers to the store on weekends.

We devised a promotional campaign named “Addict ka ba?” (Are you an addict?). Under normal circumstances, the shop charged P10 per hour of computer use, operating 12 hours a day. On a good day, each computer could generate around P120, amounting to a potential daily boost in rental sales of P2,400 for all twenty computers.

Our promotional strategy aimed to reduce the cost of playing and boost rental sales on weekends.

We lowered the daily rate from P120 to P80 for Saturdays and Sundays. The mechanics of the promotion were straightforward. Each student had to pre-pay P80 upon entry and were assigned a computer for the entire day. They were required to use the computer for at least eight hours; otherwise, they would be charged the regular hourly rate.

This promotion resonated well with the students, resulting in full occupancy during the weekends. We consistently filled all twenty seats, securing a guaranteed income of P1,600 per day on both Saturdays and Sundays. This change translated into a weekend total of P3,200.

Our friend, the owner, expressed immense satisfaction with the boost on retail sales.

We successfully transformed the previously unprofitable weekends into profitable days. This help stabilize and enhance the overall financial performance of his business. Through strategic thinking and effective implementation, we turned around the weekend slump, demonstrating the impact of targeted promotions and efficient management.