Beth n Rod

Ron, You might want to also check out some manufacturer's web sites. There are alot of places besides the BBS's that have great info. Also the EPA has info on reclaiming issues, which is HUGE and very important if you are going to be accurate. Also for wood, check National Forrestry Labs. Also, I saw elsewhere the suggestion of MSDS sheets, which is very important if you plan on mentioning the use of products, as well as a disclaimer written by a lawyer. In other words, look for some of the category info outside of the BBS's in places where experts would list it. Hope this helps. Also when making your bibliography, a local college or library should have the reference guide you need that shows you how to make the appropriate footnotes. I can't remember the name of the book, but they'll know. ;)Beth :groovy3:

lol... I thought you were gathering all the stuff from online? Just remember, I have articles up here that I am incorporating into my own book... You should ask permission from folks before using their work. There are alot of wonderful posts up here that I'm sure others won't mind sharing, but in general be careful of articles. I can't wait to read it. Didn't you say on the PWNA BBS that you were going to have it online? Beth:cool:

I like a stain pad on Ipe myself. So does Rod. Sometimes you have to use a little elbow grease and darn near push it into the wood. Been there, done that.;) Beth :groovy2:

As I recall he was at a ball game. A true sports lover gets like that. I used to yell at the tv to cheer on the Redskins. Now I just yell at Daniel Snyder for being...Daniel Snyder.

I would suggest HD-80 to remove it. Then you have to neutralize it with an acid. We sell a blend called Citralic. To seal it, I suggest Wood Tux. You'll love the look. Check out the Scrap Book forum. Beth :groovy:

Mike, Maybe he's ribbing you. Look at Scotts photo. He doesn't bite.... much..... and he's a very helpful guy. ;) He just calls it as he sees it. Sometimes perception is a funny thing. I'm sure the clarification you made helped. Besides, you could be flattered. Heck, I've read some very intelligent posts by Lance over the years...:dunno: Beth :groovy3:

p.s. Hey Mike don't take me the wrong way, I love sealing decks (strange for a.... G-I-R-L) and I take alot of pride in doing it right. But I would do a deck side by side... ;) it's the compeditive streak in me....what can I say? :2eyes:

Just put it up for sale with the specs and a pic in the Bargain Basement. It will get better traffic there. ;) Beth :groovy3:

You can lower the PSI by changing to a larger orafice on your tips... hope this helps. Beth :groovy3:

By the way Ronnie, what's the current stain on the wood? Beth

Mike, Your post was a single line asking if someone wanted to buy something. You've had an awful lot of used equipment for sale... All used equipment for sale belongs in the Bargain Basement. The post should contain specs about the particular item for sale, and a photo if possible as well as the asking price, since this does help sell the particular item you are trying to actually sell. I'm also going to refer you to the following link for reading, since you are a distributor and it's a fine line. Distributors do not have advertising priviledges here. Manufacturers whose products we do carry may advertise here. Those who are smaller manufacturers who also distribute other products, well that's at our discretion. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1254 Beth & Rod Administrators

Mike, Tell you what... Let's do two decks, side by side. You take that airless, we'll take the pump up. We'll see whose looks more professionally done. You never ever, knock the tools. There are very valid reasons for using a pump up. We have both airless and pump up in house, but the REAL question is, what product are you applying? How old is the wood? Using an airless with certain products can cause undesireable results due to the product being heated up as it is forced through the tiny orafice, causing the product to dry more quickly on the surface without the ability to penetrate first. Penetration is key to the longevity of a product. Don't rule out an airless, but make sure the product can withstand the process. Pump ups work fine for fences, just make sure you drape a tarp over the other side regardless of the applicator. Don't laugh, but windex type bottles work like a CHARM for tight corners on rails and also on lattice. HUGE time saver. Some homes are in close proximity to one another, such as townhomes. In these instances you get gusts of wind in the channel between the homes. You want to keep the product out of the air as much as you can in these areas, or a gust of wind could have you cleaning up the neighbors house. Ronnie, call us anytime. We'll be glad to help you and share our expereince with you. We often use a pump up, although airless sprayers have a place too in certain circumstances. We also back pad the deck to work the product in. It gives you a nice satin like finish. Beth;)

We wanted to remind our members that The Grime Scene does its best to ensure that your privacy is respected. While we do have control over the database, there are ways that members might reach you. Please be mindful when you post your contact information in your signature if you don't wish to be contacted (such as email or phone info). Any member of this BBS who is contacted by another distributor via this BBS, should notify us or one of the TGS Moderators right away. Distributors may NOT advertise or solicit The Grime Scene members through the BBS. Distributors must also refrain from making solicitous comments asking others to contact them for more information. These posts will be viewed as advertising. Advertising priveledges are extended only to those manufacturers whose products we carry, with our permission. We welcome all members and encourage them to post and share information. This exchange of information is vital to our industry and to the personal growth of many. We realize this will include the names of products and where they can be purchased, along with thoughts and opinions on a product, much like a review. Posts with valuable review-like content that name a product are fine. It lets othes know what options they do have, and how good something may or many not be. Such posts typically contain application method info, and how the results were. They may name the product. In context they are basically technical and information based. All posts are subject to the discretion of our Staff, who are very fair minded and make every effort to make sure a post stands on the board for all to read. Our goal is to keep posts online, not to delete them. Thank you. Beth & Rod Administrators

It's a HUGE difference. You really should try it. This is a percarb with attitude and it acts as a light duty stripper at full strength, or a fantastic cleaner at less than full strength. It's shipped in powder to allow you to mix as needed. Beth

Aaron, Call me and I'll be glad to help you out. SURPRISE everyone... We'll be carrying hot/cold units this year. Beth;)

Wishing everyone a safe and joyous Holiday Season.

Here's how to wish people "Merry Christmas" in more than 80 languages. The original version of this list appeared in Brigada. Afrikaans - 'n Geseende Kersfees en 'n voorspoedige Nuwejaar Afrikander - Een Plesierige Kerfees Albanian -- Gezuar Krishtlindje Arabic - I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun Basque - Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Urte Berri On Bengali - Bodo Din Shubh Lamona Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo Celtic - Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda Chinese - (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun (Hong Kong) Kung Ho Hsin Hsi. Ching Chi Shen Tan Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Croatian - Sretan Bozic Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok Danish - Gladelig Jul Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar English - Merry Christmas Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon Estonian - Roomsaid Joulu Puhi Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad Finnish - Hyvaa joulua French - Joyeux Noel Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier German - Froehliche Weihnachten Greek - Kala Christouyenna Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Hindi - Bada Din Mubarak Ho Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket Icelandic - Gledileg Jol Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit Italian - Buon Natale or Buone Feste Natalizie Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Kala - Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Etos Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha Latvian - Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu Lettish - Priecigus Ziemassvetkus Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Maori - Meri Kirihimete Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh Navajo - Merry Keshmish Northern Sotho - Matlhatse le matlhogonolo mo ngwageng o moswa. Norwegian - God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr Papiamento - Bon Pasku i Felis Anja Nobo Pig Latin - Errymay ristmaskay nday appyhay ewnay earyay Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia Portuguese - Feliz Natal Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua Romanian - Craciun Fericit Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou Serbian - Hristos se rodi Scottish - Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur Serbian - Hristos se rodi Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slavonic - Christos Razdajetsja! Slavite Jeho! Slovak - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto Spanish - Feliz Navidad Swahili - Krismasi Njema Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal Thai - Sawat Dee Wan Kritsamas Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym Urdu - Bara Din Mubarak Ho Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh Waray - Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga Bag-o nga Tu-ig Welsh - Nadolig Llawen Zulu - Nginifisela inhlanhla ne mpumelelo e nyakeni. Source: http://david.snu.edu/~hculbert.fs/merry.htm

Thank you Gordon, for those very kind words. I believe that what you give comes back to you tenfold. I'm looking forward to meeting you sometime in the future. We wish everyone the very best for a safe, prosperous new year. Beth & Rod

Rod says if it is a light mist you can power wash it off. It should not have bonded, or will have bonded minimally to the CWF. If you have any EFC-38 on hand try it at 3 or 4 oz. to the gallon. At that strength it shouldn't hurt the CWF. Let dwell 10 minutes. Call us if you need field help. Beth ;)

Wishing you a Peaceful and Joyous Holiday Season! Beth & Rod Administrators

.......paper straws at the soda fountain....and a real vanilla or cherry coke mixed by hand at the fountain. :cool:

What about those wooden paddles with the little thin piece of rubber string and the super ball stapled to it? They never lasted. What about play dough? How about silly puddy? Green slime? Riding down the driveway on your 3 wheeler/2 wheeler/ in your red wagon? Roller skates with 4 wheels and keys? ;)

I don't know where the articles came from, but I have posted them in the Library, and have provided a link back to PWNA's BBS and put Mike's signature in each one. It's the closest thing to crediting the Author I could come up with. If anyone knows the author of these articles, please post it in the thread where the article is so that he or she may get credit. Mike, if you happen to see this, many thanks for posting them. Wonderful stuff! Beth :groovy3:

Article on Marketing Part III - from www.pwnabbs.org Budget and different marketing techniques A marketing budget for fleet washing is fairly minimal and, if the previous methods are followed, will most likely be less than 1% of sales. Nevertheless advertising expenses should not exceed 3% of gross sales. The biggest expense will be the time invested in trying to get the new account. Business cards, brochures, and fax materials should have the best response. Direct mail may be successful if a contact name can be put on the mailer going out. Otherwise it is highly unlikely that the mailing will reach the individual in charge of making the decision. Never expect much from a direct mail campaign. Yellow page advertisements will generally do just enough business to pay for the ads. Though it is highly advisable that a listing be in the yellow pages just for reference if a prospect remembers a contractors name but doesn’t have the phone number. A fleet washer should be listed under “Truck Washing” and “Steam Cleaning Industrial”. The “Steam Cleaning Industrial” listing is a general listing that is normally a catch all for the mobile power washing industry. Newspapers, magazines, and classified ads are normally present in publications that do not reach the fleet operations mangers. The publications normally go to the higher corporate executives that are not involved with the lower level management decision making. For obvious reasons this industry is just not going to benefit enough from a radio or television adds that are more typically suited to target the mass public. Currently there are no known strategies that work well for the Internet. Since truck washing is such a localized service it just doesn’t do well because on-line marketing is generally focused toward the mass marketing. Some may think that a billboard would be good because it would be viewed by a lot of truck drivers. Though this is true, truck drivers rarely make the decision about who does the fleet washing. This would work for a stationary truck wash where just about all their business comes from over the road drivers. Trade shows can possibly prove to be fruitful. The problem is that the shows are generally filled with vendors and only occasionally produce a fair amount of qualifiable leads. The only trade show worth working are those that are conducted in the market where services are going to be provided. A nice approach to saving time with cold calls when phone numbers can be supplied is to prequalify a prospect before making a visit. This can save a lot of time. The down side to it is the fact that the first impression is always the most important one and making a call over the phone is so cold and impersonal and will seldom leave any memorable impression on the prospect. The main idea in using any marketing approach is to make a substantial impression with the potential customer in hopes that a current or future sale may be made. __________________ Michael Hinderliter Steamaway, Inc. Fleet Washing and Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning www.steamaway.com, Phone:888-39-STEAM, Certified in Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning and Environmental Cleaning.

Article on Marketing Part II - www.pwnabbs.org Getting the Business Now that a group of companies can be compiled to call on, the best approach is to cold call. When cold calling always walk in through the shop or back door. Entering through the front will get nowhere 85% of the time. This is because the receptionist or secretary’s job is to keep solicitors away from management. They may be totally unaware of whether or not the company is in need of a fleet washing service. It’s just not their job to know. Sometimes this is the only way, so make the best of it. Inquire about whom would be in charge of the fleet washing and if it is possible to speak with that person. It is unlikely that they will allow a meeting at this time but will generally disclose who the person is. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for them to state that they don’t need such a service because they do it themselves or have a service that does. Just disregard all such comments and remember they really don’t know. Use the information to call back and schedule an appointment. Walking in through the back will almost always yield a response on the first visit. It’s simply because everyone who works in the shop is familiar with how the fleet is maintained. Just ask the previously stated questions about the fleet washing. Normally a mechanic will be very loose lipped about any problems. This kind of information can be extremely valuable when trying to make a sale. It is not uncommon to get the opportunity to meet with the person in charge of cleaning either. When meeting with the decision maker take advantage of the opportunity to begin building a business relationship. This relationship will become the backbone of the sale and keeping the account in the future. Always present the business in the most ethical manner and conduct any future business in the same way. This where people skill become important. Sometimes the prospect will be in great need of making a change and will hire new service on the spot. Unfortunately this won’t happen very often so be prepared to make another trip out with a professional presentation and a bid packet that will thoroughly cover all questions that are likely to arise. This bid packet should include information about the owner, the company, pricing, MSDS (material safety data sheet) on the soap, all necessary insurance, water recovery issues, and references. Since fleet washing is an ongoing process consistency and reliability are two of the most common reasons an account is lost. This is largely due to the fact that entry into this industry is relatively easy. The new comers are generally naive to the demanding market and will treat their accounts like a job, missing work when they feel a little under the weather or just deciding that they are the boss and should take the day off. It is even quite common for these contractors to become comfortable with their accounts and believe that they can start cutting corners on quality to improve the bottom line. The brutal truth is that they just don’t have what it takes to handle the responsibility of being consistent and reliable. This is a fact of this industry and should be taken advantage of to sell an account. First, a management system should address these areas to build a strong base for fleet washing accounts and to prevent competitors from taken any existing or future customers. Fleet managers that have experience generally recognize this as a problem with the mobile fleet washing industry. They are usually very loyal to a contractor that can provide a good service. These are the best accounts to build a fleet washing service with because they are not so price sensitive making them less likely to switch contractors. Fleet operations where the decision maker is young or not that closely involved with the cleaning activities are usually more price sensitive. Such prospects are generally easy to get with a slightly lower price than the current contractor. It also means that a stronger case must be made about the characteristics of this industry to prevent losing the customer in the future. Once the initial contact has been made with the prospect, begin a process to keep the company name in front of them on a monthly basis. Fleet managers are very busy and usually fleet washing is the furthest thing from their minds. A regular reminder will keep the door open to capitalize on any down falls that the current wash operation may have in the future. Use a contact management program to keep up with all these contacts. A good system to use on prospects that are fairly happy with the current wash scenario would be to make a personal phone call or visit every two months. Once a month is generally perceived as a little over zealous and easily perceived as a nuisance. Of course a hot lead that is close to making a decision will need to be called on much sooner. Always end conversions with the prospect by asking for permission to call in the future. Set up a monthly faxing program to pick away at the typical faults of the competition and problems with doing it themselves. Such things as reliability, consistency, water recovery issues, headache and cost of operating a washbay, and faulty wash bay equipment are all good topics to fax on rotation. The most important thing is keeping that prospect aware of the service so that when a change is ready to occur they will pick your service. Prospects that have never had a wash service must be sold on the cost and timesaving that comes from increased productivity. Consider a driver that is paid $15.00/hr, a conservative figure, and that driver spends approximately 30 minutes to wash a tractor. This would cost the customer $7.50 in labor not including any payroll taxes that would be associated with this. Now add in the expense of soaps and chemicals, which cost about $3 to $5 dollars a gallon. Remember that a truck driver in not concerned with the use of soap and will probably use about ½ gallon to do a tractor. The next expense is that of the wash equipment, repairs and maintenance for that equipment, and overhead. Be aware that a driver or maintenance personnel will be operating this equipment with little knowledge on how to properly operate it. This will lead to much higher repair cost than what will be experienced by the contract fleet service. Also keep in mind that a fleet washing service seldom has the fixed overhead expense of a building for doing a small number of units. For this reason these costs run somewhere between 12.50 and $20.00 dollars any hour for wash time. Now add all these expenses up using a 30 minute wash time, $7.50 labor plus $1.50 chemical plus $6.25 equipment, which equals $15.25 to wash a road tractor. Any competitive market will be able to beat this price. Furthermore, these numbers a very conservative and may increase dramatically in different areas of the country. One more area to look at is the wasted use of a driver and that of the equipment. Assuming a truck can produce around $60.00/hr in revenue, though it’s probable much higher, then having a driver do the washing is a great waste of resources. Truck drivers are limited to the numbers of hours that can be work in a week for safety reason. If a portion of this time is used to wash the truck rather than produce income then a prospect is actually spending the lost revenue plus the wash expenses involved. So it only makes since to hire an outside wash service to clean the fleet during times when it is not in operation. The Competition When talking with a potential customer never specifically mention poor qualities about the competition. This almost never has a positive effect on a prospect of good character and will generally be viewed with distaste. Always mention the down faults of competitors in generalized terms of the industry as a whole and how your company has addressed those problems. Prospects are smart and can identify these problems on their own. We just need to remind them of the problems. Talking about the competition specifically generally will be done when a wash contractor has little or nothing better to offer. Competitors will commonly do this about your company when you are successful at what you do, don’t give in to the urge to return the comments. Remind the prospect that their business is desired on the merits of providing a consistent and reliable fleet washing service. Remember that no company is perfect and that eventually the competition will do something that displeases the prospect. This is why it becomes so important to remain in contact. Sometimes it’s just a changing of the guard and the current service hasn’t even kept in touch with the customer. This is when a new fleet washing service has a great opportunity to get a foot in the door with the possibility of making a sale. It’s easy to see that it’s only a matter of time before a favorable situation presents itself. A good marketing strategy will insure that a persistent contractor will be there to get the job. __________________ Michael Hinderliter Steamaway, Inc. Fleet Washing and Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning www.steamaway.com, Phone:888-39-STEAM, Certified in Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning and Environmental Cleaning.