Marketing Questions

[VenasNursery]

I have good equipment, a nice dump trailer and chipper and customers seem real happy with my work...just lacking the nice truck with lettering to tow it. Been thinking about financing a new pickup truck to start with and then go from there. Still toying with the ideas of a mini, lift versus bucket, etc. Depends what way I want to take things in the years to come.

I'm not sure if I want to go the chip truck route or a dump truck with chip body, or stick with dump trailer towed with pickup truck, which could also tow a lift, chipper, etc. I like the dump trailer a lot. And less overhead then a big truck.

I primarily do pruning / trimming so don't really have a need for huge trucks or equipment right now.

But I can't say I don't sometimes get discouraged when I see these big crews with all these nice trucks and stuff.

IMO
More people regret not going bigger the payments are always scary
But $300 more a month is nothing as long as you are working that machine
If you don’t believe in yourself nobody else will either

 

[climbingmonkey24]

I’m not so much afraid of any risk or lack of confidence, just trying to figure out the best course to go more or less.

I also generally enjoy my market of pruning work and am happy doing that type of tree work, at least right now.

 

[VenasNursery]

I’m not so much afraid of any risk or lack of confidence, just trying to figure out the best course to go more or less.

I also generally enjoy my market of pruning work and am happy doing that type of tree work, at least right now.

You know your market more than anyone else

also whatever you decide to purchase the next model up usually not that more expensive

when ever I make a new payment I’ve always been at least a little scared

I always expect the worst case scenario and 99.9% of the time it turns out better
keeps me happier with life

 

[Reach]

You know your market more than anyone else

also whatever you decide to purchase the next model up usually not that more expensive

when ever I make a new payment I’ve always been at least a little scared

I always expect the worst case scenario and 99.9% of the time it turns out better
keeps me happier with life

I’ll second that one. Making thousands a month in payments is scary, until you’ve done it a while. It gets easier over time, but it’s still stressful.

 

[southsoundtree]

Nice trucks guy's. Good stuff, I agree a nice professionally decaled vehicle can be a great form of advertising.


Maybe one day we'll get there...

Not expensive.

Best advertising.

 

[evo]

Let’s see your truck?

I’m considering this a work in progress. I’m a symmetry freak, so the location of the signs are due to the ladder and side door on the other side of the truck. The size and placement was to avoid the barn door style tailgate.
The do over will have the signs larger, and slightly more forward

 

[VenasNursery]

I’m considering this a work in progress. I’m a symmetry freak, so the location of the signs are due to the ladder and side door on the other side of the truck. The size and placement was to avoid the barn door style tailgate.
The do over will have the signs larger, and slightly more forwardView attachment 75125

Yeah I guess I like to be loud and proud
Lol

 

[VenasNursery]

Yeah I guess I like to be loud and proud
Lol

Never can be too big in my book

 

[evo]

Yeah I guess I like to be loud and proud
Lol

My point isn’t about size, it’s about short attention spans. A pretty picture (logo), phone and website. Don’t over load on the details, that’s what the web address and phone # is for.

 

[27RMT0N]

Like most things, I guess it's about knowing your market. I Live/work in a very small community, don't have a website, don't advertise and stay busy year-round. Even if I didn't have my name on the truck, people would still know it because well, vehicles where I am aren't 'traffic', they are your neighbors. We know each others cars and wave when we drive past. Granted most people don't live in such places.

My truck has the business name, my name, phone and email. But probably 70% of my work comes from worth of mouth.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

@27RMT0N Now do you just chip on site or what do you do about hauling chips away? Do you chip right into the back of the pickup there?

 

[27RMT0N]

@27RMT0N Now do you just chip on site or what do you do about hauling chips away? Do you chip right into the back of the pickup there?

Most properties out here are acres in the woods and my chipper only comes out on maybe 30% of the jobs. Often the customer decides to handle cleanup themselves, or the work is on slopes/locations where cleanup isn't practical or accessible at all. When the chipper does come out, probably 95% of the time I'm just shooting a pile for them to use around the property or simply broadcasting chips back onto the forest floor. Then the 5% is catching chips in the truck and unloading them on a different part of the property. It's only about once a month when I actually haul material off-site. My unloading system works well enough (the 'Load Handler 3000') but I have a real chip truck on the way to expand my capabilities pretty soon.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Trucks you say..