RentalMetrics 60 Second Grill - Episode 003
In this episode, we get to gnaw on some serious RedMeat. We're talking about continued investment in training and throwing around meat metaphors galore. Your mouth will water.
RentalMetrics...red meat for heroes that rent iron and move dirt.
RentalMetrics is the "in-sourced" management
consulting firm for the construction equipment rental sector. We're
headquartered in the heartland of America too. Please browse through our site
to gain some insight on how we think, what we do, and what makes us passionate
(some say obsessive) about extracting every last drop of efficiency from your
operations.
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August 2008
Enterprise Confessions: Removing the Fluff from the Selling & Buying Process
When I wrote "Confessions of an Ex-Enterprise Salesperson: What I Really Meant When I Said _________________" I didn't realize how universally the book could be applied across industries.
Of course since RentalMetrics is focused on the Construction and Equipment Rental sectors, early feedback there was very positive. Today Construction News has put out the news to the world that the book is still available at NO CHARGE.
The book is a brief journey into what you might expect a salesperson to say when trying to separate your business from hard earned profits. "Confessions" goes onto to provide the counter punch so you can ensure that expectations are clear and reality is the number one item on the agenda.
If you'd like the book you can find a download link to the right in the sidebar or simply enter your name and email in the boxes below and you'll receive it almost immediately. If you have any questions or comments about the book, please let us know.
Technology: Killing the small farm and helping large operations produce maximum yields
Image via Wikipedia
Whatever your opinion on "big farming" pushing small firms into obscurity...know this. Today's large farming operation is very advanced. This piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel written by Rick Barrett discusses some of the advances that have really produced incredible yields from the same areas.
"It's apparent how successful technology is in farming today, as we are producing more every year with fewer farmers," said Tamara Kass, director of agricultural products for DTN.
For example, in 1997 the national average corn yield per acre was 128 bushels. Seven years later it was up to 160 bushels. And milk production has increased 18% per cow over the last 10 years.
Click through to the article and read the cool tidbits in the right sidebar! Here's a hit, I bet you didn't know that they can identify weeds via infrared now did you! Click it!
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RentalMetrics 60 Second Grill - Episode 002
We're cooking up a serious side dish today with some French flair that would make the perfect accompaniment to a huge hunk of bovine goodness (ie STEAK!). So bring it on, click play, and prepare for a treat.
Cresco Equipment Rentals Leverages Online Video Commercials and Gains National Exposure
I'm impressed at the use of video for an online commercial for Cresco Equipment Rental. This nice article appeared in the WSJ online on the 11th of August. The piece talks about how businesses are leveraging video to get their messages out without the glitz and glamor of a "TV type production" that blows the marketing budget for the year in one little video shoot.
These programs offer "small businesses a way to capture their target audience...on a larger scale and at a cheaper price," says Josh Martin, a vice president and director of emerging media for New York-based ID Media, a member of Interpublic Group of Cos. "Video commercials offer a compelling way to engage consumers."
Take a look for yourself. We agree that using what we call "good enough" production values are key to rising above the chaff...without breaking the bank. We live by mantra as witnessed by our "Get to know us" in the upper right sidebar and through our 60 Second Grill series.
FleetOwner on Twitter
The folks over at FleetOwner have just announced that they're using Twitter to spread news and information on the sector. Their Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/fleetowner
If you are wondering what the heck Twitter is, just consider it a "micro blogging - social networking" platform that more and more business are using to connect. Sure there's a bunch of "I just ate a burrito" posts out there, but there is a great purpose at work here and filtering through the noise is doable.
Since RentalMetrics is nearer to the bleeding edge of technology and social media connectivity as it applies to the heavy equipment rental/construction sectors...we are happy to be joined by another convert!
LoJack offers LoCate...adding geolocation to theft prevention
Here's a quote found on RER's website.
LoJack introduces a new comprehensive solution for fleet managers that layers asset management capabilities on top of the company’s stolen vehicle recovery system. LoCate + LoJack features the company’s easy-to-use and straightforward asset management system, which is based on GPS technology.
Leveraging an already interested audience with a technology that is desired by nearly everyone in the business is smart. I would have like to have seen this YEARS ago but hey, things take time.
Innovate!
Change: It’s been happening on since the beginning of time. Still, doesn’t it seem surprising when the economy takes a little dip, a new competitor moves down the block, or a market dries up and completely disappears?
In a world that is becoming less hierarchical and more fluid, flexibility is a must. Consider the great innovators of the past 150 years; most of them have taken a general-use item or idea and added a new twist. John Deere took a standard plow and made it self-scouring, Edison took the idea behind telegraph and innovated the phonograph. Bill Gates didn’t invent the PC, but found a way to expand the software business beyond even his own expectations.
Think about your place in the construction sector, do you really need to follow the feast-or-famine cycle of the industry, or is there a way to innovate and break out of the mold?
