Daren Rokicki has been in the equipment rental industry for 11 years. When asked what his secret to survival is, the owner of Arnold’s Equipment Rental in South Windsor, CT said, “being consistent.”
“I believe most business failures fall directly on the owner’s shoulders instead of being blamed on the economy or a competitor down the street,” said Rokicki. “You need a solid business plan and the wherewithal to follow it in good and bad times alike.”
He noted that some owners might get a little complacent during the good times and forget to be consistent with their marketing, making the extra sales efforts and phone calls, keeping up on their inventory, providing good customer service and so forth. They can get away with being inconsistent with the above during good times, but it will ultimately hurt their sales during a more difficult period.
“Pricing is another area where owners need to be consistent,” added Rokicki. “You have to be competitive, but not to the extent that discounting becomes a standard practice. Save the discounts for your best customers. You don’t have to give equipment away to grow your business.”
Area contractors comprise a large portion of Arnold’s customer mix, as evidenced by an inventory of dozers, scissor and boom lifts, excavators and mini excavators, skid steers and track loaders, along with other heavy-duty rental equipment. To date, Arnold’s sales have nearly doubled over what they were last year at this time, and last year was a good year, Rokicki pointed out. He attributes the growth to a strong housing market, an overall healthy economy, and, yes, being consistent.
