We bought are home a few years ago during the foreclosure boom. It had been sitting empty for three years. The inside had minor issues such as carpet, paint and updating light fixtures which are all relatively easy to accomplish but the outside issues were more than my husband or I could tackle. Tree limbs were hanging over the house, dead branches needed to be trimmed and the landscaping needed to be completely ripped out and redone. So with all of this in mind I knew I needed to call in the professionals.
I looked up local tree cutting companies and called three of them out for quotes. It is so funny because I never truly thought about how you view businesses until one by one the owners started to show up to give us quotes.
The first gentleman was a very nice man. He drove up in an old beat up pickup truck that desperately needed to find its way to the junk yard. He came out and was dressed in attire that replicated the truck he drove up in. When he wrote my quote up it came out on a scrap piece of paper and had his name and number hand printed on the top with some scribbles about my yard and the trees he promised to cut down, the limbs to be taken off and how the workers were supposed to dispose of the materials.
From looking at the man and seeing the car her drove up I knew immediately this was not my man. If you don’t show up looking half way professional, with materials made especially for your company then how can anyone take you serious as a business owner?
A few minutes later the second company that was offering me a quote called to let me they were on their way. I am a little bit more impressed because a newer pick up with a magnetic sign listing his company and the phone number was stuck to the side. This definitely gives a completely different initial reaction to my gut and I open up to them and show them what I would like to accomplish. Again, he pulls out a tablet and writes a quote for the trees, the limbs to be trimmed and also offered to trim up the actual bushes around the house at no extra charge. This was more along the lines of what I was thinking until I saw the third company pull up.
When AJ showed up with his truck covered in a fleet wrap I knew instantly he was going to be my tree guy. Anyone that puts that kind of effort into advertising their firm on their vehicle using vehicle wraps and fleet graphics designed specifically for them has to take time and put pride into the work that he does. When he pulled up not only was his vehicle covered in fleet wraps but he came out handing me a professionally printed folder with information about his company. When he wrote my quote it was on a company letterhead. One of the things I like most besides the fleet wraps on his truck was his professional pamphlets that included a copy of his insurance. His quote was also right on target with the two other tree trimmers but he laid out a detailed plan of what would be done and what equipment was needed to reach the hard to reach places.
It really goes to show that although not all books should be judged by their cover they are. Make sure your business vehicles have a good cover. The idea of fleet wraps and professional fleet graphics really shows people when you pull into their driveways just how serious you are about business. It is also a great form of advertising for your firm. Every time you drive that vehicle you are advertising for your company.