Pavement Contractors - Here's an Inexpensive Way to Add More Services

Are you a pavement maintenance contractor who only sealcoats? Have you ever thought about striping, hot crack filling, or installing parking lot safety devices and signage? These services go hand in hand with sealcoating and paving, and can be easily added to your services. You've probably been asked to provide an estimate for some of these things and (if you don't offer them), have opened your potential customer up to going with a company that can do it all.

It takes less than you think to get into the game, this is all you need to get started:

Striping - For a little over a thousand dollars, you can buy a line striper that puts down crisp, clean lines. These entry level stripers are light weight and perfect for smaller lots.

Hot Rubberized Crack Filling - Stationary 10 gal. melters can be purchased for around $600 and could be used with a pour pot ($100), as a low cost way to offer hot crack filling. MA-10 Melters are the most popular melters and go for under $1,000. Cracks over 1/4" should be filled before sealing; offer crack filling and you just increased your potential profit.

Parking Lot Safety Devices - Installing wheel stops, speed bumps or speed humps, is as easy as it gets, especially with the lightweight recycled rubber products that have become popular. All you need for installation is a sledge hammer or hammer drill. There are a lot of concrete wheel stops out there falling apart, offer to replace them with rubber.

Signage - Many businesses aren't up to code with their signage. Depending on where the sign needs to go, you may only need a sledge hammer and a drive cap or a post driver, to get the post in the ground. Attaching the sign is easy.

If you only offer one service, you're leaving money on the table. Customers don't want to hire multiple contractors to handle related services; get in the game and stop sending customers to your competitors.

 

Looking for the equipment and supplies mentioned in this post? Shop NAC Supply, Inc.

5 Important Things for Seasonal Business Owners to Do This Winter

For seasonal business owners, the off-season provides a nice break from the hectic day to day race to make as much as you can before your season's over. But it also serves as the perfect time to plan for next season.

Here are 5 tips to help you make better use of the off-season:

1. Take advantage of free Internet listings 

Free Internet listings are available on many local business review sites, like Yelp, Merchant Circle, City Search and Manta. Start by doing a Google search on your business, just type in your company name and zip code and see what comes up. If you haven't already done this, you will probably see very basic listings without descriptions, links to your website or photos. Click on each of the search results that have you listed and you will probably see a link that says "Claim This Listing", click on it and get your business listing up to date with all of the great info customers will be looking for.

2. Research upcoming purchases

Our biggest company purchases can be our most impulsive. When you're buying a new vehicle or replacing/adding equipment, you need to take your time to make a solid choice. The more time you have to do research, the better you’ll feel about your decision. You can also get good off-season deals on specialized equipment from companies looking to sell older inventory. When the season’s over, many dealers lower prices to reduce inventory.

3. Keep in touch with your suppliers

Do you have a relationship with your suppliers? If not, now is the time to form one. It's a good idea to keep on top of what's going on in your industry and vendors should have some insight that you don't. They'll usually be happy to tell you what's new with their company, where prices may be in the upcoming season and how they can help your company. Good vendors know that if they can give you ideas that will help your business run more efficiently, it helps them too. Do you ever find yourself saying "I didn't know they had that" after finding out about a product they carry? You may be surprised to find out that the suppliers you already work with carry items that you will be looking for in the coming season, spend some time getting to know what they offer and how they can help you get where you want to go.

4. Review your pricing 

Did you make money last year? If not, you need to find out where you're falling short-- take a hard look. Can you cut costs somewhere without hurting your product? If you can't cut costs, you have to raise prices. If you start every season with little cash flow, you're not making enough money. it's hard raising prices, we all worry about losing customers, but you will be better off with more profit on less customers. Work on perfecting customer interaction and show them why they can feel good about spending a little more with you.

5. Come up with a written plan for the upcoming season 

It doesn't have to be anything formal, just a simple list of things you want to accomplish in the upcoming season. List sales goals, personal improvement goals, advertising plans (where, how much, how often), hiring plans, equipment you would like to purchase, etc.. We have all been inspired to set goals or make resolutions, only to forget about them a few weeks later. Give your list a quick read as often as you can, it will help keep you on the track to accomplish the important goals you came up with when you had the time to think clearly.

Take the time to work on your business this winter. Once the season starts, you won't have the time to look at the big picture. If you want to build your business, you need to work year-round to make it happen!

Why Can’t Sealcoaters Get Paid What They’re Worth?

Everything goes up in price as the years go by - right? Not everything, the average price to sealcoat a 700 sq.ft. driveway has decreased by 45% over the last 20 years. Depending on which side of the coin you’re on, this is either good or very bad news. How can this be? Everything involved in running a sealcoating business has increased since 1992. Here’s a look at a few of the increases:

• Labor costs have increased by 70%
• Sealer price per gallon has increased by 115%
• The price of gasoline has increased by 230%
• Insurance costs have more than doubled

Residential sealcoating contractors are afraid to raise prices, for fear of losing their customers to competitors that don’t raise their price. This is a good assumption, because there’s always someone willing to skimp on the job for less money.  Some of these companies don’t have any overhead and in a lot of cases, they don’t even have a company. Good luck finding them if something goes wrong - once they’re paid, they’re gone. You usually get the job you pay for; if you go with the lowest price, you’ll probably get the most diluted material. Sealer is water based; the more water you add to it, the less it costs the contractor per gallon.

The price to sealcoat a driveway has to go up.  When the contractor that you have been happy with for the last 10 years raises his price, understand that this increase is necessary for them to do an honest job. Customer loyalty seems to be dwindling; let’s get back to rewarding honest contractors, your driveway will notice the difference.

 Contractors, check out my article on the same subject as it appeared on Paveman Pro.com Why Aren't Sealcoaters Getting Paid What They're Worth?

Find a Contractor close to home. In IL.? Click Here

Hot Weather Sealcoating Tips

When the temperature gets into the 90's, certain precautions have to be taken to ensure proper sealer application. Asphalt temperature can reach 150° in hot weather and as soon as the sealer hits it, water in the sealer will quickly evaporate. When curing conditions are compromised, sealer may remain tacky and could cause tracking.

To avoid curing problems in hot weather, you need to either fog the asphalt or add water to your material. To fog, spray a mist of water on the asphalt surface (no puddles), this will cool down the asphalt and allow for proper curing. If you decide to add water to the mix design, make sure you don't add more than 5%. Fogging is the best option, but the addition of water will also work.

Sealcoating Manufacturers base their mix design on average temperatures, but extreme conditions call for adjustments to be made by the Applicator. The ability to make adjustments on a daily basis is necessary throughout the sealcoating season.

For more information on Sealer, Sealer Application or Sealcoating Equipment visit www.nacsupply.com or Call 877-767-4NAC.

Top Question to Ask Your Sealcoating Contractor

Ask this question when getting estimates for sealcoating work, it will help you weed out the contractors that don't care enough to know their business.

What type of sealer do you use?

If they don't know the type, Coal Tar Emulsion or Asphalt Emulsion, then they can't call themselves a professional. Which type they use shouldn't be a deciding factor, but they should know what they use and why. If they do, it will show you that they at least care enough to know sealcoating basics and have a reason behind their choice. To find out more about the difference between Coal Tar and Asphalt Emulsion, check out my last post.

If you're a Sealcoating Contractor and don't know what you're using, it's not too late to dedicate yourself to your craft. Your Customers deserve to know what they're paying for, ask your supplier for information to help you become a better contractor. Here are a few places to start,

NAC Supply Resources, GemSeal Resource Center.  

Flawed Studies Attack Refined Coal Tar Sealers

With the recent attacks on Refined Coal Tar (RCT), more sealcoaters and homeowners are looking into Asphalt Emulsion Sealers (AE). There are some big differences between the two and while Sealer Manufacturers are making strides in offering a more stable AE Sealer, the fact remains that Asphalt Emulsion sealers can't compete with Refined Coal Tar Sealers on durability, appearance and consistency.

Refined Coal Tar Sealers. Refined Coal Tar based sealers are more durable and last longer than Asphalt Emulsion Sealers. They retain color better and are resistant to gasoline, oil, UV fading and road salts. RCT sealers are more forgiving, curing more readily in lower temperatures and humidity. RCT Sealers meet or exceed specification ASTM D 5727, making them similar to other RCT Sealers.

Asphalt Emulsion Sealers. Asphalt Emulsion sealers have less odor and potential for pitch burn to the Applicator, but there are no specifications for AE Sealers, making them less predictable and harder for the contractor to control.

If you're considering a switch based on recent articles, keep in mind that the USGS studies in Austin have been proven flawed and none of the cities that have banned coal tar have done their own studies. There has never been a documented case of cancer resulting from the use of Refined Coal Tar Sealers. RCT Sealers are unjustly confused in the USGS studies with Crude Coal Tar - it's not the same material.

Some AE Sealers are better than others, so make sure you check out the manufacturing process and if you're concerned enough to switch, you need to stay within the limitations of the manufacturer mix design and weather conditions. It's a good idea to be upfront with customers in regards to the limitations of Asphalt Emulsion, if your customer is expecting the same results as with Refined Coal Tar Sealers, they'll be disappointed.

More information on Sealer Ban: Science...and Fiction

Spray or Squeegee?

The answer to which application process is better, spray or squeegee is -  it depends. There are reputable companies that use both processes or one or the other, but the condition of the asphalt should play a part in the decision. Up near the house and next to sidewalks, an edging brush should be used to avoid over-spray. The larger open areas are where the applicator has to make a decision on which process to use.

Over-sealed surfaces can benefit from a spray application - the applicator can leave a thicker coat than with a squeegee. When using a squeegee on a smooth surface with very few voids to accept the sealer, the squeegee leaves very little sealer. The right spray technique can leave a better coat of sealer.

Porous surfaces will always cover well when sealer is hand applied, but can suffer if too light a coat is applied by spray. With spraying there are more variables that come into play, spray tip size and spray wand speed determine how thick the sealer goes on. 

Professional sealcoaters can achieve great results with both processes. Hire a reputable contractor and trust them to use the process that works best for your driveway.

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