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Once you've made your equipment purchase it's time to market your new services. Marshall suggests listing the services on your website or putting a logo on your trucks. Another great marketing tool is demonstrations.

"When people see the process they can't help being impressed," Van Velsor says. "It makes a lasting impression well beyond the purchase order."

The limits of infrared
Using infrared technology and equipment to repair pavement failures, apply thermoplastics, or create decorative asphalt can definitely save a contractor time and money. Marshall says it typically takes 20 minutes from start to finish to repair a pothole with an infrared heater. But infrared is not a miracle cure for all pavement failures.

"It's definitely not the fix-all-sum," Marshall says. "That's kind of a misconception some people do have with these - they can go out and repair any problem with asphalt, and it's going to last. If there's a bad base issue the problem will likely come back after looking good for a year or two. There will be problem areas where a contractor needs to decide whether to use the traditional method or heater repair in order to give customers the quality patches they deserve."