Beth n Rod

Brian, All I'm going to say is you will love it. Set aside a block of time (a day) and get your favorite snacks together and enjoy. It rocks. Beth

Sounds like you have a bad unloader, I would get a new one instead of giving this one a chance to ruin your machine. Rod~

I'll grill just about anything. Veggies, meats, seafood, all of it. I use spice rubs, marianades, etc. The veggies I sometimes put on the grill as kebobs, but other times I will use my grill wok, which helps to keep smaller pieces from falling thru the grill top. I also love the beer can chicken cooker I got. Talk about a tender bird! But don't overfill the neck, or you end up with a flare up you are trying to avoid. Sometimes I'll also grill things to add as ingredients to other dishes, like grilled chicken breasts for salads or soup, or grilled veggies fro salsas or soups. Then again, I have been known to shovel a path in two feet of snow to the grill and cook a steak. We grill year round. Beth p.s. I'll dig up a marianade later and post it.

Yum! Why do I feel like a whole thread on rubs and marianades is about to start... I love cooking outdoors! Beth

If you have any environmental brochures with you, stop and talk to the person and hand them one. Let them know it is a bad thing for all of us and they are creating a situation that could come back and really hurt not only them but the environment. Peer pressure in a way but it shows that others who have been in the field really care and that they should to. If we all go around playing cop, it creates a karma that will soon come back to us. I suggest helping others to see what they are doing incorrectly instead of busting them. We didnt always know this was a bad thing or that it was against the law until we either found out or were told. Pwna was our source for this information. I look at it as helping others helps to raise the standards by which we all are seen. .02 Rod~

So far, it looks like you have given the whole setup a lot of thought and you are definately on the right track. The only drawback I can see for house washing is the cold water rinse. I would actually use the hot water for the rinse and applying the soaps on the tougher areas but use the cold on the rest for general soap application. Hot water is a great emulsifier which is helpful in the rinse process. Up to you to decide who does which. Other than that, you are on your way to making great time and increasing your bottom line. Cool Beans man! Rod~

I have heard that some folks install deck lighting as an additional service to their customers. Here are the questions that come to mind... What type of lighting is available and what do you feel is the best and why? Is this a lucrative add on? We don't do this, but I am curious about it. (Mainly because I am thinking of adding lights on the steps of our deck.) Beth

yeah, but right now....BBBBBBRRRRRRRR!!!!!! :) Cant wait until spring. Problems is, we will be so busy, i dont know if we will have time to do much on it then. Rod~

I have two local favorites.... One is Il Forno (for wood burning oven style) and the other is Gepetto for the thick deep dish (chicago) style. I have also been known to make home made pizza, and get the dough and a couple other things for it from Trader Joe's. Beth

Hey everyone, What do you use to gauge that it is time for you to replace your nozzles? Is it drop in psi? change in spray pattern? or just a matter of regimen? My m-5 btw has seen some pretty serious use and a small piece broke inside the rotator and now the spray pattern will only go as wide as about 25*. We are going to buy about 3 more of them for the coming season. We dont use rotary nozzles, no need for them in our service area, but does anyone have any particular problems with them? Rod~

Maybe it was from someone who was filthy stinking rich and like to go placing random bags of money in dumpsters as an act of kindness? Maybe the rich person started out in refuse collection... Beth

What goes around comes around. If I could not locate an owner, then once it was mine I would donate a portion of it to a charity. The other part...I can think of a long list of things to do. Beth

Sticking to the scenario of the initial question. If it was in a garbage dumpster, logic would dictate that whoever put it there did not want it. Another persons trash is someone elses treasure! Rod~

How would you handle this scenario? A client has requested an estimate from you, and you have arrived, greeted them, taken your measurements and are sitting at the table discussing your methods and what they can expect from your work. The client is looking at what you have on your proposal and is giving you the sitting back in the chair with arms crossed pose. The next step is where you show them your costs for the work. The customer is obviously not comfortable with the price before you even begin to speak. How do you handle this situation to turn it into a sale? Can it be done? If yes...why? If no...why? Rod~

Now I am going to ask a question and no one has to answer it here but to themselves. Is talking about the "other" contractor or pushing the less than desirable results you can point out to the customer...bashing? It may be an obvious thing but if the client doesnt bring up the issue first, then how does the customer feel about us talking in regard to another company that we know nothing about and just because the results were not good, who is to say that there wasnt some arrangement to only do so much for the price? How does this look to the customer if they know something we dont? How do we know they didnt do it themselves or someone they know and care about did it. This is called shooting onesself in the foot. Asking the questions first gives you insight to avoid this. In consultative sales, the customer is the one to bring up their pain. You may ask them about it in what ever way is applicable to the situation, but we must remember, it is "their" pain. That is where the sale is. Get to the root of that pain! Use questions that are indirect of the previous contractor and find out what they expected and did not receive, and then with that information, you can position yourself to deliver exactly what they want. The customer has told you what they want. If another contractor scenario doesnt apply, then ask questions pertaining to the job to find out why you are there. There is usually a specific reason. That reason is their pain. If you cant give them the result they are looking for, then you can explain why and support it with documentation or research. No one wants to put themselves into the 'hot seat'. Each response here has shown great talent in coordinating a sale and developing a relationship with the customer. In consultative sales, you actually become a friend to that customer by conducting yourself in a caring way about the situation they are looking to hire you for and helping them to find the reasons they were disappointed in the last contractor. This is part of developing trust, and once you have it, dont betray that trust. Its as valuable as word of mouth. Imagine the customer saying to someone they are referring you to...'I trust this one, they didnt let me down'. What does that mean for your business? Who else? Rod~

Hey hey hey! So far so good, asking questions is the best place to start to get the information you need to help the customer with their needs. Some people would get defensive and start to 'defend' their price. This is isnt consultative. Ask why they are put off by the price, and dont assume you know the answer. Anyone else? Rod~

Thank you for explaining...it takes the tension out. There is no way to make everyone happy, and the round tables are held in the locality of the people who host them. Like Beth and I do one in the DC area and hold it in germantown md. Others hold them in NJ., OH., etc... For a major one, we should try to be as fair as possible and centralize it. its a one day event and people can make their plans accordingly. To be fair, it is a good idea to take a consensus and gain feedback, this is important because it invites participation. Thank you for participating here. Rod~

Bob - Your Bad Boy logo ROCKS! Beth

That's hilarious -but the poor cat! Beth

Are you into reality shows. Which one(s)? It seems people just cant ge enough of them these days. Rod~

Hi Michael, Great seeing you here. Hope life is treating you well. We would be glad to offer our assistance. Let me know if we can do anything else. Take care, Beth

I like the house makeover shows, kitchen, bathroom, etc., but I do not like the ones where people are the focus. Beth

Or, heres another thought...do we just replace them as they get lost :LOL: You know, like the ones that go shooting out into the neighbors yard and you only caught a glimpse of it as it is ricocheting off a tree branch or disappearing into the grass or behind a tall fence. Rod~

We have a maintenance computer installed in the sprinter van to let us know when it is time for service. Other than that, every 3-4K miles for lubes and filters. 25K miles for tune ups, 15k miles for brakes, and tires depending upon wear and alignment. With 3 vehicles in our 'fleet' it is quite an expense. And people wonder why costs go up for companies that are larger?!?! Rod~

A fellow hazelnut lover! For me, I like hazelnut syrup, but add milk or half and half and a little of the raw sugar too. Beth