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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 947
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I start the day in a clean truck and drive into the oil field to work on pump jacks. When I get back the truck is covered in mud and the wipers did little more than smear the muck. Who really thinks that the mud stuck to the truck because I'm an incompetent electrician?
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 8
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You guys have some strong arguments here.
Having a nice vehicle does make a better impression, but what you roll up in does in no way reflect the quality of the work.
I am pressed for money, as the price I paid for the van suggests.
Nonetheless, I appreciate the comments!
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 206
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twh, I'd stop at the car wash on the way home and charge the boss for making his truck look good again. I have to agree with NJ Wireman & LK a neat clean truck does make a good first impression.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 886
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...but what you roll up in does in no way reflect the quality of the work.
Please. Maybe it doesn't reflect the quality of your work but it certainly does say something about your financial status. If you are strapped for cash you don't need a rolling billboard that advertises that fact. Most customers assume their contractors are, at minimum, financially fit and reputable.
If you can't afford more than a $25, forty year old junker they are going to worry that the supply house is going to lien their property because you didn't pay for the materials or that they will never see you again after they give you a deposit.
-Hal
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 19
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I think it is absolutely disgusting that people think what a person drives means anything at all.
The sister in law just got a job at a winery. Finally all that money and time to get a degree in Microbiology will pay off for her. Before she moved she really wanted to get a new vehicle to replace here beater of a 80 something Chevy Cavalier. I laughed at her and told her if she thought anyone cared what she drove she was shallow and off her rocker. Guess I'm wrong and in the minority.
When I see a guy pull up in $60,000 of brand new shiny lifted truck with all the goodies I don't think right off the bat he's a good electrician. I just know what my money is going to.
When I see someone pull up in a beater I don't assume he's a hack. Rather I identify with not having the money or wanting to spend the money on something that will be beat-up during the course of a hard lifetime of work.
My work truck is a rotting 1991 F350 with a walk in steel utility bed. It is starting to look pretty bad and beat up. My clothes get dirty at work and so do I. Sometimes my hair and beard get a little scraggly during a stressful week at work. Who do you think customers specifically request come to their home or business when they call my boss? Yeah...they ask for me. A persons actions and words are the only thing that count. Keep in mind that one alone means nothing, actions AND words.
The things a person has or wears also bear no statement about their financial status. Some of the grubbiest uneducated yet hardest working people I know are millionaires. I would have never known. This 72 year old man has nothing. Drives a beater his equipment is old but maintained and yet he owns and operates the largest excavating company in his area. Pulls in millions of dollars, lives in a tiny home and owns no toys, does most of the work himself, go figure.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 886
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Things like what people drive, how they choose to live as well as how they dress and groom themselves say volumes about their lives and their mentality.
Like it or not you are judged by these appearances and unfortunately this concept has fallen by the wayside with some of the current generation who think stereotyping is a dirty word. Maybe so, but human nature is hard to change.
Bottom line is that no matter how policically incorrect you may think it is, if you look like a slob, a deadbeat or whatever the stigma is attached and you can have a hard time shaking it.
Some of the grubbiest uneducated yet hardest working people I know are millionaires. I would have never known. This 72 year old man has nothing. Drives a beater his equipment is old but maintained and yet he owns and operates the largest excavating company in his area. Pulls in millions of dollars, lives in a tiny home and owns no toys, does most of the work himself, go figure.
It's not hard to figure. What do appearances say here? He may have millions but what kind of life do you think this guy has? I hope he has family to leave all his money to.
-Hal
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
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What type of auto you drive, old or new is a personal decision, but when you are in business, your decision may cost you money, there are many choices for a contractor today, and a service truck must provide good access to storage, and be kept clean and neat, the Sprinter has the access and storage area, it is not a toy but a good service truck and investment.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 886
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True story that comes to mind. I know we are not necessarily talking about dress here but this is a good example. A 20 something girl I know was educated as a legal secretary and she knows her stuff. She lands a good job with a large law firm. Law firms tend to have somewhat traditional views as far as dress goes, business attire is the norm although there is no formal dress code in this firm. 20 something comes to work in skintight hip- hugger slacks with her thong showing and sometimes a top that shows her belly. On dress down day it was even better- cutoffs that showed her butt cheeks. She was asked many times to "tone it down" but she refused saying she has a right to dress the way she wants and it's a matter of self expression. Needless to say her georgeous butt was out the door in short order. She now works for my wife's construction company for about half the pay. They have the same objection to her "self expression" and the only reason she stays is because she is a good worker. Needless to say she is not allowed to go to any job sites. -Hal
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 914
OP
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Tom
Shinnston, WV USA
Posts: 1,044
Joined: January 2001
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