alltex

$30.00 a day for commuting? ^$*# that ^&$%*&$... I drive a diesel, only have a 4,2 mile drive to the shop. 4.8 mile drive home (bar is 4 blocks past my house). I don't even get on a highway. 2 left turns I'm at work. It's good to be the boss...

$3.69 dallas

My policy is never bite the hand that feeds you. The national service work we do is great fill work. The last thing I would do is try and rip them off. I work for 2 different nationals, for the same customer. One has certain parts and the other has their maintenance parts. All my employees sign a no compete clause. They are not to take or find side sign jobs while working for me.

Good luck, that seems to be a tall order to fill... I guess he didn't have insurance on his signs...

Ron Paul dropped out this afternoon. I am a fan of his as well.

I watched it. My favorite part was when no one cried. And the part where Fastsigns needs to train their franchisers how to install signs (other than banners). They all seemed like nice people. Being in the same town as their headquarters. I know a few people who work for corporate Fastsigns. I heard through the grapevine, they weren't (employees) to happy about the money give away.

My ass is always sore. I would use French Fry grease to run my fleet...I just can't eat enough of them... Soon it won't matter how much money you have. The govt will find a way to take it all.

$3.88 in Dallas area. If we paid $7.00 for a gallon of fuel in lieu of health insurance. Our govt would still screw us.

I like turtles...

Rim-shot...That's all I got.

It's all based on cash flow, and uncertainty in this business climate. I don't blame distributors for keeping their shelves not fully stocked. One of my best friends sells oil/lubricants in the Dallas market. We were discussing last night, how his sales have just dried up. Some proposed expansions have been put on hold. Downsizing and consolidating locations is happening. Everyone is trying to run lean. I still want a new service truck/crane. I'm going to wait to see how this election plays out. Hopefully we'll get a more pro business attitude in DC. It sure seems doubtful, but one can only wish and vote.

"You would think there would be more interest in busting the people who are doing wrong in the first place, like not licensed activity and not the people who have gone through the proper channel and not bust those that make a slight unintended omission. Obviously poor spending of our governments means fit the bill elsewhere. Most of the time if there's money to be made in enforcing an issue, some look to make money making it known. Such is the revolving door." re Erik Agreed 100% Erik.

I think for me, when diesel goes over $4.20, that's when I have to get more money. My best guess is my trucks average 7mpg. When they're parked in work mode probably close to the same (if you count running the Miller for tools or welding). Regular daily average for fuel consumption for me per truck is 20-30 gallons. So a 5 cent per gallon increase works out to $1.50. That would be insane to add to a bill IMO. Now if it hits $5.00 a gallon, that's $24.00 more a day. I already add for fuel for jobs past 50 miles. I use my 7mpg and add the additional fuel cost on the quote. I guess the trick is to set a flat rate, where we win some and lose some. So it all averages out, and our customers are treated fairly. So, I haven't answered the original question. Now I am confused how to proceed. So I will rely on my standard operating procedure, and wing it.

We've discussed it. How do ya'll plan on implementing the rate or charge? What rate are you going to add?

D&B had its place, once upon a time....Before the computers took over mankind...They get no money from me, but they do call and want me to join.

$3.94

Going to have to agree with you Jim, but.... It was a blast meeting everyone! I saw a few things (trucks) I liked. Saw some old acquaintances, and got to jack with them! The National meeting on Friday night, has basically covered the wife's and my trip cost! Anyone who talks smack about K Girl... Well, F em. I really enjoyed the trip/show/drinking/fishing experience. Will have to do the Ghost tour next time around with ya'll.

So did ya'll see or hear anything? I dig watching Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures on the tube. I think an area 51 trip would be cool to do in Vegas.

We survived...Thank God the bar was open! Haven't got any emergency calls yet. We got much needed rain, and I believe no deaths from the storms. It is truly amazing between social media and cable TV, how many ;customers, vendors, friends, and family contacted me yesterday. Made me feel semi important. :)

Chub, i found it...Guess I'm not awake yet.

Chub, where's the link to the site?

Mark, I ran sales for years, as well as being as salesman in the electric sign biz. IMO a fixed 10% doesn't give you the flexibility in your pricing. A lot of factors come into play. For instance, how much support is needed for your salesperson? Are they clogging up the graphics folks with excessive drawings? Are they putting enough time in the job to handle their customers? Are they out in the field peddling for business, or are you supplying leads from your advertisements? I still sell, and run the company. IMO no salesperson should ever get a base salary after 3 months. At 3 months, either they are going to make money, or they won't. Salespeople get paid when I get paid. When I get a 50% deposit, they get 50% of their commission. When I collect the balance, they get their balance. For a salesperson to be successful with me, they need to put the time in, 40+ hrs a week. They need to be able to look at a sign location as an installer.They need to understand fabrication, and city codes. They need to be out of the office and selling signs 50% of the time. They need to handle their business with nominal company support. If they meet this criteria, here's what I believe is fair compensation. $600 a month car allowance, company phone, Health care, paid holidays, and vacation (based on their yearly income level). 10% commission = selling the job at company standard pricing, with all mark ups at full ratio. When the price drops, so does the commission percentage. For salespeople who need a lot of office support 8% at full pricing. Then drop rate as price falls.

I would never join a club that would have me as a member..Groucho Marx I had an interesting conversation with our main supplier yesterday. The local top brass stopped by to say "Hi and Thanks". Of course we discussed the trade show, and the new products.. We got on the subject of the sign associations. Believe it or not, they feel pretty much the same, as the small sign shops like me do. Even at the State level, the politics/policies are set to cater to the large shops. This will never change. I personally don't care, they don't get my money. I will continue to plug along in my ignorant bliss. However, if it wasn't for the associations. We would not have great sign shows to attend. They say, "You can't fight city hall". But you can sure give them hell.

Are they outdoor/wet listed? Are they only good for a retro fit? Or can the be installed in a new cabinet without all the T8 components? I'm working up a quote for (x100-200) 2'x2' single sided light boxes. Would be interested if they,or another product you have can work for that application.

That does look impressive (crane). An auger is out of the question for me. Too much rock around here. Plus I don't want to deal with hauling off the dirt. I'm not sure why everyone is trying to keep their trucks under CDL. Class A isn't that hard to get.