576 Chevrolet Hybrid Pickups to Green Verizon’s Fleet

World’s Only Hybrid Pickup Provides Unique Environmental Solution for Fleet Customers

DETROIT – As part of the greening of its fleet, Verizon has purchased 576 Chevrolet Silverado Two-Mode Hybrid full-size pickups that deliver the city fuel economy of a four-cylinder sedan.


The unique two-mode Silverado blends an internal combustion engine with battery-powered electric motors to offer customers the advanced technology needed to reduce fuel consumption by up to 40 percent over a conventional full-size pickup -- an EPA estimated 21 MPG city and 22 MPG highway, best of any full-size pickup.

“When Verizon first approached us about environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles for their urban drivers, we knew the Silverado Hybrid was the perfect fit because of its outstanding city and highway MPG ratings,” said Brian Small, GM Fleet and Commercial Operation general manager. “Immediately the team went to work to meet Verizon’s ambitious July delivery deadline.”

GM's two-mode system enables the Silverado to launch and drive up to 30 mph on electricity alone, and allows the Vortec 6.0L V-8 engine to operate in its more economical V-4 mode for longer periods. This technology is the only hybrid system capable of being used in full-size trucks, which further emphasizes Chevrolet's full-size truck leadership.

“A major part of our sustainability strategy is to make smart use of lower-carbon alternatives to power our fleet and the operation of our high-IQ broadband networks,” said James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon. “By adding 1,600 alternative energy vehicles to our fleet this year we’re conserving fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality in communities across the country.”

Committed to finding practical and innovative ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its global operations, Verizon launched a comprehensive sustainability program earlier this year. The program expanded the number of alternative energy vehicles in their fleet – one part of a multi-pronged approach. Additionally, in their commitment to doing business with diverse suppliers, the company placed the order for the 576 hybrid pickups, with Fairway Motors, a woman-owned Chevrolet dealership in Hazelton, Penn.

The pickups, to be deployed in urban areas in various Verizon’s markets, is powered by the standard Vortec 6.0L V8 engine delivering 332 horsepower and 367 lb.-ft of torque, it has a payload of 6,100 lbs. (2WD) or 5,900 lbs. (4x4). The vehicle also comes with an eight-year/100,000 mile limited warranty on hybrid components and a five-year/100,000 transferable powertrain limited warranty.

To further capitalize on the Silverado Hybrid’s fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, Verizon collaborated with BrandFX Body Company and GM to develop the light-weight fiberglass insert to be installed in the truck’s bed. The composite insert, the lightest weatherproof container on the market, will house Verizon’s service equipment, such as ladders, wiring, connectors and television set boxes.

“We have a long history with Verizon and it’s always our pleasure to work with OEMs to provide the most fuel-efficient composite products for automotive applications,” said Lee Finley, BrandFX Body Company co-owner.

For more information on the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, and to see the full lineup of GM Fleet and Commercial vehicles, visit http://www.gmfleet.com/.

CALIFORNIA TAXI FLEET OPERATOR TAPS INTO FORD TRANSIT CONNECT'S NATURAL GAS CAPABILITY

• Ford Transit Connect Taxi's new compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas) engine prep package a winner for Orange County taxi company
• Transit Connect is built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform and is tested to Ford's toughest truck standards. It offers a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine and is designed to meet the extreme demands of taxi service
• Transit Connect Taxi's roomy, easy-to-access interior provides passenger comfort and ample luggage storage space, even after modification to contain CNG/LPG fuel tanks

DEARBORN, Mich., June 4, 2010 – When Tim Conlon, president of California Yellow Cab, first laid eyes on the new Ford Transit Connect, he wondered if it had a future in taxi service. Now, having seen the award-winning small commercial van in person, he says it has potential to be "the iconic taxi of the future."

In fact, Conlon is so confident of the Transit Connect Taxi package – which goes into production and arrives in dealerships later this year – he's already put in an order for 25 units.

What drove Conlon's decision – and is driving interest among other taxi companies – is the Transit Connect's alternative fuel engine prep package, which enables conversion to efficient, clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas).

Both CNG and LPG are popular among taxi operators because of their low cost of ownership. California Yellow Cab of Santa Ana will convert its Transit Connects to CNG, to take advantage of the availability of natural gas fueling stations in Orange County. With the acquisition, Conlon expects California Yellow Cab to become the first taxi company in the Southern California to operate half of its 220-vehicle fleet on natural gas.

"California Yellow Cab started to use natural gas in 2002 before there were many refueling stations," Conlon said. "Now that the infrastructure has built up, we'll be able to help protect Orange County's air quality even more with the Transit Connect. It's a perfect fit for our drivers, and its roomy, easy-to-access interior will appeal to our customers as well."

The flexible interior of the Transit Connect is well suited for both taxi service and conversion to CNG and LPG. The vehicle's 135 cubic feet of cargo space accommodates a compressed gas tank while leaving ample passenger legroom and cargo capacity.

To serve taxi operators, Ford will provide calibration guidance for the CNG or LPG conversion. By properly following Ford's recommendations, the conversion can be completed without voiding the engine's warranty.

Wooing customers and winning fans

Conlon was one of many taxi operators to place orders for the Transit Connect after seeing the vehicle at the recent Taxicab Paratransit Association's (TPAC) annual convention in California.

"Everyone wanted to see the Transit Connect – it was the hit of the show," said Steve Wood, co-owner of South Bay Ford in Los Angeles, one of the largest service dealerships in the U.S. "Once they hit the streets, every taxi operator is going to want them."

Driving interest in Transit Connect Taxi in California is the mandate of many of its municipalities adopting standards for fleet operators to use cleaner, low-carbon fuels. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG is less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline, resulting in 30 percent to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. Propane also burns cleaner than gasoline.

"Compressed natural gas and propane offer more than sufficient power for vehicles because they are high-energy fuels," said Rob Stevens, Transit Connect chief engineer. "Another natural benefit for these fuels is they provide overall lower emissions of greenhouse gases compared to gasoline. Additionally, using CNG or LPG provides operators lower fuel/operating costs for their fleet."

Nearly 87 percent of natural gas used in the United States is domestically produced, contributing to a greater desire for energy independence. There also are government tax credit incentives for fleets to convert to alternative fuels.

Transit Connect is just one of several Ford vehicles that offer CNG/LPG conversion capability. Ford has shipped more than 3,000 CNG/LPG-prepped engines for its E-Series vans with 5.4-liter and 6.8-liter gas engines. A similar package will be introduced for F-Series Super Duty trucks this year.

A conversion-ready interior

Transit Connect Taxi offers an outstanding interior package for people and cargo. With its open architecture, the taxi provides excellent interior headroom and passenger visibility. The vehicle's rear seat has been moved back 3 inches to maximize passenger comfort. The 6.5 inches of ground clearance allows passengers to step easily through the dual sliding doors. Additional climate control ventilation has been added for rear seat passengers.

The Transit Connect Taxi also features a wiring upfit package with a hole in the roof for signage, vinyl front and rear seats, vinyl flooring and standard third-row windows – all factory installed. Additional installation of taxi modifications such as roof signage and the optional seating partition are handled by taxi upfitters in local markets.

"Transit Connect already has proven it offers tremendous versatility for commercial fleet use," said Gerry Koss, Ford fleet marketing manager. "The Transit Connect Taxi, combined with the capability for CNG/LPG conversion, further demonstrates its flexibility."

Sweet Big Box Royal Contractor For Ferreira's Landscape

As I left a package at FedEx, this truck in a nearby parking lot caught my eye. I've seen several "big box" Royal Contractor Bodies, but I hadn't seen a 9' or 10' unit and especially on an extended cab chassis. It jumped right out at me and said, 'here I am!' And a sweet looking rig it is.

I asked the driver who happened to be Michael Ferreira if I could take some shots and he was most gracious and allowed me to share them with you. This is a Chevy 3500HD with the DuraMax diesel in an extended cab with a 10' Royal Tall Box Contractor. I say 'tall box or big box' because the top boxes are closed top lid boxes that are taller and will carry a greater number of tools than the typical open top lid smaller boxes that we are all used to. Michael said the truck has been really good for them, dependable, efficient and quite powerful. He indicated he sure wished he had the fold-down gates in the back, but other than this, he loved the body.

If you happen to be in the area, Ferreira's Landscape Maintenance can be reached at 707-447-9248. Thank you, Michael for the opportunity to show off your great truck!

Nice Royal Contractor For Weinstein Retrofitting

Nice Royal Truck Body Contractor Body at work. Nicely done with the blue on the flatbed frame, the stainless panels on the upper box look pretty cool too. Love the logo. Check out the clients website at http://www.retrofittingcalifornia.com/.

See more Royal Truck Bodies at http://www.royaltruckbody.com/ and catch them on Facebook too.

Very Attractive Extended Cab with Service Body

Kimberly from Harbor sent these great shots of a job they did for McKenzie Electric and I absolutely love it! The wrap is perfect and I love the combination of colors. Very well done. See more from Harbor Truck Bodies at http://www.htbi.net/.

24' Curtain-Side Glass Truck From MyGlassTruck.com

MyGlassTruck.com builds quality glass carriers in a wide variety of sizes and uses and here is their 24' Curtain-Side Glass Truck. The Curtain-Side Glass Truck features custom-built, full-length exterior and interior glass carriers inside a 24-foot curtain-side truck body. Rubber padding from top to bottom of vertical posts gives superior glass protection along with the 2-inch wide padding that runs the full length of the horizontal slats.

The durable, one-piece, double-hemmed design curtain material is PVC coated, double-weave polyester and is strong, waterproof and remains pliable in extreme cold or heat. The curtain glides smoothly on ball bearing rollers mounted inside a one-piece aluminum track. The weather-proof "pelmet" protects glass and curtain hardware from the elements. The curtain is reinforced around the wheels and has securement straps every 24 inches with quick-action buckles to ensure that the curtain is smooth and secure when closed.

The glass carriers are constructed with aircraft-grade Huck fasteners that won't crack like welds on aluminum or loosen from vibration like screws or bolts. The vented, bolt-on wheel cover protects curtain and glass from splash back.

Standard is a rear step bumper with anti-skid surface, and the 3/4" thick plymetal rear doors provide walk-in access to interior racks. LED lighting system aids visibility of tail lamps and turn signals.

You can get the rest of this great story by calling 1-800-254-3643 and visit the comprehensive website at http://www.myglasstruck.com/

All New Vauxhall Movano Set To Shake Up The Heavy Van Segment

• Massive range with 29 body types to choose from
• Available with front or rear-wheel drive
• Class leading cabin ergonomics and cargo space
• Gross vehicle weight up to 4.5 tons, payload up to 2.5 tons
• New power trains with low operating costs

Luton: The all new Movano from Vauxhall will be a serious player in the heavy van segment when it's launched in the UK market this year.

Customers for Vauxhall's second generation Movano will be spoilt for choice when the new van goes on sale in May, with no less than 29 different body styles to choose from once all variants have come to market.

Movano's drivers can also expect to be among the happiest and most comfortable when they get behind the wheel with special attention having been paid to cabin comfort and ergonomics, as well as to the cargo space areas. A new range of fuel-sipping common rail diesel engines ensure operators will be just as content.

The modular platform, developed jointly with Renault, comes with front or rear-wheel drive depending on payload category. Rear-wheel drive variants can be ordered with twin wheels at the rear.

The new Vauxhall Movano will offer a wider selection of variants than most of the competition, as well as a tailor-made model for nearly every potential customer profile. The full range includes panel van, doublecab and Combi versions, chassis cabs with standard or crew cab, platform cab, three wheelbases, four vehicle lengths and three roof heights.

UK prices are also announced today and start from a highly competitive £21,660 (ex.VAT) for the L2H2 3300 FWD 100PS model.

New Movano is also an excellent base for conversions and will be available ex-works as a tipper, dropside and box van.

Cab comfort and safety has been enhanced in a number of areas such as driver visibility, multi-adjustable seats (in various configurations) and an adjustable steering column that allows for relaxed driving on the longest journeys. Meanwhile the options list for the new Movano has really moved the game on with items such as static cornering lights, a centre seat back that folds into a work surface and a rotating laptop table.

An array of easy-to-reach storage compartments round off the Movano's superbly practical use of space.

The cargo area of the new Movano offers load lengths extending to 4.4 metres, and load capacity of up to 17 cubic metres (L4H3 version).

Loading the new Movano couldn't be simpler. Front wheel drive variants feature low sill heights while all models offer side sliding and rear access doors. Large door apertures make access for large loads and Euro palettes easy.

Under the bonnet, a new generation of 2.3 CDTi four-cylinder common-rail diesel engines combine strong performance with low operating costs. Three power outputs are available: 100PS/285 Nm, 125 PS/310 Nm and 150PS/350 Nm. All engines come with a six-speed gearbox as standard and are Euro 4 or Euro 5 (with DPF) compliant. The 125PS and 150PS versions can be coupled with the semi-auto Techshift transmission.

New Movano's fuel consumption is expected to be among best in class when all versions are launched, depending on model and engine.

Increased fuel efficiency isn't the only way new Movano owners will save money. The new engines are now designed with a 250,000 mile lifespan while extended mileage service intervals and reduced maintenance costs are an added bonus.

Movano's advanced chassis has been tuned to be agile but also comfortable, both when loaded and empty. Active and passive safety equipment includes ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) as standard on all models while electronic stability program (ESP) is also standard on rear-wheel drive and optional for front-wheel drive versions. Passive safety features include front airbags, side airbags integrated in the seats (optional) and seat-belt pretensioners.

The launch phase of the new Movano will be staggered according to the body variants and vehicles will be available in the UK from May.

See more on this an the other van models from Vauxhall at www.vauxhall.co.uk.

Stellar Introduces New 17,000 lb OTR Tire Service Crane

Garner, Iowa – Stellar Industries, Inc. is introducing the Stellar® model 17000 OTR tire service crane and the TM7120 tire manipulator. It was designed from the ground up to provide maximum lifting performance and solid stability in the off the road tire service market. This is the largest OTR tire service crane available in the market that will mount on a single axle truck.

The model 17000 crane has a 17,000-pound capacity at 10-feet and 10,000-pound capacity at 17-feet from the centerline of the crane. It offers 320 degrees of rotation with the use of a top mounted planetary drive that offers smooth, powerful performance with ease of serviceability. It features a hexagonal boom design, a well-known Stellar crane feature, that adds strength and durability and an exclusive radio remote control system that offers precise, smooth, multi-function operation. The crane is supported by a hydraulic fold down style stabilizing system that offers over 18-feet of spread. The model 17000 can be mounded on a single axle truck with a 17’ body or a tandem axle truck with a 20’ body.

The new TM7120 tire manipulator is an option for the model 17000 crane. The TM7120 can manipulate tires from 48” up to 123” in diameter and up to 7,200-pounds. It features over 300 degrees of body rotation, and either fixed or continuous rotation clamping pads. The tire manipulator articulation spans from +79 degrees to -43 degrees. The crane and manipulator combination can also place a tire on the bed as close as 51” from the back of the crane.

A complete package is available with a crane, tire manipulator, steel service body, radio remote control system and an SHD-245 air compressor. The SHD-245 is an industrial truck mounted 4-cylinder, 2-stage compressor powered by a hydraulic motor and outputs 110 CFM at 175 PSI.

“Over the years Stellar has become the leader in OTR tire manipulating cranes,” says Tim Davison, manager of bodies and cranes. He continues, “Stellar achieved this status by its unequivocal ability to listen to its ever changing customer’s needs, as is the case with the 17000. Our customers asked us to develop a crane with increased capacity while still remaining on a single axle chassis, and we did just that, and more.” Davison
concludes, “We started with a clean slate and designed a strong, smooth performing crane from the ground up. Not only is it the highest capacity crane available on a single axle chassis, it is also designed and built strong, and easy to maintain and service.”

Stellar Industries, Inc. was founded in 1990. It is an employee owned and operated manufacturer of hydraulic truck mounted equipment located in North Iowa. Products include hooklifts, container carriers, cable hoists, telescopic cranes, articulating cranes, and the X-Tra-Lift, as well as complete mechanic service truck packages, and tire service truck packages. Stellar is a progressive company that focuses on its people, as they are the key to making the products and the company successful.

For more information regarding Stellar Industries, Inc., visit www.stellarindustries.com, or call 800-321-3741.

Practice Is Just As Valuable As The Sale--Or Is It More? - Part 2

A couple days ago, I posted an article about practice being as important, or even more important than making the sale. I didn't intend to write a supplemental piece about this, but today changed my mind.

Today I realized so clearly how valuable practice can be, and is and how much better practice is than the sale. Today, I arrived. I arrived at the place that every sales person either wants or needs to be, or they should at the very least consider strongly. I arrived at full confidence in what I am doing.

Oh, I've arrived there before in other fields of endeavor, but today I arrived as an Internet Marketer and Consultant. Now, to put that into perspective, in September of 2007, I was completely unknowledgeable about websites, how to build them, what they were about, how they worked. In October of 2007, I built my first website using an online builder. It was terrible. But I kept doing it and they got better. The second website was in January of 2008. What's interesting about that is that I decided in that short time to go into business in that field. I know, that is insane. Knowing so little about something and taking that plunge.

But here's the deal. I got better and tried lots of things and learned and learned and read, attended seminars and learned. Even in March of 2008, neither my partner nor I even knew what a blog was. Scary. Now we build blogs like crazy. Weird. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is another strange thing. What does that mean? Now we do this without even thinking of it that way. And, so much more.

Our focus was on one thing: providing valuable service to our clients. That is what we have done and the rest has come in regular doses to the point that today I decided that I have arrived at the level of full confidence in what I do in this field. I can even talk with people with far more experience than I and even occasionally teach them something. It is a great place to be.

And, get this--I can't write one line (even a short one) of HTML code, or JAVA or any other coffee brand. It matters not because I don't need to. Because the Internet was a complicated thing in my head, I needed to demystify it for myself so that I could understand how to make use of it. That very demystification is what we use to help our clients understand it as well. We're not web guys, but sales guys who use web tools to help businesses grow their business. If we don't know something, it's easy enough to find out.

Now, I can go talk to anyone I want and feel confident that it will not only make sense, but also appeal to their better instincts. This is tough to do without confidence and this confidence has only come from the practice. It is far more valuable than the sale. That confidence creates and stimulates enterprise. It builds companies. The sale is a side benefit.

New Electric Minibus Now Available From Smith

UK's first 17 seat Smith Edison minibus

• Range up to 100 miles
• Top speed 50mph
• 40kwh lithium-ion battery pack
• First vehicle sold to Essex County Council

The UK's first 17 seat, all-electric minibus is now in production. Based on the Ford Transit chassis, the Smith Edison minibus has a top speed of 50mph and a range of up to 100 miles. A full recharge takes 6-8 hours, or 3-4 hours with Smith's new fast charging technology.

Smith utilises an underlsung battery design, so that the 40 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack does not impinge on the passenger area of the vehicle.

Designed for urban operations, the Edison minibus is targeted at applications such as airport passenger transfer, tourist attractions, city trips and closed campus travel on large commercial, military, education and industrial sites.

Essex County Council has purchased the first vehicle, where it will be used for transporting people with learning disabilities, in the Harlow area. Essex County Councill's Yvonne Chappell, Head of Fleet Transport and Operations said: "Essex County Council takes sustainable transport very seriously and we want to show our residents how we can all reduce the environmental impact of our travelling.

"We are proud to be leading the way in the adoption of new electric passenger vehicle technology and to be the first local authority to put this innovative minibus into service."

See more from Smith at http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/.

Out into the big wide world with the Unimog

• Out into the big wide world with the Unimog
• Based on the Unimog U 4000 with its impressive chassis concept
• Unimog copes with arduous, long expeditions thanks to the Bocklet body
• On display at the off-road vehicle show in Bad Kissingen from
3 to 6 June 2010

Stuttgart - An expedition camper based on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog – the dream of every bona fide globetrotter. At this year's "Abenteuer & Allrad", Europe's largest off-road vehicle show, the expedition camper will be on display in Bad Kissingen from 3 to 6 June 2010.

Michael Bocklet from Koblenz and his team have built a fully fledged go-anywhere vehicle based on the UniversalMotorGerät (Universal Motorized Unit), to give the Unimog its full name. The distinctive Unimog U 4000 with its Bocklet body is the archetypal expedition vehicle – the consummate solution for even the most ardent adventurer.

The U 4000 is the perfect expedition vehicle thanks to its absolutely unique chassis concept. Portal axles deliver excellent ground clearance and ensure constant road contact of all four wheels. The suspension with torque tube, transverse links and coil springs allows long spring travel and superb axle articulation – supporting diagonal axle articulation of up to 30 degrees. In conjunction with the short frame overhangs, the Unimog also effortlessly takes difficult obstacles, hilltops, slopes or embankments in its stride. Waterproof major assemblies and an air intake pipe level with the cabin roof ensure a fording capability of 1.20 metres. The Unimog comes with single tyres (as opposed to the twin tyres on an all-wheel-drive truck), thus offering high traction with low rolling resistance. The tirecontrol tyre pressure monitoring system can be used to reduce the tyre pressure conveniently from the driver's seat while on the move and so ensure the wheels do not get bogged down on soft ground. This technical feature improves traction and power delivery.

Trouble-free driving with the go-anywhere vehicle

The 4249-cc four-cylinder diesel unit produces 160 kW (218 hp). The permissible gross vehicle weight of the all-wheel-drive vehicle (wheelbase 3850 mm) is 7490 or 8500 kilograms respectively. In conjunction with the all-wheel drive and differential locks on the front and rear axle, the Unimog is the ideal solution for a superlative off-road expedition vehicle. Should it – in the very unlikely event – get stuck, the Unimog can use its hydraulic seven-tonne front winch to pull itself out of the quagmire with its "own hair" à la Baron Munchausen. However, you are much more likely to find it using the winch to pull out other vehicles from difficult situations. A diesel tank with a capacity of 290 litres (plus two 20-litre reserve canisters) also makes longer journeys less nerve-racking where refuelling is not an option. The comfort seats in the cab provide an ideal fatigue-free solution for these arduous stages.

The rear of the Bocklet accommodation module is tapered at an angle to retain the Unimog's full off-road capabilities. The inside of the module measures 4.35 metres long and 2.20 metres wide (standing height 1.95 metres). The roof and walls of the three-point mounted, thermal bridge-free fibreglass-reinforced plastic box are 50 mm thick, standing on a 60-mm-thick floor. All the walls are finished with a 2-mm-thick fabric-reinforced outer layer. The hatches and doors all come with hollow rubber seals and multi-point locks, which help protect the stowage compartments against the ingress of dust or water.

Behind the driver's seat is the accommodation module washroom, fitted out with a cassette toilet, wash basin and shower. Hot water is provided by a combined Truma gas/electric boiler with a capacity of 10 litres. The corner kitchen is fitted towards the rear and comes with a two-burner gas stove, sink and drainer.

A (lockable) passage leads to the cab, with a wardrobe fitted on the right behind the co-passenger seat. The 110-litre compressor fridge occupies the space up to the entrance door.

Benches arranged longitudinally to the direction of travel provide two seats with exquisite Alcantara® upholstery. Tanks and additional stowage space are housed under the dinette in the false floor. The Unimog carries around 300 litres of fresh water on-board, along with a waste tank holding 200 litres. The entire rear area is home to a 200 x 135-cm double bed. Additional stowage space, which can be accessed from outside, is provided under the bed.

A diesel-powered Eberspächer hot air heater ensures a comfortable night's sleep in colder climes or during the winter months. To ensure sufficient 'juice', Bocklet has installed 220 Ah of battery capacity, backed up by 260-W solar panels, an automatic charger (24 V / 50 A) and a 1.2-kW inverter. A control panel with an ampere-hour metre monitors the power system; minimal energy consumption comes courtesy of the low-energy lights and LED spots fitted in the interior. There is a TFT television plus satellite dish and a DVD player for entertainment and information during the expedition, no matter how far away from home you venture. The 6.85-metre-long, 2.35-metre-wide and 3.50-metre-high expedition camper based on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 4000 costs EUR $248,300.

Practice Is Just As Valuable As The Sale--Or Is It More?

"Practice is just as valuable as a sale.

The sale will make you a living;

The skill will make you a fortune."

-- Jim Rohn

I have loved this quote from my mentor, Jim Rohn since I first heard it in 1981. I love the whole concept of it and how he makes the journey even more valuable than the destination. I agree wholeheartedly that it is the practice, the journey, the living of it daily that makes the whole worthwhile.

I know a lot of sales people who work somewhere and move to another and another and they never seem to grow--matter of fact, it seems like they go backward a few steps. It's not a career, it's just a job, sort of like someone being hired out on an hourly basis, or job by job basis. There's no accumulation factor. It doesn't make sense to me to spend the time on the sale or destination and ignoring the value of the skill accumulation or the value of the journey.

Wouldn't it be different to have gathered knowledge and skills that can be used in different ways later, like writing a book about the journey, using the skills gained to turn it into a whole new career either in your own business or working in a different company or industry. Then you'd be moving up to gather even more experience and skills toward the next twist in the road.

None of this would happen if you didn't practice, learn, and accumulate skills, knowledge, stories, wisdom. What a loss it would be to not take advantage of those things. Those opportunities could be worth millions in time, compared with thousands not paying attention to what is important.

Learn to value the practice. Learn to value the journey. Destinations are good, but even once you get to a destination, you must begin moving toward another. By learning to value practice and the journey, the destinations will be improving over time rather than regressing or maintaining the status quo.

This is not only great advice for an individual, but also a company.

Finally! An Out-Of-The-Box Storage & Retrieval System For Vans

Katerack and Durarac for caterers, florists, and contractors:

Catering Package

Features:

Rear facing sliding shelves; capable of 300 pounds capacity each.

The shelving is infinitely adjustable up and down to customer needs. In other words, each sliding shelf can be adjusted to vertical spacing based on individual needs and is easily changed by the customer as needed.

This product is more than a great idea; it offers the commercial customer these benefits:

The bottom shelf can be spaced up off the floor to allow storage on the floor for stepladders, etc. Or the bottom sliding shelf can be adjusted near the floor allowing heavy materials such as tool boxes to be loaded and unloaded easily, without straining the back.

Florist Package

More compact payload, the big loads can be secured into a smaller space. This could mean a smaller van. When it comes to flowers, more flowers can be delivered in each van, because the shelves can be loaded vertically, one over the other, this is new! Most florists now deliver with all products setting on the floor.

There is no center aisle such as used in full size van side racks and bins. This being wasted space. The installation of these traditional systems in smaller vans makes them very cramped and basically inaccessible. Think like the customer, given the option, which one will you choose?

Side Mounted Shelving – Obsolete?

The rear facing Katerack shelves can be accessed from outside the van, also leaving open space behind the seat for storage of taller flower arrangements.

Tall Flowers behind Seat

Delivery Control options include dividers and bins as well as a pin and grid system which will keep the wedding cake from sliding during delivery, and keeping the flowers upright! No need to improvise the support for each unique delivery, the system is adjustable to support each unique item.

Example of Delivery Control System

Preparation - The Old Way

Loaded Flowers - Old Way

          
Other options include interior wall cladding and refrigeration for caterers providing for easy cleaning of the interior and food preservation. With the Katerack shelving system, more air is allowed to flow over and under the containers, allowing better temperature control.

The Katerack is currently available for Ford Transit Connect Van & Wagon and the Durarac brand for Ford E-Series, Chevy Express and GMC Savannah.

This product could be the future, think about more compact loads, smaller vehicles, decreased operating costs. A wise commercial customer will be taking a good hard look at this system, and if they don’t then their competition will! Who is more likely to be more competitive and stay in business?

More about other Katerack applications next time.

Find out more about Katerack and Durarac at: http://www.dejana.com/katerack_main.html

To find distribution information or dealers near you contact:

Jeannie Barrows at Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment Cos.
at 856-303-1315 or email at jbarrows@dejana.com


Guest post by Steve Taylor. Steve is a consultant in the Truck Equipment business with over 30 years in the snowplow and truck body manufacturing business. He specializes in the design and quality/reliability field and may be reached by email at steve@truckarchitect.com. You may visit his website at http://www.truckarchitect.com/.

Some Business Investments Can Have A Huge Payoff--Later.

"If I had eight hours to cut down a big tree,

I'd spend 6 hours sharpening the axe."

-- Abraham Lincoln

I absolutely love this quote and it speaks many things to me so succinctly. It speaks about preparation. If you are in sales and working on some big clients, spending three fourths of your time in preparing will generally have a huge payoff. Lawyers do that all the time. Their court time is so small in comparison with their preparation time and that is what makes all the difference in the outcome.

If you're growing your business, much of the time you spend will be not directly earning money or profit, but it can be extremely beneficial in influence which will ultimately lead to much greater income and profit. Some of that can be done through networking and this can be done in many ways, such as through local Chamber of Commerce, Business Networking Groups like LeTip, BNI and hundreds of others, at trade shows and events, through your website, blog, newsletter and other Internet publications. It is this last one that I want to deal with in this piece.

Not having a website is like not owning a phone. It is a must. It should be effective and it should not stand alone if you want it to work for you. A blog. A blog is just a website for the most up to date content and it allows you to show even more personality in your business and have some fun and gain influence. An email newsletter is a perfect way to stay in touch with all of your current clients and prospects. You can gain more influence to people who find you through others, so it is also a great networking tool. You can post it on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites as well to let more people become familiar with it. These tools, when working together are extremely powerful and beneficial.

The website needs to be current and constantly expanding. Shoot for a page a month to continually add to it. Everything is searchable by search engines, but if it isn't on your website, it cannot be searched. The blog need not be updated daily, but should have 5-10 posts per month to be more effective. Everything on a blog is also searchable. The newsletter list should be growing every week. You may only send it once a month, but your database should be constantly growing.

Through time, all of these products become a symphony of activity on the Internet, all of them working together like a well-oiled machine directed toward your business enterprises and your continuing success and growth. It is the consistency of these activities that pays off big. Doing these for a short time or one time is of extremely little value in comparison. Your web properties will continue to give you influence as they are expanded and continually improved. 

We recommend that you find a service that will help you take care of insuring these things are all done well and done on a consistent basis. This is one of our specialties. Our Trend Setter Package recently announced has completely revamped our Internet services at a fraction of the previous cost. Now every business can afford the Internet presence of a much larger business. And the services mentioned above is only a part. There is much more that will get you up in the search engines, along with social networking. Visit our new website at http://www.upwardtrend.org/ for more information.

On Site Events and How To Make Them Work

"Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd."

-- P. T. Barnum

Having participated in many on site events and done them myself, I have learned many things about how to make them work. I learned mostly from watching what I did and what others did and thought about how to improve that. As an example, I once sent 10,000 flyers out for an event that drew 50 people and most of them were not among the 10,000 addressees. Sad affair, and I had the factory rep there too. I went all out to have the event staged, but it didn't help.

Then, I have seen successful events and paid close attention to the differences in timing, the day of the week, the hours and you name it. So I learned a lot of things by seeing them done well too.

Here's some questions I like to ask those who are planning an event:

• Why? What is your objective in having this event?
• If it were a perfect event, after it was all over, what would it look like or what would have transpired or been achieved?
• Are you willing to spend a bit more to have a much better result?
• Who is your target customer? Who are you doing this for?
• Think about how busy you are all day long. What would make you really want to spend the time and energy to attend your own event? In other words, what's in it for them? How will it benefit them?

Here's some typical advice I offer:

• Get the biggest draw you can afford to help get people there, even if they are not your target audience. This may be a monster truck, race car, clown show, 100 lbs of barbecued tri-tip, a football star, some celebrity, and more. Something very popular would be best. An open house at your store is a very weak draw typically. The draw is the key!
• Marketing the event. If you have event marketing people in your area, hiring them can really help you get more people there. Set your advertising to tease 2 to 4 weeks out and then stronger near the event. Target your key clients through telephone, email and personal contact. If you have a newsletter, advertise the event 8 to 10 weeks out. Consider radio remote broadcast. If you're a member of the local Chamber of Commerce, you can advertise at their events and through their venues, and more. Get the word out often and as effectively as possible.
• If you're serving food and I hope you are, then spend a little more and make it quality food. Cooking hamburgers and hot dogs yourself is not a draw, and it is not quality--it's cheap. My best advice for a successful event is to have it catered where they come and cook and serve and clean up the mess and you don't need to be involved in it. Delegate. Hire it out and get a good one. If the budget is too small, I highly recommend not having the event.
• Have music. I highly recommend that you hire a sound person and/or DJ to take care of this by bringing good equipment, taking care of the music and having a quality mike to give announcements so everyone can hear them. This is the point most events miss in my experience and I think it is critical. You want to be able to communicate with a crowd, since that's what you are going to draw. Upbeat music is energizing, soothing and fills the empty space. Not too loud, not too soft, and the sound people know how to do that best. It is very important part of a great event.
• Vendors. There's not much worse than inviting vendors to an event--especially if you are asking them to pay for the privilege and/or bring raffle prizes--and then have a poorly attended event. Wasting your own time is one thing, but wasting all your vendors is another. You will need to insure your event is set up in such a way that the vendors are centrally located so that people at the event are drawn to the vendors, or that tickets are issued where each vendor has to sign off in order to qualify for the raffle, or something like that. Use your sound system to make announcements regularly.
• Insure that things start on time and move smoothly. Timing of things must be orchestrated by someone, so make sure someone is assigned that duty.
• Raffles. Calling numbers and having people not be there is not good. Have raffles throughout the period of the event so there is always something going on. Have a lot of raffle prizes even if many of them are minor prizes or logo-branded give aways. I recommend about every 15 minutes and stay on track with the time. If people must be present to win, you might want to have the raffles in a time frame where most everyone is there, so it won't be at the end of the event.
• If you're having various presentations, announce those to help direct people to the right place at the right time.
• If it is a large event, consider having some entertainment. This could be an artist drawing caricatures of people, walking magician doing little tricks moving around, clowns with balloons if there are younger ones, musicians, and such.
• Think of it this way: the event should be full throttle from start to finish without stopping or slowing down. As soon as the event opens, it is full on, music, food smells, events going on, entertainment, vendors, announcements, raffles, etc. and keep it going right up to the final bell. Most events I have seen have peaks and valleys and more valleys than peaks. The best events peak throughout. This requires thought, planning, delegation and care. It will be worth it.

Here's a few optional thoughts:

• It is a great idea to filter people through an introduction area. You might even then get their information including company, name, email, etc. for follow up. It is also a great idea to have name tags so people can network with each other more effectively, or communicate more effectively. If you do this, it must be able to handle the flow of people so that there isn't a line. Nobody likes waiting in line and especially to just get in to your event.
• Another great idea is to filter people through an exit area. This is a perfect time to give them some of your materials, handouts, parting gifts, etc. and to quickly thank them for taking the time to come to your event.
• Having your people in full force and mingling throughout the crowd is important and will help the event perhaps be more effective for you. Your people can make sure things are flowing and that people are having a good time and answering any questions that they may have, such as where the bathroom is, etc. Speaking of bathrooms, make sure that is covered in such a way as people can be comfortable.
• Have lots of good drinks available and ideally in several areas so people can partake as they desire.
• Usually, the longer they stay, the more opportunity you have, so a boring event or poorly run event will cause people to leave quickly, whereas a well run event, people stay sometimes throughout the time.
• Lunch time is a very good time where people can legitimately leave their work for a time during the week. 11am to 2pm is a good window of time. That's three hours to stay at peak performance and serving food the whole time, or you could state that food will be served from 11:30am to 1pm while the whole event is 11am to 2pm, although, I think having food the entire event time is best. Many times when the food goes, so do the people and then your event will fizzle from there.
• Make sure there is adequate and effective parking. You might even consider a valet service or if it is a large event a shuttle of some kind.
• Weekend events would be best only for general public things and you will need a strong draw. For businesses, I think the weekday is best and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days of the week from my experience.
• Breakfast events are much harder to do well. Dinner events are great too, but they will require a bit more budget and more entertainment and other unique draws.
• Have vendors please stay to the end. As soon as they start packing, the event is over. Keep it full on start to end.
• Partner with others when you can. One commercial truck dealership partnered with a Lowe's Home Improvement store and used their parking lot a half a block from the dealership. This allowed Lowe's people to have give aways, and supply vendors for some associated items and to be an effective partner. That worked really well and they usually have a great event there.
• Follow up and follow through. Send thank you's to all vendors and partners and your own team members for their help and their valuable time and skills. Follow through with quotes and other activities that you created at the event.

Good events require good planning, attention to detail, and orderly execution, along with a team assigned to the various tasks necessary. This is an old adage, but ever true: If you're going to do it, do it well. I hope some of this may be helpful and I wish that your next event is the best event!