What is Your Survival Strategy?

Like so many industries today, the C.O.D. market has suffered greatly as a result of the recession. Service-based industries may bear far more of the brunt, as consumers look to save money with do-it-yourself solutions. Many potential customers of yours are now considering mobile self-storage or rental trucks instead of enlisting your services.

There are success stories to be heard though. Some agents have taken steps to become government contractors for military and other federal moves. Others have added new services, such as offering the very mobile self-storage solutions that previously threatened their business.

What are you doing to combat this shift in consumer trends? Share your success and learning experiences in the comments below.

Treat Your Movers Right

If you have hired movers to do the heavy lifting for you, then you will want to reward them for their hard work, assuming that they did the job well. Tipping is customary for good service, so you should add that into your moving budget. Here are some suggestions for tipping your movers:

• Refresh and refuel: If it's a hot day, make sure you have plenty of cold drinks on hand for your movers, as well as coffee and snacks. If your move takes up most of the day, you should provide lunch such as pizza or another quick bite to keep your movers in a good mood.


• If there are just one or two movers helping you, be generous with your tip since they will probably be working hard. Take into account the weather, stairs, heavy items, etc. A $40 tip for one mover or $60 (to split by two) is considered appropriate.


• If you have several movers handling your move, a $20 per mover tip is the norm. Hand over all of the tip money to the lead mover so that he can divide it at the end of the move.