Construction Equipment Owner

Some of this is getting downright silly, but first the good news:

Contractor F called back and said they’d send out an estimator. He showed up on time and in a truck bearing the company name and a phone number. A pre-printed estimate sheet not only had the company name, address, and phone number on it, it had the sealer brand name and manufacturer in big, bold letters. Along with the estimate he handed my wife a two-color sheet, printed on both sides, that had the sealer name and support information, an explanation of what sealcoating provides to a pavement, a mention of why sand is added to sealer, and a list of reasons why we should choose his company. Estimate: $240.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is what’s going on with the remaining contractors my wife called.

Contractor C finally called back. He was surprised my wife wanted an estimate and said he wouldn’t give one. “With gas prices so high, why don’t you call us when you’re ready to get the driveway done and I’ll come out and do it on the spot.” I suppose that’s one way to deal with the high fuel prices but, uh, thanks anyway.

компютри втора употребаContractor D still hasn’t returned my wife’s phone calls;

Contractor E (on my wife’s second call to them) told her “they weren’t doing estimates at this time. We’re only taking names and we’ll call you back when we’re ready but we’re not sure when that will be.” Well, good luck with that.

Six contractors called, three bids, two worth considering.

Maybe…

Contractor B sent out someone to provide an estimate, and when he exited the vehicle carrying a measuring wheel I felt pretty good. The car, though, had no name, phone number, or any other business ID on it. He walked and measured the driveway (2,036 sq. ft.), then put the bid together using a pre-printed form on which he could check off services to be provided. (Unlike Contractor A the form did have the same company name and phone number as the company my wife called.)

Unfortunately when he filled out the form he checked all the paving work-needed boxes (including “remove old asphalt” and “grade area”) as well as all the sealcoating work-needed boxes. He also wrote and crossed out “1 year guarantee” and started to write “remove existing driveway” but crossed that out too. He told my wife those were just mistakes and that she should ignore them. Probably true…or it could be a form started at a previous paving job, but either way why not use a clean form?

He did, however, indicate the driveway would be cleaned with an air broom and sealer would be applied with a “big brush.” (We might give him the job just to see what that is.)

He did know the sealer was going to be coal tar, but he didn’t know the brand or have any literature on it. Bid: $325 — and, at this point, in the running.

It’s time to get my year-old driveway sealcoated, so I thought I’d conduct a completely unscientific “study” to see how the sealcoating business in my area operated.

I can see already that this is going to be “entertaining.”

Here’s the plan: My wife, who retained her maiden name, would call three contractors, telling each the same information from an outline, then ask for a visit and a bid. At each visit she would express the same concerns (don’t get sealer on the house or concrete, for example), and ask for specifics about the sealer material. Eventually we’d compare the bids and the contractors and award the job. Sounds simple.

That was seven days ago. She called three contractors, left three messages, and after two days had received one return call to set up an appointment. So she called three more contractors (so she’s now contacted three from the Yellow Pages and three from ads in the local newspaper, six in all).

I don’t want to identify any contractors by name, so I’ll simply label them A through F.

On the morning of his appointment Contractor A calls and asks for directions, which my wife gives him. He calls 10 minutes after his appointed time, lost but not too far away. My wife redirects him and he shows up. The first words out of his mouth to her are, “You gave me the wrong directions.” She hadn’t; not a good start.

His car had no logo, name, address, phone number — nothing. And he showed up wearing a t-shirt representing a sports team. He walked the driveway with her and when she asked what kind of material he used he answered, “The kind you put on airports.” When she asked the brand name and for some literature about the material he said he didn’t have any. To his credit he did use a printed bid form — unfortunately the company name on the form was completely different from the company she called, and the phone number on the form was different, too. His bid was $275, and while he wrote “guarantee three years” on the bid there’s no way Contractor A is getting the job.

I’ll keep you up to date until the work is done.

In honor of Father’s Day, Stihl is holding a contest that will put power tools in your dad’s hands. All you have to do is submit an essay by May 29 explaining why you think your dad should have the tools. Online voters will then have 2 weeks to vote for the best essays. Check out the complete set of rules for further details. Who knows — maybe you’ll get your dad to perform some free yard work for you if he wins!

No, I’m not Kiki Dee (or Elton John) but my colleague Rebecca Wasieleski’s Concrete Thoughts blog got me thinking. I’m sure there aren’t many (any?) songs or bands referencing sealcoating (should “Sealed With a Kiss” count?), but I started to wonder what other music-related industry references I could come up with. There’s just a ton of “road” songs from “Route 66″ to “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road” to “Nothing But Time” so those are too easy. A pretty good band, Concrete Blonde, jumps to mind (Rebecca, how did you miss that one?) and there’s a great band called Pavement (no relation to the magazine). Neil Young’s “White Line” is as close as I could come to something striping related, and how about “Street Sweeper Riddim” a various artists CD I picked up years ago in Jamaica with a warning right on the cover: “Reserved for Wicked Riddums Only.” Let us know if you come up with your own.

I recently received a unique and humorus marketing mailing from Newcomb Construction, a general contractor and tilt-up firm in Madison, Wis. The mailing’s masthead reads “the FUNION,” which mimics another Madison original, the ONION. The tongue-in-cheek article describes a tiny building the firm was able to sell to a group of cookie-making elves. The article ends by alerting readers that Newcomb also has full-size buildings available for human tenants.

This type of commical marketing approach might not be traditional, but it certainly is a welcomed attention grabber in today’s not-so-comical market. Originality goes a long way in reeling people into your marketing strategy. Have you tried a unique marketing approach in your business that has worked well in spreading your message? If so, tell me about it by commenting to this blog post!

Doug Mitchell of RentalMetrics.com joins us to share his insights as to how companies can get the maximum return on their investment using GPS technology in their fleet. The technology goes well beyond dots on a map and when leveraged can lead to an increase in efficiency, customer service, and your bottom line.

After you’ve listened to the podcast, if you are looking even more information about how GPS can benefit your fleet, check out the video from RentalMetrics.com. Simply click on the link below to watch.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/mitchgroup/videos/12/

In addition, all readers of this blog are invited to a free trial of the RentalMetrics.com Introductory Courses section. Visit http://signup.rentalmetrics.com, select the FREE TRIAL and use the coupon code RPNTRIAL99.

Also, RentalMetrics.com is offering a limited time 50% charter subscriber discount for its PAID FULL ACCESS subscription. Visit the same URL as above, select the FULL ACCESS membership, and use the coupon code ILECHARTER. This will drop the price from $2,500/quarter…to $1,250/quarter…for the life of their continuous subscription.

 Maximizing ROI with GPS Technology [10:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (324)

Green building has become a force in the construction industry. So much so that it is predicted to be a $21 billion industry in 2008 with continued signs of growth for years to come. But there is a whole new set of skills and knowledge your company will need to posses to successfully thrive as a green builder. Briston Blair of FMI Corp. joins us in this edition of the Construction Equipment Owner’s podcast to discuss the emerging trends in green building and how companies need to adjust to what is likely to become a standard construction practice.

 Green Building Trends [8:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (529)

There aren’t many concrete-themed songs that could set a mood for your latest jobsite project — really the only song I can think of with concrete in the title is “Glass, Concrete and Stone” by David Byrne– but that can change! Sto Corp. is currently holding a Bucket Drumming Video Contest! Like to drum out a fun tune on empty materials buckets? Video tape your musical talents and send in your entry for the chance to win some CASH! Who doesn’t like CASH!? If you don’t have the music in you, check out some of the entries by going to www.youtube.com and searching for “sto bucket drumming.”

I ran across a few helpful online calculators for concrete contractors. One of the calculators helps you determine dimensions and quantity of concrete needed for concrete stairs. The other motorola q ringtones info polyphonic remember ringtones free ringtones for sprint phone funny ringtones download cingular ringtones cell phone ringtones and wallpaper download free mosquito ringtones 24 ringtones theme free verizon wireless ringtones free motorola tracfone ringtones free pcs ringtones sprint download verizon ringtones free cingular wireless ringtones free music real ringtones sprint send ringtones to your phone cingular download free ringtones listen mosquito ringtones free yahoo ringtones free verizon wireless ringtones music real ringtones is a basic concrete slab volume calculator. Both of them have mobile versions for your phone so you can use them on the jobsite.