Want to have the best, most effective truck advertising...will you guys post any pictures you have of your truck lettering, etc. Thank you in advance. Also do any of you have a question check list you leave for your secretary/phone person in your absence?...to make sure they get any and all info needed for your handling a call. Separate postings but much needed.

Put it on your tail gate. It costed me 40 bucs. I don't know how to post pictures sorry. And My truck is getting a new engine!

In my opinion a truck wrap is the best way to go If you have the $$$ lots of eye appeal. I have been debating on going with a clean truck with no lettering. Sometimes I get tired of all the lookeeloos staring at me. I guess thats what its for though. I just cant keep thinking about all the guys out of work that see my truck and say hey I can do what that guy does and off to the sign shop they go! Also I answer all my calls myself I dont trust anyone else to do it. And I dont have a sceretary lol

It really depends on how your customers feel. I drive a clean truck, my son has lettering. You don't want to ask him who gets the most compliments from customers. He gets really mad!

Just my opinion, but your truck should be fully lettered. Check our website to see ours. Black trucks with bright yellow lettering to include raccoon tracks all over them. Definitely a lead generator.
The reason I believe in full letering though has nothing to do with generating leads. If we are to be taken seriously as an industry we need to look and act like the professional tradesmen and women that we are. You don't see roofers, plumbers and electricians running around in unmarked trucks do you. Would you hire the roofer that shows up in a beater truck or the one that has a clean professionally lettered truck.
In most metropolitan areas we are past the point of "let's fly under the radar" and one has to wonder why we have to do so. I fully realize that there are some things we do that may be percieved in a negative light by some and realize that sometimes it is good to not draw attention to ourselves but by and large we avoid that with professionalism and not by hiding in anonymity. We need to quit acting as if we have something to hide.
For my part I have quit skipping around the "what do you do with them" question when asked. It has always struck me as dishonest to reply with with "relocate" in place of euthanize. I give a brief to the point answer using facts about disease and population dynamics to explain why it is required by law to do what we do. We need to become educators if we want our industry to gain wider acceptance.
Now I'll crawl off my soapbox and answer the rest of the question.
Our office staff consists of an office manager and secretary. They have a set way of receiving calls and yes they gather all needed info before sending the call out to the field for the team leaders to sell the job. You do need for this person that answers your phone though to be very familiar with what you do so that only the pertinant questions are asked and they will have the ability to weed out the trash calls.

Ditto on what David posted.... The pros outweigh the cons by a hundred to one. Tailgate lettering is the most common way people will get your info, as they write it down at stoplights or just when following you. Parking your truck in front of the homes when doing any kind of work is like a free billboard, especially on busy streets or subdivisions where a lot of folks walk their dogs, etc. Here's a couple pics of mine for ideas. I even have my website on my lift.





By the way.... my tailgate lettering is reflective.... looks like neon from behind at night. Really cool.

Okay guys, you've got this whole thing backwards. Remember what I said about customers. They're the key. I am very proud of what I do for a living, but many of my customers are terribly embarassed because of what the neighbors will think. (My mother was like that)
We have had a number of customers who have requested unmarked vehicles and all of our competitors have at least one unmarked vehicle. It has to do with making the customer happy and I make way more customers happy than my son does. (And by the way, my so-called beater probably cost more than your traveling billboard)

Ron, Animals Only and others...Thanks for your posts...I am to old to be bashful about the business I'm developing. I know advertising is very important...word of mouth is great but the initial contact will result in the "word of mouth" ad....Also I appreciate the helpful attitude of those on this ADC site. If others have pictures, I will be grateful...Mark

It depends on your business model. A business is in business to stay in business. Growth and prosperity with no truck lettering is just as valid as success with truck lettering.

My trucks are unmarked. My business relies heavily on referrals because I have been in business for a long time. Many of my repeat upscale customers appreciate the plain (but neat, clean and tidy) truck in their driveway. It looks like an average contractor truck.

These are difficult times for many self employed - when is the phone going to ring? Is there enough $ to pay bills? And so on and so forth. Keep learning and good luck.

Hi Paul,

I did not misunderstand your post.... and in some cases the lettering creates a "stressful moment" for the customer when pulling up in a high-end area. However, I have found that once a neighbor comes by and gets talking with the customer and myself, suddenly the "silence is broken" and the stories of all the critter problems in the neighborhood are freely exchanged. I find in many cases it's like a contest.... each of the neighbors want to "out-do" the other guys. Working in U-City in St. Louis a couple years ago, and once a couple folks walking their dogs noticed the truck and talked a minute, within 30 minutes there were 10 others suddenly "walking" past so they could get in on the discussions.... Did about 6 homes for bats due to the "competitive nature" of those high-enders. I always mention how many million-dollar mansions I work on for bats and other critters.... they suddenly feel like their problem DOESN'T lower them to the "run-down shack" stigma attached to bats and other critters.

Ron S. ????? Did you retire the dodge???????

Andy

About a year ago.... I noticed a slight amount of tranny slip on hills when towing the lift. It had about 150,000 miles on it, and I decided to trade while it was still decent. No tranny problem under normal driving, but I knew it wasn't going to "get better" or heal itself.

The F-150 has been working out fine. 54,000 miles in one year, but went from around 10 MPG (Dodge w/360) up to 18 MPG. What a noticeable cost savings. It was tough to find a "Plain Jane" work truck. Since I wear them out in 3 or 4 years, I don't want the bells and whistles.... just a waste of money.

I just added some PVC pipes for carrying my metal drip caps and other "long" stuff for bat work. I'll get some pics and post them. They look okay and work great.

We have three Chevs and a GMC. A couple months back we bought our first Ford (On advice from our mechanic) We haven't used it enough for a good opinion yet, but it's going to have to get about 400,000 miles on it to beat my first Chevy van.

Continued thanks for the replies...Mark

Here's a few pics showing the PVC tubes for storing/hauling metal drip caps and other trim pieces.











The 10-footer is on the right side, and I took another section and cut at 6 feet (and of course 4) and mounted on the driver side for carrying the shorter pieces after cutting.