Several months ago, I had lunch with a really good roofing buddy. He was all excited about his very expensive new truck. Rightfully so, it was a big, beautiful diesel dually wrapped with his company information. Shocked at the price tag, I could not dream of sporting something around town that costs half as much as a house! But he didn’t blink an eye and
claimed, “that truck makes me a lot of money.”
Many years ago, I worked as a subcontractor for a large tubular skylight company. I provided my own tools and truck. Having worked as a General Contractor for fifteen years prior to our partnership, my reliable old truck showed a good deal of wear and tear.
When joining the company, there were two other installers and three salespeople. On rainy days, the phones would ring off the hook from customers reporting leaks on previously installed units. Within four weeks of being hired, the reports of leaking units stopped, and I took over all the installation of the tubular skylights.
I worked with this company for sixteen years and helped it to become one of the top three highest solar tubular sales companies in the United States. Moreover, rumor has it I hold the record for the number of units installed with an average of 800-1000 pieces installed per year.
While my hard work made the company owner a lot of money, he consistently harassed me about replacing my old truck. He thought the dings in the sides from ladders being propped against it gave a bad impression. I guess he failed to remember me, my old truck, and installation skills played a vital role in his success.
Thinking back to those days and the value placed on image, I worry folks forget about the value and knowledge needed to complete a project. Just because an installer rolls-up to a job in a new shiny vehicle doesn’t mean he knows how to do the work. The vehicle driven does not reflect the abilities of the person driving it! In all honesty, it is more important for the guy/gal in the beat-up or new vehicle to have the correct tools/equipment to properly complete the project.
Our goal at Sun4Light, Inc. Is to keep the cost of business as low as possible and pass the savings onto our customers. Overhead or operating expenses like trucks, salespeople, expensive offices, etc. Are all factored in the total cost of the job and or amounts charged to the customer. So, you might see our installation team roll-up to your house in a nonwrapped vehicle or trailer. But rest assured, our trucks are equipped to handle all sorts of construction needs, and our in-house team of factory trained VELUX installers have the skills to do the job!