A facility manager with the username Loomis Self Storage recently ventured to Self-Storage Talk, the industrys largest online forum, looking for help. His Northern California facility is coming off a tough Septemberin fact, the worst month in six years. Move-outs are highly exceeding move-ins, and the boat/RV-storage tenants are fleeing for some reason, even though the cooler months approach.

Loomis has considered offering free months for yearly customers, monthly raffles and thank-you gifts for each customer. But would any of these ideas be enough for a tenant who has already decided to move out?

Others members of the SST community have jumped in to empathize, explain and provide ideas. One member suggested that the boat/RV move-outs may be due to the fact that most owners of these vehicles have garage space to store these items in the winter; they prefer to keep RVs in a storage facility in warmer months because they're getting the vehicles in and out all the time. Other members can feel the pain. September is traditionally a tough month for occupancy, as summer-only renters empty their units.

Member Gina6k says it's time to make a marketing and PR plunge: Make extra effort to highlight the customer-friendly nature of your business. Any customer renting in the fall is likely to rent all the way through the winter, so any new ones you can get are especially valuable. For the units that don't move, she suggests donating space to a couple of local charities to make sure vacant space is being usedand for a good cause.

How do you rebound from a slow month? How you do combat your business cooling off along with the weather? If you have ideas to share, they're welcome in this discussion. All you have to do to post is complete the free and easy account registration.