The Fence Guy on Wheels

What YOUR Favorite

2010-12-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

Most people buy privacy fence for security for loved ones and to make a kind of private backyard retreat. What ever the reason is there is a style of fence that will fit your need and budget.

Friends have asked, “What is my favorite privacy fence? I have four privacy fences that I feel comfortable selling to anyone who wants the best. They are the CertaGrain fence from Bufftech or the Lexington fence from Bufftech. Also there is the Simtek Stone looking fence and the EcoStone stone looking fence from Simtek.

The CertaGrain fence is a PVC fence with a wood-grain look. It come is a number of colors: Colonial White, Natural Clay Autumn Brown, Sierra Blend, Arbor Blend, Arctic Blend, Weathered and has a life time warranty. There are no brackets to attach the fence to the posts and they are made of reinforced 7/8 thick inch tongue and groove 6 inch pickets.

I will share the next favorite privacy fence in my next blog.

Jon, “You Fence Man on Wheels
e-mail jon@summitfencesupply.com

Power Please

2010-12-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Jon, "Fence man on Wheels" is how I want people to remember my name. I have been in a power wheelchair for 15 years and still run my own business. Funny thing is my chair sometime breaks down which it did 5 weeks ago. I realized over again how much I depend on technology to run my life and my business.

It took 5 weeks to get the parts to fix my chair. I sure hope no customer of mine ever has to wait that long to get a part from SummitFenceSupply.com. The taste that it left in my mouth about the company in which I paid thousands of dollars to get this chair makes me certain that no customer of mine will ever have to wait more than a week for a part.

Fortunately, I have lap tops and mini computer to stay connected with the world of the Internet and so I do not miss a beat when it comes to running www.summitfencesupply.com

So this is Jon, “Your Fence man on Wheel” (and now power…) saying thank you Lord that the parts came in and independence is restored. I even went to Starbucks and had my mocha fix.

Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply, llc
888.856.0551

Aluminum Fence Makes the Difference

2010-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Aluminum Fence comes in Residential, Commercial, Light Industrial and Industrial. Here is a project just completed on Richmond Road in Cleveland Ohio. I am so glad that the condo association went with the commercial grade over the residential grade. It looks so much stronger by the concrete columns. Tell me what you think.

If you need assistance with you next fence project give me a call or email me and I will be glad to assist you.

Jon "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
www.SummitFenceSupply.com
Toll Free: 888.856.0551

Melancholy Monday

2010-08-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I had to put my dog Daisy down and it has really put me in a melancholy mood. It is hard to believe that we had that little rascel of 15 years. Dogs are funny in the way they become part of your family. She would do anything in her power to please us and truly was my best friend.

bye old friend

In my business relationships I have also met some great people. Dick Fromm from Elite has been a friend for over 20 years. Bill McKinsey who worked for another aluminum company used to call me JMully.com. We had great talks about cruises and life as well as our business. Jeff Duerr is a good friend from Bufftech. We have laughed together and discussed who has the best football team between the Bills and the Browns. It has been really a stretch for quite some time.

This past week my wife and I had supper with Ted Nelson and his lovely wife Joan from Simtek Fence. Even though I have been talking on the phone with Ted for about 2 years, meeting him and having supper with him as great. (thanks for buying Ted) :-)

Life comes and goes. I am richer today because of the friends I have made both the human kind and the canine kind.

Summit Sports Equipment. com

2010-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are proud to open our new sport equipment website. Finally a one stop online store that caters to the sport enthusiast. Summit Sports Equipment is new but the products we carry are from one of the leading sports companies manufacturing high quality Basketball hoops and much more. The other great aspect of this new shop is that all of our products are made in the USA. SummitSportsEquipment.com. "Get ready for the game" no matter if your game is basketball, football, soccer, volleyball and much more.

Sure hope you enjoy the site.

Jon Mullender
President of Summit Fence Supply.
any question or reviews contact me at
jon@summitsportsequipment.com

This Lights My Fire What About You

2010-06-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

I was reading Isaiah 6: 1 this morning and was hit with the thought that Isaiah saw Jesus. Wow!!! I get so caught up in business and work, family and activities of the day that I forget what it is all about. Someday, I will see Jesus in all his glory. Now that is a way to start the day at 5:48.

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

New Concept in Privacy Fence

2010-05-12T17:50:00.001-07:00

Jon Mullender wrote:

People are starting to order their Stone like privacy fence from us as never before. They are beginning to see it all over the country. Clarence in NY told me today, “I have had so many people stop by while I am installing the fence that I should get a commission. They want to know all about it.” He also said this was the easiest fence to install.

In a nutshell this is all one has to do.

Run a string line to show where you want the bottom of the fence to run.
Screw in the Bracket that the fence section sits on.
Add another post.
Slide the fence section down from the top in the grooves on each post.
Line up the bottom to the string line.
Repeat the process.

If you want a more quiet back yard, if you want a strong privacy fence or if you like the idea of a stone like fence instead of a vinyl looking fence we have the answer. Simtek stone like fence!

See more installation videos at www.summitfencesupply.com/install-simtek.php.

Call me or send me you layout and I will be happy to assist you in choosing the right Privacy fence.

Jon, Your Fence Man on Wheels

http://www.summitfencesupply.com/

First Pitch Then Play Ball

2010-04-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

How many people get to throw out the first pitch of the year at a professional baseball statium. My son did this last week. He is my star and has always been.

Tim, is my 26 year old only son who said, Dad I entered a contest to be the first to use the new Fan Cave at Progressive Park in Cleveland. Well have fun I said and I hope you do well. He had to compete against people in a WII game and see if he could make it to the finals. He call me after the first night and said he didn't think he did that well but it turned out a few days later he was invited for the finals.

I told him I would go with him for the finals but his text message said, "He would be too nervous." I certainly understood that and said, "Have Fun!" A few hours later he called and said he had won the contest and take Monday off to go the ball game.

We had a great time! He throw a ball over the plate or real close from the pitchers mound and got to see Rockin Robert up close.

I love my son and am proud of him always. He truly is my son, my son... My only son... I love you my boy.

Quitting is Not an Option

2010-04-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

Never Quit or you will get in the habit of quitting. I have a new sign that stares at me as I work each day…. “QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!

I have been working long hours doing what I love to do. I feel like Job, from the Bible, where everyone said, “Just Quit!” Every goal a person really believes in and works toward better be one that you will do anything necessary to accomplish because once you start there is no turning around. I have quit on diets, exercise programs, cleaning the office, washing the car, doing laundry, I even quit a job. Never remember doing that before so I understand the anatomy of quitting.

It is hard to continue when the going gets so hard that laying in bed in the fetal position is the desire of your heart, or doing the mundane activities that have to be done day after day in order to see the other side of the mountain. The excuses I can come up with as to why not to keep going are like the sands of the sea.

Fortunately, I now have the words posted in front of me. Quitting is not an option! Then if the things I desire and have written down fall into that catagory there is no way of quitting. The best way I have learned to do things is to make a habit of the activities that will take me closer to my goals.

Example: If I want to loose weight I have to do certain activities. Drink water, eat breakfast, and exercise some. And schedule those activities into my calendar.

I remember how hard it was to read the Bible in a year. I would start every year and get as far as Numbers or Deuteronomy and then just quit! For years the same thing happened. Until someone said to read through the Bible in a year just read 4 chapters a day it would get done. That was doable! Then I learned that if you do the hardest thing you have to do first you get it out of the way. It is amazing that once an activity becomes a habit it can be accomplished. I now not only read my Bible every year but have a ritual of doing it daily. I truly enjoy reading and learning so much that it has become a high-light of my day and it is the first thing I do each day with a cup of coffee.

“QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!” has now becoming my mantra.

Jon
http://www.summitfencesupply.com/

She Looks So Good

2010-02-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

What a mom I have. 83 years old and still going strong.

I like to say I would be nothing without her. All the hours we spent in hospitals, Dr's offices, Therapy at home at home or elsewhere. She was and is a star of hope to me and many others. Love you mom!!!

Day 15: Knowing is the Key…. Pad

2010-01-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

Which keypad is right for your driveway gate or access door? Let’s look at 4 units to begin our series on entry controls.

Before you purchase a keypad you need to plan and decide which one will be the right one for your application.

Here are some beginning questions:

What are you using the keypad for? Is it for a gate or a door? Is it for residential or commercial use?
How many pre-approved access users do you want to be able to use the keypad?
Do you need to communicate to the people at the gate or door to decide if you want them to be allowed to enter?
What kind of power is supplied at the gate? (None, Residential voltage or commercial voltage or solar)
Where are you going to mount the key pad?
How deep is your driving lane?
Does the key pad have to be lite for night use or is the area lite by a street light?
Do you need to keep a record of who is coming and going?
Does the equipment need to be vandal resistant.

With your answers in hand finding the right keypad for your use will be a snap. One of the simplest key pads is the American Access System’s Advantage DKE Economy Keypad. This is one of the most inexpensive keypad on the market and yet it has a number of great features.

Runs on 12-24 VAC or VDC,
It has a night light,
It has enough capacity for 100 - 4 digit codes (which is more people than I know on face book).
It has a programmable master code and a non-volatile (EEPROM) Electronically Erasable PROgrammable Memory, which means if it looses its power the codes will not be lost.
Made in the USA
This unit will not allow for communication to the house or building however.

The next keypad we are looking at is the American Access Systems Advantage DK. It is perfect the businesses that have lots of people coming and going because of its 1000 - 4 digit capacity. This unit can also be ordered with an intercom so that you can speak to a person at a desk or door. One push from button on the intercom and the gate will release and allow the party access.

Here are some other features available with the Advantage DK:

Programmable sleep code so you can set it not to activate at contains times of the day or night.
3 strikes and you’re out which stops unwanted people from standing at your gate or door and play with combinations. If they do it more than 3 times they will not be allowed to enter.
Audible tone for programming
Optional clandestine pinhole camera is available.
Post mount option or night flush mount.
Vandal resistant
LED indicators for programming and status
This unit also includes the EEPROM.
Made in the USA

The third family of keypads is the DKLP family. These keypads are perfect for solar power. These Keypads are certainly GREEN because they use under 20uA power consumption. If you live on a farm or far way from a power supply this unit may be just the option you are looking for. It comes with flush mount single gang, post mount or intercom availability. You do have to run a wire for the intercom to work however.

Features of the Advantage DKLP

Solar friendly
50 – 4 digit code capacity
Programmable master code
Audible tone
Non volatile memory EEPROM
Vandal resistant
Made in the USA

Let’s say that you need a wireless keypad. Kevin Downing of American Access System states with the use of a receiver and transmitter which is a part of the Advantage DKW.

The Advantage DKW is the perfect solution where trenching is not an option. It has a range of 50” to the Keypad receiver. It also can be solar powered however it does use a 9 volt snap battery.

Features of the Advantage DKW

Solar Friendly
100 – 4 digit code capacity
Programmable master code
Audible tone
Vandal resistant
EEPROM non volatile memory
No digging or trenching necessary

This is just a brief look at the standard keypads that are available on the market. Our next blog will look at an entry systems that keeps track of who is coming and going.

Order your keypad now and take advantage of our 10% off all keypad. Contact us and use the code AD17WV to collect your savings.

Jon, "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
888.856.0551
jon@summitfencesupply.com
www.summitfencesupply.com

Day 14: Lesson’s from a 7 year old.

2010-01-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King Jr. day was a day off from school for my 7 year old grandson. It wasn’t long until grandmother, Tristan, and old grandpa were deep into a never ending game of Monopoly. He had his money all lined up on the side of the table first the 1’s then and 5’s so on down to the 500’s. Oh my, he will make a great business man some day. He started off wheeling and dealing right away. He knew what he wanted and started strong. His old grandpa took the “Kenny Rogers” approached and stacked his money saying to himself, “Never count your money, when you’re sittin’ at the table… There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.”

Hour after hour as those dice hit the table I was reminded that business is about balance. If you extend your capital too far you end up in trouble. If you don’t take calculated risks you will not last. There is luck involved as well but the key lesson is, you don’t have a chance to win if you don’t play.

There are times at Summit Fence Supply where I extend myself to far which causes me great stress and there are times when good products are presented to me and I don’t pull the trigger. I am glad that we play the game of helping our customers each day. We don’t get every project we work on but we play the game with fairness and high quality projects.

Grandma usually wins with her quite, by the book, approach to playing the game.

But Not TODAY!!!

----------------------------

We are offering a FREE copy of Business Principles we picked up from the book of Proverbs. If you would like a free copy click here and enjoy.

Jon Mullender
President of Summit Fence Supply

Email: Jon@summitfencesupply.com

Phone: Toll Free 888.856.0551

Fax: Toll Free 866.841.8023

Day 13: Who is my neighbor?

2010-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

It was 4:00 Thursday afternoon and I and a friend were sitting at Barnes and Nobles coffee shop. She is having her usual Latte and I am having my Grande, extra hot, mocha with no whip (I do the no whip because it makes me feel like it is fat free) We are in total different business worlds but the common thread is that not to much is happening right now. Our conversation quickly went to the disaster in

Haiti

I stayed up last night to hear Night Line on the relief efforts that were taking place only to hear that there was little being done. The commentators kept saying over and over again, “We hope the aid gets there before it is too late.” Hospitals were knocked down, children and adults were turned away from what little care there was. But the thing that got me the most was neighbor assisting neighbor. Neighbors were pouring through rubble to help those still pinned a day after the earthquake. Neighbors were trying to comfort those that lost loved ones and trying to show love and compassion to others in the midst of holocaust. What a testimony to the human spirit.

On my way home I met a young man named Xavier whose car broke down. I don’t pick up kids walking down the road but a neighbor is a neighbor. What a great kid he was! I got to take him to the other side of town to his mother’s house. He asked if he could give me some gas money. I just smiled. We programmed in his address into my GPS and off we went. He had never seen one before… I didn't tell him my sister gave it to me at Christmas time and I didn't know much about it either. Neighbor helping neighbor!

My neighbor knew it was icy on my driveway and came and brought my trash cans in. Another friend shoveled my driveway. Neighbor helping neighbor!

Well tonight as the day comes to a close and I sit in front of the fireplace with my warm blanket I am thinking about a man that came to Jesus and asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus turned to him and told him the story of three men that saw man beaten badly and tossed on the side of the road. Two of his own people walked right on by but the third, a stranger, stopped and bandaged his wounds (like the Haitians treating each other), put him on his donkey (like the Haitian’s had people resting in their car because there was no where else to go), and took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper to care for him…

Who is our neighbor?

So again, here is the link to the Red Cross to donate to our Haitian neighbors.

Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply
jon@summitfencesupply.com

Day 12: It’s not so bad!

2010-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am developing a friendship with Larry Ellis of Ellis Dynamic Solutions. We have been praying for each other on a daily basis. In business it is always good to seek advice from the Creator of the Universe. Larry surprised me today when he said he was praying for something more important than me. I as a gassed thinking that I was moving into second place… Until I read the rest of the email.

“Five times at the computer today and you’re still first in line on the prayer list, but, you’re about to drop from that number 1 spot. The poorest country in the western hemisphere,

Haiti

, has been devastated by a massive earthquake. These poor people have nowhere to go and nowhere to turn (except to our Father). I don’t know how many there are Christian, but I do know how many of them God created, loves, and wants to spend eternity with. They need prayer, genuine heartfelt, emotional prayer. I know your heart, and I know you feel love for these people right now too. Somehow adding myself at the end of this last prayer just didn’t feel like I was in the same class of need. You know what I mean.”

I have no idea what it must be like. I have never been without a roof over my head or food in my stomach. I have never lost someone in nature’s fury. All I know is what I have seen on TV about people in Katrina, or the movies about the San Francisco earthquake.

Maybe business is really designed to be able to assist other. Maybe that is why to him who is given much much will be required.

If you are interested in giving to help the people in

Haiti

, Here is a link to the American Red Cross.

“When you give to the least of these you give to me.” Jesus said.

Jon, "Your fence man on wheels."

President and CEO

jon@summitfencesupply.com

summitfencesupply.com

Day: 11 Learning from the Dolphins

2010-01-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

To be successful in business you have to constantly be thinking. I like to make list of ideas every few days. Just sit and make a list of things I can do to improve the company. Some ideas are worth trying some are not so bright. But the idea is to keep thinking. I think I got the idea a long time ago from Earl Nightingale tape series. “Lead the Field”. My mom had this series on records and I would listen to it over and over again.

Today I was reminded that there is a ton to learn just looking at nature. Watch this video. It will help you see that there are new ways to do your prospecting, presenting, and closings in your business. As I watched the video today I was challenged to get out my pen and start to create. Creativity feed the dolphins. Creativity will help me reach my goal of 735.

Day 10: It is Freezing in Ohio

2010-01-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Winter in Ohio means snow, cold, snow drifts, shoveling along with the warm fires, skiing, snow mobiles and much more.

To honor winter we are offering our snow and beach fence for a limited time for only $40.50 a roll. We know that many people have open areas where drifting snow can make for morning headaches. If they could slow the drifting it would make things a lot smoother in the morning. Cities use snow fence, corporations and so do many home owners.

Our snow fence is 4 foot high and comes in rolls of 50 foot. You can buy as small an amount as one roll, a pallet (9 per pallet) or even a truck which would be 366 rolls.

A common rule of thumb is that snow fence should follow the rule of 35. That is to say that you multiply the height of the fence x 35 and that is how far away you should place your fence barrier.
Since our fence is 4' high you would use this formula 4x35=140 meaning that you would place your snow fence 140' away from your access road or driveway.

You can use metal "T" post to install their fence which makes it easy to install. There are special ties we carry that would allow you to tie up your fence to the posts.

When the sun comes out in spring and the warmth starts to touch your face just roll up the snow fence and put it away until the next snow comes your direction.

So take advantage of this limited time offer by calling me soon at 888.856.0551 for a FREE quote.

Jon, “Your Fence Man on Wheels”
SummitFenceSupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
Call me anytime: 888.856.0551

Day 9: Failure? Not Possible!

2010-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Most start up business fail before 5 years. My dear friend Sage told me once that when you run out of money you have to get a job. I laugh at that because he is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He is speaking all over the country on SEO principles. He runs his own business, Sage Rock, and he does a daily Video Blog. His business is a major part of his life.

I tend to work hard. I love working! I guess that was instilled in me as a child learning to walk after having polio. I would wear those long metal leg braces and would fall at the drop of a hat. That hat might be someone touching me, or a pebble, or a loss of balance. But I remember my mother, my chief advocate, would always say, “One down, two to go!”

Failure? Not possible! That has to be the mindset of every entrepreneur that wants so badly to make a difference. When I feel like quitting I have to STOP!

S – Step back and look at what you are doing. Get out the pad and start writing ideas and it will come to you in time.

T – Trust yourself and your God. You are not alone. You may have to turn over another rock or two to find something that works but you will make it work.

O – Get the Opinions of people you trust. Not negative people but people that have worked where you are now and have gone on to success. The opinion of a mentor, the opinion of your business counselor. Make a list of people you can go to. Take them to lunch and have them help you brainstorm.

P – Press on! When I would fall my mom would pick me up and not coddle me. She would go on with what she was doing. That taught me early in life that, Yes I will fall but stand up and go on.

As this year moves on toward the goal of “735” I know I will make it. Will I fall down? Yes! Business has it up and downs but unless you quit trying and lay down on the ground. Success is just around a corner.

One down, two to go!

Jon, “Your Fence Man on Wheels”

SummitFenceSupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime: 888.856.0551

Day 8: OPM

2010-01-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Money is always tight at the beginning of having a small business. I remember in all my reading about OPM (Others People Money). So over course I went to the bank with the idea that they would be all excited to loan me the money I needed to seed my company. My banker set up an appointment for me to meet with the small business loan manager who asked me a few questions.

How long have I been in business? Answer about 3 days.

How much collateral do you have? Nothing…

It didn’t take long to realize that there was not going to be OPM for this guy at least not until I had been in business for three years. I would need a business plan and I would need to show my successful books.

I would suggest that a person interested in starting a business should do what I didn’t and go to SCORE and get a good counselor before they open the doors of their business.

It is great to start your own business. I love working as I think the business should be run. If a customer needs something I would to have the ability to get it for them.

Day 7: To E-Commerce or Not to E-Commerce, that is the Question

2010-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

There are so many places online that use ecommerce to reach their potential customers. I have been doing e-commerce for years but one thing I found was that if my customers are purchasing fence they want to talk to someone. Fence is a one time experience for most people. It is not likely that they will be buying a fence this year and then buy one in five years just to get the newest and best. So I thought why not make an estimator so they could get an idea of how much it might cost for a vinyl fence before they call.

It seemed logical to me and has worked but now in my constant search for “What is the True Reality” I am wondering if just having an e-commerce store would have been the choice. What really sold me was last night. I am in bed while my wife is at her computer. She made a list for me to go to the drug store to get some vitamins. I wasn’t looking forward to going out today with my list in hand wheeling in the 12 inches of snow to get vitamins! I much rather work then freeze. As I was laying there waiting for sugar plums to dance in my head she calls out and says, “Jon, you don’t have to go to the drug store tomorrow. I ordered the vitamins online.”

I ordered them online! Of course it makes some much sense to me now. I need them both! I need a convenient way to help my customers get an idea of their project will cost and a way to order if they know exactly what they want. So back to the drawing board! My customers are the life blood of Summit Fence Supply. I respect each project as the most important one I have. Serving the right way is an ever changing process. In order to reach the coveted goal of “735” I need to be flexible.

If a customer wants to talk they have our toll free number. If they want to get an idea of what a vinyl fence or an aluminum fence or even a stone like fence will cost they have our estimators and soon if a person wants to order online that to will be available.

What is the True Reality? I love serving others. Call me and see.

Jon, “Your Fence Man on Wheels”

SummitFenceSupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime: 888.856.0551

Day 6: Filling the Funnel is Fun

2010-01-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Sometime the hardest thing I have to do is making prospect calls. I know that I am not alone on this part of the sales machine. I can’t say I love to make the call and have the gate keeper screen me by saying, “And what is this about?” in a very suspicious voice. I know that it is a numbers game and that if I am not making the calls daily my sales will dry up.

I have decided as of today that making the calls is Fun. It is all in the way I approach it. Attitude really is everything. I offer the best products in the country when it comes to fencing material. The key to calling is knowing that my products fill needs that others have.

Here are my steps to making calls.

I don’t waste time because I know who I am calling.
I have a message they would want to hear and if I don’t get the person it was not meant to be.
Every person I call is a VIP. If it is the president of the company or the office hired part time student doing an intern, they have a job to do and they are doing it to the best of their ability.
I don’t keep them on the phone more then a few minutes because I know the message and I know that if a person takes the time out of their busy day it is an honor.
I check off a goal list how many calls I make as to how many I said I was going to do.
I celebrate every day when my task is done.

So if you have a list to call and it means life or death of your company, make the calls but make it fun. Give yourself an M&M or a cup of coffee at the end of your call time. Set a specific time and get-er-done. My friend Brigid says to me all the time, “Done is done!”

Well on the goal to “735” each call could be “The Call”. I wonder if one call will lead to the million dollar sale. I will never know if I don’t fill the funnel each day.

Jon, “Your Fence Man on Wheels”

SummitFenceSupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime: 888.856.0551

Day 5: Help my Unbelief

2010-01-06T05:43:00.000-08:00

Snow is everywhere in Ohio. We may not see green grass for four months only layers of white snow everywhere. I am in the fencing business and if I rested my business on Ohio consumers we would never sell any fence this time of the year. That is why my business focus is the world. If we are going to reach the “735 goal” we have to reach outside of our immediate area and sell fence to people in need everywhere.

We have great products and our mission is to assist people with their fencing needs no matter where they live. If they need a privacy vinyl fence in Florida we are here to assist. If they need an aluminum fence around a pool we have just the ticket. If they have a dog and they need to fence in their back yard… No problemo, we have just the ticket. If someone is frustrated because they have to get out in the rain to open a slide gate we have the gate operator for them so they can push a button in their cars and like magic the gate opens.

When a man brought his only son to Jesus who was suffering from demon possession Jesus told him if he had faith his son would be healed. He replied as many people today do. Yes I have faith, help me to have faith. I love that as a business man because I know that the goal I am working on is doable. It has to be. However, there are times when I feel it is so far away that I will never get there. I have faith… Help my unbelief.

When in doubt… Act as if it were a done deal!

Jon, “Your Fence Man on Wheels”

SummitFenceSupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime: 888.856.0551

Day 4: Setbacks were Expected

2010-01-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was smooth sailing along the goal of 735 until late in the evening. My young webmaster called me to inform me that 10 of my pages were just erased. No problem because I am sure he had a backup of them only to be told, “No, I just erased them.”

Accidents happen and he is a valuable part of my team. I can rebuild what is gone but in every situation there is a learning opportunity. My question to him was, “How do we make sure this doesn’t happen again?” Many CEO’s want to assign blame… I have worked for a couple of those types of people. That is the kiss of death to your employees. The goal is to move beyond blame to not only fix the problem but put in procedures that will make the likelihood of the recurrence unlikely.

I am going to reach my goal of 735 and when I make it I want my people to know I could not have made it without them.

What fun is a journey if you have no one to share it with?

Jon "Your fence man on wheels"

summitfencesupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime at 888.856.0551

PS. My hosting company just called and they backed up my pages on Sunday. Thank you Pete!

Day 3: Fear of Failure oh Blah, Blah, Blah!

2010-01-04T05:07:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about the 735 this morning at 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM and up until 4:00 when I decided I wasn’t going to sleep anymore so I may as well get up and prepared to begin. I know that the fear of failure holds many people back from taking on their personal journeys. I can’t see the end because I am not near there. I visualize what it will look like but it doesn’t mean that I will be able to make it, at least not on my own. There are so many variables between January 4, 2010 and December 31, 2010. There may be sickness along the way… or maybe an unexpected breakdown of equipment. People could let me down or not keep their promises. There are a lot of things to fear if I would choose to let them. However, most of those things will never happen and if I let the thought of them stop me from my personal 735 I can shut off the phones, crawl under the covers and just quit.

But not today! Today I begin with more enthusiasm then I have had in a long time. Any goal can be broken down into small tasks. Before I can get to the 735 I have to get to the 1. It could take minutes or days to reach the first part of my goal but by doing certain things a certain way I will reach 1, then 10, then before I know it 735.

Today I was reading, “If you want to walk on water, You have to get out of the boat” by John Ortberg. He mentioned that we do not go on our journey alone. We need faith to go in the direction we are lead to go. I have a passion to make this journey and so it begins. It is now 8:00 Monday the 4^th of January and we are off.

“Creative achievement depends on single minded immersion”

Starting the 735 Clean!

2010-01-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

Starting a new business year is like getting ready for a road trip. The more organized you are the less you have to struggle to find things on the journey. Day 2 of my journey to 735 began late as I knew I needed to rest before I begin next week. I can see why the Bible was adamant about the Lords Sabbath. I always like Jesus words on the subject. The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.

After watching the Brown's win 4 in a row (Go Brown's) it was time to go into the office and make sure all the material I will need is in order

Desks are cleaned
Goals are set and written down
Charts are in order
Call lists are ready for this week
Day planner is ready with the activities I need to concentrate on First things first
I have plenty of coffee.

My business coach Phil Humbert once told me that doing business was not always exciting and that if he were to walk into my office at a certain time would he find me doing the things I had planned on doing at that time. There is a lot of wisdom in that concept. If I were to climb a mountain would I be on my journey at the time I said I would or would I just be waking up and making breakfast? Personal integrity is a big part of business success.

So as far as I can prepare I am ready for tomorrow to begin.

A journey of 735 begins with the first call scheduled for 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Please add your comments or thought to help me make my goal of 735.

Until tomorrow.

Jon "Your fence man on wheels"

Summitfencesupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

Call me anytime 888.856.0551

735 The Adventure of a Lifetime

2010-01-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

I am going on a business journey starting Monday which I am calling 735. I am going write in my blog the events and things I am learning on the way to 735. It will be about the one man’s journey to reach an unheard of goal for himself. This goal is not about miles but about people and business. It is a journey that will take 365 days to complete.

Along the way I am going to face a lot of failure (learning opportunities) and successes to reaching the goal of 735.

I am committing myself to write a blog about the journey every day for 1 year. I hope to share picture of people I meet along the way. Some of the individuals will be out to stop my adventure and others will be sent to encourage me to take just one more step.

Like any adventure the more I keep the goal in front of me the closer I will be to reaching it.

Some of you are asking what is the 735? Join me and see.

Oh and of course call or write me or comment on the passages to criticize, encourage, and just ask questions.

As Sailor Sam used to say... "Full step a head!"

Jon Mullender "Your fence man on wheels"

Summitfencesupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

888.856.0551

A New Decade Begins

2009-12-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

As the snow covers the ground on this last day of 2009 and my little space heater is warming me up... I am thinking about what I heard from Claudia this morning. "We are starting a new decade and it will be a great one!"

I love words of hope, excitement and motivation. Hope that our economy will turn around for all small business. That they will find success and be able to hire some of the many unemployed people who so desperately need a job.

Excitement because new things are being created each day and some of them are related to the industry we find ourselves in. We just add Apollo Gates to our website and are looking forward to many years of a great relationship together.

Finally, a new decade to be motivated in. It is true that we become what we think about all the time. We really do! If we want 2010 to be the best, we have to think of how we can help and improve the lives of others. When we help others we in turn help ourselves.

So as the hours tick away until tomorrow's New Decade begins, we at Summit Fence Supply want to thank all our wonderful customers and suppliers who have given us so much joy as we sought to assist others with their fencing needs.

Happy New Year...

Jon Mullender

"your fence man on wheels"

President -CEO

Summitfencesupply.com

Call anytime... 888.856.0551

Telephone Entry Systems Really Work

2009-12-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

In homes all over the world people want to know who is at their gate. That is why manufactures started making Telephone Entry systems.

Whether you live in a single dwelling home or a condo association or even an huge apartment complex there is a Telephone Entry systems to work in conjunction with your gate operator.

Today we are going to talk about single resident gate telephone entry systems. It is the RE-2 from Linear.

Let’s take a look at the features that are available with the RE-2.

This little unit has a ton of wonderful features to make your life easires.

Call Waiting: If you are on the phone and someone calls from your gate. You will hear a beep and can decide to flip over and see who is on and the gate with the press of a key on your phone. Once you let the person in you can flip back and finish your conversation.
Call Forwarding: You have to run to the store but you know someone is coming. That is not a problem because you can enable the call forwarding command to dial your cell phone and allow access to the residence from any phone anywhere.
Alternate Numbers is another great feature of this telephone entry system. Let’s say you have a business that you run on your property however it is not connected to the house phone. You can program your telephone entry system to accept up to three numbers.
Access Methods: You can program up to 100 entry codes for the RE-2. So that family, friends or employees can have their own code. Also with the build in radio receiver you can have up to 100 in car transmitters work with this simple unit.
Another option for this unit is that you can add a camera to the unit so not only can hear who is at the gate but you can see who is at the gate.

This is a great little product that has made the lives of many people easier with the simplicity of use with the RE-2 Radio Receiver from Linear Corp.

Price for this unit ranges from $675.00 to $1,000.00 on the Internet.

If you have any other questions about this wonderful telephone entry unit call me at 888-856-0551 or email me at jon@summitfencesupply.com

Green Card Reader is available

2009-12-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Question: Do you have to have a computer and power to use a card reader?

Answer: It is not necessary to have a computer to program your cards and no you do not need to have power in order to you a card reader.

When price and ease of use are important the StandAlone Mechanical card readers from American Access Systems fits the bill. There is no programming necessary with the 11-024 StandAlone card reader. You can be up and running within hours. No power or programming required, this is one of the simplest card readers available today!

Features:

Unlimited card capacity
No power required
12VAC night light is included
Limited two year warranty

Detailed Description

Each StandAlone Mechanical card reader features a high grade stainless steel faceplate with a heavy metal, powder coated enclosure.
To use, simply unlock the faceplate and install the program cartridge.
Then, when a card is inserted into the slot, the relay will close and the gate / door will open.
That's it. It's that simple! Since there is no programming required, an unlimited amount of cards may be used with each reader, making this a perfect solution for a low cost / low security application!

If you have a question about your security question email me or call and I will have the answer for find it for you.

Jon, "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
jon@summitfencesupply.com
Toll Free: 888.856.0551

Boca Has a Code?

2009-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

In the land of fencing whenever building a swimming pool fence is more involved then just picking out a fence you like. Let’s look at a couple of areas that a DYI swimming pool fence project should include.

Most communities require certain things that they request to make sure the swimming pool fence meets their requirements. Insurance companies also ask that a fence be installed around a pool as protection against law suites. It is always advisable to contact the Building Department of the community you live in to make sure your fence meet their requirements.

Most communities follow the “Boca Swimming Pool Code” when laying out their requirements.

Let’s look at the major item of the code to simplify what they are after:

You need to have less than 4” of space between the pickets or uprights. The idea behind this is that a small child head is larger than 4 inches and therefore they would not get their head trapped.
You need to have 45” between the bottom horizontal rail and the next rail up. (See Image)
You need to have self closing hinges. Make sure you ask your fence supplier to prove to you in writing that your fence has self closing hinges.
You need a self locking child proof latch. There is truly no such thing a “child proof” any mother or father can tell you that. However a Magna Latch can meet this qualification. (See Image)
When ordering a pool fence on line ask the supplier to send you a drawing of a pool fence to show you the gap is less than 4” and that there is a 45” space between the top and bottom rail.

With all that in mind REMEMBER, to call your community building department. I have seen some communities that only require a 4’ high fence and some that want a 5’ high fence. I have heard of come communities that will only allow a 2” gap between pickets. This is far between however it has happened.

Remember Boca does have a code and if you are putting up a swimming pool fence on your own call us we will help you with all your requirements.

Jon
“Your fence man on wheels”
888.856.0551
Or jon@summitfencesupply.com

working hard for your trust

19 Great Principles for Running your Bussiness

2009-11-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

I love to read business books. Right now I am reading three:

“The Field Guide to Sales” by Debbie Mrazek
“52 Weeks to Sales Success” by Ralph R. Roberts
“Email Selling Techniques” by Stephan Schiffman

However the Book I love to read the most about working, sales, and management is the book of Proverbs of Solomon written between 960 and 922 BC. His thoughts were remarkable and if you read today’s writers like Tracy, Rohn, and Canfield you will find traces of Solomon in their writing. It is said in the Bible that Solomon was the wisest person of all times… not just of his time but all times.

I have gone through the book of Proverbs for about 3 years and have come up with 19 principles that can be applied to business. These are great principles to build a business around.

Here are just two...

Principle 1: When you work… Work hard! brian tracy says this a lot

Pro. 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Pro. 10:04 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Pro. 12:24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

Pro. 28:19 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

Pro. 20:13 If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!

Principle 2: There are seasons of work for all companies. Discover yours and make a plan to accomplish your work when it is to be done.

Pro. 10:05 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

You can download the other 17 for free by going to http://bit.ly/Business-principles

I am looking for the 20th and thought someone else may have found one... Let me know and of course I will add it to the list.

Who is this Sage Rock Anyway

2009-11-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Webmarketingwatch.com is one of my favorite stops during the day. Sage Lewis not only is a friend but one of the best SEO experts in the country. If I ever have a question I go to Sage’s web site and look up one of the multitude of references he offers. Now he has even gone a little further to assist the average person like me find out about what is happening in SEO without going all over the Internet. Check him out. He is an Expert in a world of people who claim to be.

I started my company SummitFenceSupply.com 3 years ago and Sage helped me get it started by telling me about Social Media. Now Jon, Your Fence Man on Wheels is starting to be seen on YouTube and a number of other places. Thanks Sage.

Sage is humorous and enjoyable to listen to but is truly gifted in the SEO arena. Give him a shot you will be glad you did.

Ohhhhh CRAP!

2009-11-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

The paramedics down the street know my house very well. They have been here more than once to either pick me up off the floor when I do a nose dive out of my chair or some other extra curricular activity I get myself into.

The last time they had a bet between them as to which room they would find me. One of them said the bathroom and because he lost he had to buy ice cream for the rest of the squad. Our friend Kym was over the last time they stopped for a “visit”. She said… “Wow! Make sure you do a header the next time I am here. They were cute!”

My son says, “I wish I had a video camera hooked up to you when you do your stunts. (Don’t do those stunts at home they are to be done by professionals.) “He is sure we could win Funniest Home Videos if caught on Camera.”

Now, someone has come out with a shirt, sweatshirt and bag that sums up how I feel as I am flying through the air. You know the moments when your life passes before your eyes before you meet an unmovable object.

If it were only in my size

Click the link to order your own shirt

EDGE Certification

2009-09-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Being fair is a interesting term in today's life. I usually ascribe to the term, "Life is not fair!" but being a small minority business in Ohio it is possible to even the playing ground a little. Go to EDGE and see if you qualify.

If you would like to see a copy or our EDGE certification call or email us and we will be happy to email you a copy of ours

Ohio will spend millions this year and years to come and I hope you and me both get our piece of the pie.

If you are a minority bussiness you owe it to yourself to contact EDGE.

Jon, "Your Fence man on Wheels"
Summitfencesupply.com
888.856.0551
Fax 866.841.8023

Some things are to good to pass

2009-09-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Marketing is a big part of business. The Internet loves video and Facebook. I am always looking for new ways to get my message out. Well here is an example of someone who did.

A good friend of mine Sage Lewis, shared this on his video marketing daily tips and I just love it. Who ever did this is a genius.

You got to love the Internet.

Jon, "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
Summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com

30% Stimulus Package Rebate. WOW!

2009-09-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

News worth Reading:

I just got an letter from Apollo Gate operators stating, If your purchased a solar powered gate operator after December 31, 2008 you could receive a 30% tax credit off the installed cost of the operator on your personal Federal tax return. For information on how to get yours call me at 888.856.0551 or email to Jon@SummitFenceSupply.com

Here is more news on the Stimulus Package.

Stephens Pipe and Steel said that if you are planning on purchasing chain link material using the National Stimulus rebates to make sure you tell them you want US made products.

We stay informed so you can stay informed.

Jon "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
summitfencesupply.com

Zig was right!

2009-09-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I think of Zig Zigglar one quote always comes to my mind, “You can get anything out of life if you help other people get what they want out of life.” Brian Tracy teaches that to sell more you have to listen. Listening to people lets them know you care. If you don’t listen you miss the clues they give you as to what is holding up the sale.

I had a week that just couldn’t get off the ground. I had the dreaded after 50 year old test on Wednesday and had to get ready for that test on Tuesday. The rest of the day on Wednesday I was asleep and most of Thursday I didn’t care to sit at my desk and work. However, by the late night on Thursday I said. Mullender enough!!! I made my way to the desk and started answering mail. For a person in sales your first sale is the hardest and this week if it were not for online sales I would not have had that.

I processed that order and headed off to bed. I wrote in my face book the next day,
“Sure hope Friday is a good working day... “Oooops! I choose what kind of day I will have. I forgot.

As the day went on I did my prospect calls, had fun making follow-up call to some new people I had met the previous week and was saying to myself, "Jon, you can’t live off of $150.00 in sales for the week. I was getting a little down and then the phone rang. Hi Jon, I want the privacy fence and I am ready to order however I want you to take care of the details of getting it to Canada. Now for someone who is experienced in shipping through customs no big deal just like driving a car or riding a bike but for me it meant… Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! How am I going to pull this off? Of course I said sure give me a half hour and I will call you back with the details.

I called Misty at Adelphia trucking and said, "Will you do this..." We don’t do that here but here is a list of numbers that will help. Thanks. Hanging up the phone the first part was done. I had some numbers to call to find out how I was going to do it. I called the first number and heard the words no one ever wants to hear. “If you know your parties extension you may dial blah blah now followed by the # sign.” I did not know so I hit the famous 0. I am sorry but you dialed the wrong extension. Good bye.

Good bye. I haven’t said hello to anyone yet.

Undaunted I dialed the next number. Hello you have reached the offices of… If you know your parties extension you may dial it now. If not press 2 followed by the 0 which leads to the X factor followed by the G to get to the person you may want to talk to. So I pressed on. 2 followed by 0 then X and G. I did it!

I was met by another message. This is the office of so and so and if you want to talk to me please leave me you Name… Time you called… short message… your phone number, the middle initial of your mother’s great grandfather and your social security number. I will call you back sometime before hell freezes over. So I did and hung up the phone.

I could see my half hour slipping away. I had one more number to get the sale of the week. Arthritis was taking over my knuckles and my elbow was cramping up as I dialed the last number.

Hello this is Bill can I help you? My fingers were positioned over the number on my phone ready to follow the direction I was sure I was going to get. After a brief second it dawn on me that I was talking to a human being. There was a real live person talking to me with a friendly voice.

Within minutes I knew about:

Customs brokers
NAFTA certifications,
GST’s
Canadian taxes
Exchange rates.

I called my customer back and said Brian, I would be happy to take care of it all. All I need to know is will this be MasterCard or Visa.

I was glad to help my new customer and friend get the resolution he expected and the privacy stone-like fence material he wanted before the Canadian bad weather set in. This is sales, listening to your customer and finding workable solution to help them get what they want.

Thanks Zig, any advice on getting through answer devices?

Jon "Your Fence Man on Wheels"
jon@summitfencesupply.com
summitfencesupply.com

People Buy from People they Like and Trust.

2009-08-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was looking at pictures I received from a customer and realized that he was more than a customer he became a friend. Down in Baton Rouge there is a company named Chris' Speciality Meats owned by Chad and his wife. Chad wanted to put up a privacy fence around his house and contact Summit Fence Supply, LLC.

I remember getting the first phone call from him and instantly liking this man. He was fun to talk to and we really hit it off. Over the next few months we worked on his project using Simtek Stone-like fence. “Chad, when you are done send me some pictures I can put on my website. He said, “Sure will!”

Somehow over the process we became friends. He is not one to pay a penny more for something than is fair and I am not going to gouge a person to make a higher percentage. Some would call that not good business sense but I call it honesty. We have to like what we do and we have to like who we are after the job is done.

I went on to sell Chad gate operators, and even a key pad for his house. I still talk to Chad from time to time and when he calls I know the voice and I am glad to hear it on the other end of the phone.

What have I learned by owning a business?

You are responsible for the business environment.
You set the ground rules for your customer service. I worked for a company once that would not call people back because the customer might have a problem. That will never be the case with our company.
The people you hire are a reflection of you and your philosophy. Make sure you hire people that follow your model and get rid of the ones that don’t.
Sell only products that you would use in your house or business. If you can’t sell the best products and warranties get out of business.
Factory representatives are people too. They have the right to be treated as friends.

I have been blessed to have my own business coming up on 3 years. I have met people from all over the United States, Mexico and Canada. I have shipped product to Main to Alaska and because of that I have friends all over the country.

Thanks Chad for the pictures.

Jon, Your Fence Man on Wheels
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
summitfencesupply.com

Some Gentle Thought...

2009-08-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

School is starting and another year of educating the minds of American children is upon us. We got a package from my mother today with all kind of school supplies for my grandson. His mother is sewing patches of his school on new shirts. Soon moms will sigh a brief relief that they made it through vacation, summer camp, and swimming lessons.

Alright enough… Why is this motorcycle parked in this handicapped unload zone. HELLO Mister… some wheelchair vans need that area for their ramps to come down and allow their passengers room to get out. I guess it is a new form of education. This poor fellow decided that while he was doing a week of remodeling at his home he would park his car in this spot day and night, night and day. I understand that it may not be known to all people that the stripped areas beside handicapped spots look odd. This individual said, “No one uses this spot so I may as well leave my motorcycle here for a week or so. How nice of this place to provide this spot just for me!”

Okay Jon...Enough of that! Take a deeeeeep breath … inhale... exhale...

Yes, this is the time of year for the trees to start to hear the call of fall (I still can’t figure out why he parked there!) and the evenings too have a touch of chill in the air. (Some people! How am I going to get my morning, or afternoon Starbucks coffee…? Or for that matter my evening decaf coffee?) Friday night football games will begin in a week and band member are practicing their tunes. (Hope he gets a ticket. Maybe it will get towed) I love this time of year.

School is never over in life is it!

How Much Fence Do I Need?

2009-07-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Over the last 12 years of fencing one question keeps coming back. “How do I know how much fence material I will need?”

Since I quote out fence all day long Monday through Friday I thought I would help the DYI guy or gal that would like to get an idea what they need in order to install either an aluminum fence or a vinyl fence.

1. You need to know your layout. What do you want to contain or protect? Do you want to put a fence up around your entire property or just a small area around a swimming pool?

2. Lay out the area for your fence. I would just take some stakes and place them at the corners all around the area.

3. With a tape measure or wheel measure the distances between stakes in feet. Always round up to the next foot. For example if you have a run that is 4ft 7 inches on your paper write down 5 feet. (see diagram)

4. I would also put stakes where you want your walk gates or drive gates. When doing gates try to always think ID (inside dimensions). The most common gate opening is 4 foot. That allows most commercial lawn mowers access to the yard.

5. Depending on the type of fence you are using, you need to identify the number of posts you will need and sections. Find out from the supplier the width of the sections you are installing. It will usually be 6 or 8 foot depending on the style of fence you are installing.

6. If the length of your line is 50 feet and you are using a 6 foot section you would divide the length (50) by the length of the section 6. Remember to round up. Your number of sections would be 9 sections. If that is the case you would need 8 line posts and 2 corners or 2 ends. Depending on your layout.

7. After you do this for each line your list will look something like this.
20 Fence section
4 corner posts
16 lines posts
2 gate posts
1 - 4 foot walk gate

That is all you need to do to find out how much material you will need for your fence project.

Remember, you can always call us at summitfencesupply.com with a layout and we will figure it out for you. If you want to purchase from us GREAT if not you will have a great list to go shopping.

Jon Mullender
President Summit Fence Supply, LLC
jon@summitfencesupply.com
find us on the web at summitfencesupply.com

Visit with Nick

2009-06-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love to serve and Nick of Highland Hts wanted to replace his fence. However there were problem using the normal section.

Memories

2009-06-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

If it is true that we are the sum of our past experience tonight reminded me of how blessed my life has been. At the corner of Park and Second, in the little town of Barberton Ohio a group of old high school friends gathered to drink a little, eat a little and enjoy being with one another a lot. How blessed I was to see people I went to school with. The girls are just as beautiful and the guys just as fun loving as ever. We laugh, told stories of our lives and just had fun.

It has been 39 years since I said goodbye to high school and 39 years since I have seen these dear friends. Yes my life’s course was set in motion my senior year at Coventry when a cute little girl tripped over my crutch at a basketball game and Mr. Lee tossed me out of the gym. From that brief moment the stars lined up the angles sang and love bloomed, the same love that flowered into a friendship, a marriage, a son, and a grandson.

Will I ever go back to the corner of Park and Second? Time will tell for this old guy… But one more time I have to say:

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater,
True we'll always be.
Praise thy name with reverent voices,
For each memory.
For our high school raise your voices,
Speed them on the gale! (Never did understand that line)
Ever stand, our Alma Mater.
Coventry High, all hail!

Oh Kathy, I still say she said she married and 85 year old. You go Carol!

Breadloaf Railing:

2009-06-15T14:29:00.001-07:00

What is a deck with out a railing? However you do not have to have a wooden railing on a wooden deck. Why not try aluminum railing… Here are some 5 reason to use aluminum railing

No splinters
No maintenance
Strength/Safety
Ease of installation
Will give a richer look to your patio or deck.

Imagine having friends over for a cookout and having Little Billy running his little red car on the top of your wooden rail. All of the sudden you hear this loud cry. Little Billy’s mom runs over to see what is happening to her little baby and notices a big sliver of wood sticking out of his hand. She pulls it out and the evening events are continued but a little tense for some time. Three week later you hear that your friend had a party at their house however, you were not invited? Did the accident have to happen? Not with aluminum hand rail from Summit Fence Supply.

Send us your drawing and we will assist you in laying out your beautiful handrail help you lay out exactly what you want.

What would you like to know about fence? Email me at jon@summitfencesupply.com and I will include it in a future video conversation.

Why Didn't he Think Ahead?

2009-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Imagine!

Two neighbor entering their driveways one cold and stormy winter night. One puts the car in park with the children in the back seat, gets out of the car and runs through the pouring rain to the gate. After about a minute she is able to get the gates unlocked and pushes them open, first one and then the other. Slopping through the water and ice, she fumbles with the door and hurriedly gets in dripping wet and freezing. She reaches into her purse to get a tissue saying a few words under her breath,"Why didn't he pick up the kids. It was his turn." She pulls into the garage and putting the car and park sits there in a watery mess.

“Wait until he comes home.” Are the only words spoken that night.

She walks into the house, spending the next thirty minutes drying and changing clothes. As she finishes her hair and pulls the old sweat shirt over her head the door opens. Honey, “What’s for Dinner?”

***

The neighbor also drives into her driveway on a cold stormy winter night. She smiles at her children in the back seat as she pushes the transmitter to open her new Apollo 3600ETL swing gate operator. The gates swing open as one would open their arms to receive a friend.

She pulls into the garage and smiles thinking how lucky she is to have the security and safety of a front entrance gate.

As she slowly works in the kitchen putting the final touches on the roast and potatoes she hears the front door open. She smiles as she hears the familiar words, Honey, “What’s for Dinner?”

“Thank you, Darling.” She utters as she wraps her arms around her husband's neck.

You’re welcome…

***

“Every gate needs an opener and we have an opener for every gate.”

Call us today. 888-856-0551.

The Battle of the Blubber Begins

2009-03-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Lucky Shoes is not my favorite store tonight. Maybe in six or seven months it will be however today, what I saw in the reflection of the store window was a call for the Japanese whaling ships to set sail. I saw this HUGE blob in a wheelchair in the reflection of the door as I went in to buy a container of black shoe polish.

That’s it! Now I am making it known to the world. I am Blubber Man! I have the ability to make a piece of toast disappear in the fat rolls to be store for winter hibernation. I now buy my clothes in the tent shop instead of a department store. I say to the tent maker, “I need a tent for ten and can you put a hole in it for my head and holes for my arms to come out the sides. I my not be able to leap tall building but if I roll on someone they are absorbed and never seen again.

My coach said, “Oh so you decided to die early.” You have the choice eat carrots or eat potato chips. To which my reply was, “Let’s bring that up in about three weeks.”

So friends in Blog land. The battle has begun… Not a diet… (I love those words) A change in life style… Blah, blah, blah!

Here is my plan… Go from 386 to 385 and after that it’s a crap shoot.

Never again will a shoe store window reveal the true “Blubber man.”

My bag of baby carrots lies open on my desk as my chubby fingers type.

Yum?

Where is Your Million?

2009-03-11T03:44:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday a friend was telling me his idea for a stimulus package that I could buy into in a heartbeat. His idea was to give all 3,000,000 Americans a million dollars. It would be cheaper than the stimulus package the government is using to bail out greed and there would be a lot of purchases made which in hand would stimulate the economy.

However if we all had a million dollars (I love the sound of that) who would work in the stores? Who would make the products I want to buy? Who would work behind the counter of Starbucks? Who would sell me a house in Florida? We would all be off spending our million dollars.

I wonder what impact that would have on the supply and demand of products. What would the cost of bread be? Humm! This is getting interesting? I would want to buy and new wheelchair sports car… I can do that because I have a million dollars, how much would that cost?

I guess I would have to leave the country and spend my million dollars in another country. Oooops? That defeats the US stimulus plan. Now I am spending my money in another country. But isn’t that what our government has been encouraging since NAFTA!

This is getting more difficult. If we all have a million we won’t find anyone to serve us, the cost of simple products will go up? If we spend our money in other country it hurts the restructuring of the American Economy. This is way over my head.

Maybe if we have to spend the billions of dollars we should give the money to Wall Street, and the Banks, and the US Auto Companies. The CEO’s of these companies certainly know how to use money effectively. RIGHT?

Next week after the sermon I should talk to my friend Donald about the message and leave the Stimulus Package to wiser men.

Our Politicians :)

There is Always a Spring!

2009-03-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Northern Ohio American Fence Association Trade show where contractors and manufacturers talk there stuff. It was great spending time with people you talk to on the phone all year and seeing what new products are available for the fencing industry.

I got great advice from a guy that called himself and ol’ peddler, “There is always a spring.”

It does come! Trees will bud, snow will melt and people will move out of the three story caves into the fresh air of hope for the future, the ability to make profits, to put a little money in the bank and most of all the ability to see your hard winter work start to pay off.

I also noticed something else; the creative spirit of the true entrepreneurs. There was a sense of creativity in the air as people talked to me about how carrying this product would produce profits beyond my wildest dreams. I even had a guy tell me that if I would sell his product on the Internet he wouldn’t venture into that aspect of the business. I got great idea that Monday I will start to move on. Never sit on an idea. Move forward!

At the end of the show was the grand price. A Flat Screen TV! I knew I was there to win it so that I could watch “Frasier” re-runs before going to sleep.

My ticket was 127396…

Call mine please!

Don't let the Mountains Slow Your Success

2009-02-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

I love collecting money from people who won’t answer their phone. It is one of the warm and fuzzy feelings that come with owning ones own company.

Last night, while drifting off to la-la-land, I felt an urge saying go… go… go to their place of business and they’ll be so happy to see me they’ll willing pay me the amount they owe without hesitation.

When the opportunity clock went off at 6:00 AM I was off. I did my morning work and made my prospect calls. By noon I set off on my journey to wealth and prosperity.

I drove the 35 minutes to the outskirts of Cleveland in no time at all. I parked the car and headed for the front door. My wheelchair was flying until I turned onto the sidewalk. There in front of me was a mountain of snow blocking the sidewalk, the leftovers of shoveled driveways that blocked the concrete pathway to my riches.

Being the eternal optimist, “I didn’t come all this way for nothing!” rang in my head. I said the words of an old sage, “If you can’t climb the mountain dig through it, go under it, or make a way around it.” AHH! There was my answer. I would go around it. The road looked clear so I headed down it until I got to the ramp by the oncoming street. It was so narrow and broken up I knew it was a certain disaster. With a determined outlook I headed back to my mountain. There had to be another way around it. I spied a narrow strip of grass that lead around the natural barricade. Figuring that the ground was still frozen I headed off the sidewalk on to the unknown terrain. All was going well for about a foot then without warning, the wheels started spinning. Oh boy I thought! I am here in Cleveland and stuck like a pig on a skewer waiting for the barbecue fire. Back and forth I went as mud stuck to my wheels. No matter what effort I took I was not leaving that spot. What would Louis and Clark do? What would Davey Crockett do? How would NASA circumvent such and obstacle?

I was getting a little cold as I reached for my trusted Blackberry. There in the distance was a Fire Station. I pressed 411 and said, “Can I have the non-emergency fire department Number please… Over the next few moments I will grilled with: “You are what?” “You are where?” “Why did you leave the sidewalk?” Obviously the person on the other end of the phone had never had a mountain to climb, or forged ragging river. My request was reasonable, “Send a fireman over to pull me out of the goo.” “We will send a policeman.” was the response on the other end of the line… But ma’am, I rebutted, the Fire Department is right across the street! My plea was to no avail. “We will send someone to rescue you shortly.”

I sat there thinking of camp songs to sing as the moments turned into what seemed like days.

Finally, I heard a truck. I turned to see two men driving by drinking a beer after a hard day on the ladder they had strapped to the top of their van. No sooner had my heart leaped for the joy of freedom from my mud doom then they drove right on by.
But alas, as they drifted down the road another twenty feet the orange brake lights shone forth the message that help had arrived.

A tall angel got out of the van in work clothes. “You need help!” Never had those words seemed more appropriate. “Sure do!” I said, as I tried one more time to free myself from the bog. He yanked and yanked. Right then left then backward then forward. All the time the cakes of mud were building on the bottom of the chair I would soon be bringing into my wife’s house. After a few minutes my wheels caught and out of the mud I scampered. I had a new hero… A Good Samaritan had stop to help a mountain man back to the main trail. I was free!

As I packed up base camp and headed back to the arms that loved me I came to terms that today I would not collect the money for the bills and that maybe the sounds I heard the night before telling me to “GO!” were the sounds of the steak I ate an hour before I went to bed.

The mountain had won today but in the world of enterprise there would be tomorrow.

If only they had paid!

Jon Mullender

Summitfencesupply.com

Summitfencesupply.blogspot.com

Money, Money, Money, Money.... Money!

2009-01-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

Running a business is a ton of work but very gratifying. One of my big tests comes however, when customers do not pay. I personally do not understand how a person can purchase something from a supplier and then not think there is an obligation to pay for the material. I suppose all business go through this but I feel taken. It hits me as theft.

So what do the experts say?

Have a credit policy in place: and get a signature before doing any terms.

Do not ignore overdue bills. When it is getting close to due have a warning light go off.

Re-bill promptly with late charge added. 1.5% is what I charge.

Pick up the phone. (It is your money and the money of your employees that is at stake)

Never apologize when you call or write. “Hi ____. Show me the money!”

Be friendly. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Ask for the full amount. And when they give you part of it don’t congratulate them.

Never negotiate the amount, just the terms. You know like pay now, pay now, pay now.

Take them to small claims.

Sick the creditor dogs on them. Something is better than nothing. You already have lost that amount by this time find a company that only gets paid a percentage of what they collect.
(some of this came from New York Life)

Always remember you have to pay the bill whether or not your customer pays. It is your promise to the manufactures that give you terms.

I am glad for the majority of people that their word is honorable. Doing continued business with people like that is totally worthwhile and enjoyable. Some of my best friends today are customers that I purchase from or that purchase from me.

Tell me what you have done to collect money from dead beats in the comment section. I would love to hear from you.

Jon Mullender
Summitfencesupply.com
blog: summitfencesupply.blogspot.com

"Primetime all the time!"

Let Me In!

2009-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Starbucks and I have a lot in common. They have mochas and I love to drink Grande Mochas… They have frappuccino and I drink frappuccino. I stop at my neighborhood Starbucks all the time. I have spent hundreds of dollars there this past year. I love the people I meet there and the atmosphere. Over the last year I have sat outside in the warmth of the sun drinking and talking to friends. I have sat inside working on business plans or meeting with contacts or interviewing part time employees. I have drawn up plans for marketing campaigns and laughed with my grandson.

But now while the winds blow and the snow is here I am stopped in my tracks. Not by mother nature, not by inability to get out in 8 degree weather but by the 6 feet of unshoveled snow.

Not until the snow melts can I look forward to sipping the fruit of the bean. No more will the chocolate flavor slip through my lips warming me in the middle of the morning commute. I have been set apart with a symbol that says, “No longer welcome!”

Yes it is the snow pile that covers the ramp onto the sidewalk. Yes, as the snow shovel sits by the door showing how they have shoveled the entry for the walkers but not the wheelers.

Is it intentional? I am sure the answer is no... However, am I inside drinking coffee? Again the answer is no.

So as I sit outside in my wheelchair I long for the spring or a person who will lift a shovel and clear a path to the doorway of paradise or at least to a no whip, extra hot, Grande mocha.

Jon Mullender
President
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
summitfencesupply.com
summitfencesupply.blogspot.com

Edifice Complex:

2009-01-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Even today there is a strong love for buildings. I want my space and you stay off. I have seen people ask a neighbor to move his fence 1 foot because that one foot was on their property. I saw an ad recently, “buy your internet material from me because I have a warehouse and a showroom.” Wow! If you live in Minnesota I am sure you care about a showroom in Ohio.

I remember watching a TV commercial where a young man drove his father out into the middle of the desert to show him the location of the new warehouse. His father said, “How can we run a business way out here.” His wise son said, “The Internet!”

According to Jargon Database.com an Edifice Complex is defined as “The tendency of politicians to have large buildings and stadiums built as a concrete reminder of their "Legacy". Look around and you don’t have to look far to see business with the same mentality. What they are saying is I want a place where I can bring people to show my importance, control and power. The interesting thing is who is paying for that building?

Well let’s take a look at it from my point of view. YOU! The consumer pays the loan off, the utilities, the open space where products sit and sit and sit allowing you to buy material that may be 2 or 3 years old. You pay for the tow motor that is only used two or three time a week and the driver. You pay for the person stuck behind a desk to answer the phone. Your hard earned dollars pay so some guy or gal can say, “We have a brick and mortar facility with a warehouse.”

Now let’s look at the other side. In today’s market if you are not a manufacturer you can cut the price to a realistic number by keeping your “Edifice” to a realistic space. Yes, I have a warehouse but it is small. It is for bringing in stock for local repeat customers who want to pick it up, but I would not call it a building to the glory of Jon or Steve. It is a small facility to serve those who need it.

I and my office are on the move along with millions of people around the world. In other words where I take my computer I am taking the office. I deal with people from Vermont to Florida, Washington to the tip of California every week. I want them to see http://www.summitfencesupply.com/ as the showroom of the future. If you need to touch the product FedEx will bring a sample it to your door. If you want a load of vinyl fence or a truckload of snow fence it will be shipped to your facility or your home.

I love the future of commerce in the world. I can do business with you anywhere in the world through e-mail or, in some cases, video feed. Let us come to you when and where you are by the touch of your finger.

I would love to hear from you as to your feeling about e-commerce in the now!

Jon Mullender
President
SummitFenceSupply.com
e-mail jon@summitfencesupply.com
Blog summitfencesupply.blogspot.com

Is 10% Still Costing You Money

2009-01-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how many people have not realized that 10% off doesn’t always mean 10% off. In reality it means, companies will mark the price up 30% and then give 10% off. You are still paying 20% more than some places sell their items but you walk away with the feeling, “I saved 10% wow I am the greatest shopper!”

The other one I love is, “Guaranteed lowest price” In essence that means if you are not fooled by that tagline and are willing to pay our higher price then companies still get you by getting you to call us back after you’ve done all the work.

Here are 5 things to think about when shopping anywhere, not just online.

Find someone you feel safe with. Talk to them! You get a sense of their willingness to work with you as a person first.
Check pricing with other people selling the same product.
Remember anything times zero is still zero. That is to say that many companies will come down in price to some extent just to get your business.
If someone’s website is covered with 10% off and “guaranteed lowest price” they don’t have confidence in their abilities and pricing and are trying to trick customers into buying.
Shop around, shop around, shop around.

Our philosophy as Summit Fence Supply, LLC is that we have margins we have to sell products in order to make a living and to be there in the long run. But to lie to a customer or mark up our price so that they will think that a discount is a true savings makes the Internet Market place the same as a used car lot.

I would love to hear from you. If you have had an experience in Internet shopping good or bad… please feel free to comment.

Jon Mullender
President
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
jon@summitfencesupply.com
summitfencesupply.com
http://www.summitfencesupply.blogspot.com/

2009 Time to Grow so Let's get Going.

2009-01-01T13:00:00.001-08:00

I love new years because they offer a clean slate, a time to move forward with an eye on the future. A new 365 days are available to dream, create, work, love, and build for what I want out of life. This is a time to start new goals to where I want to be at the end of those precious 365 golden gems. I know that in order to reach my objective I have to think about what obstacle will stop me from reaching them and then develop a plan to attack to win the war.

My goals need to be divided into personal, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual goals. A rounded person does not just focus on the development of the business but the development of personal relationship with those dear to him. Is his wife his best friend? Does his grandchild, son and daughter-in-law know that they are loved unconditionally by the time I spend with them. Do my customers know I care more about them than I do their purchasing power? How do I show them their importance?

This year will be a great year. I could care less what the media says about recession because by listening and believing that malarkey allows me to make excuses for not taking personal responsibility for my life and my results.

So with the help of friends and God bring it on. I am ready for action.

I hope all my family and friends the very best 2009 and when the year is done and life has given us what it will we will be talking about the great New Year 2010.

Jon Mullender
President
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
http://summitfencesupply.com/
jon@summitfencesupply.com

Privacy?

2008-12-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

We all want a little privacy now and then. Sometimes life makes us want to get away and slow down and just relax. I love to go on my deck and drink a cup of coffee and read or work in the flowers but I want to be alone. We all need privacy don't we?

At Summit Fence Supply, LLC we speak to customers that are looking for vinyl privacy fence. There are cheap privacy fence and there are high quality vinyl privacy fences. Since we sell on the Internet I only want to carry what I know will satisfy my customers fencing needs.

What do customers ask for when they call:

Do I carry wind resistant vinyl privacy fence?
Does it come in other colors than white?
How long are the sections?
Do they make vinyl privacy fence that looks like wood?
I live in the south and would like to have my privacy fence have a stucco finish is that possible?

Take a look at the video show below and see if this helps in your search for the perfect privacy fence for you.

Of course prices will vary depending on the style you are looking for so give us a call at 888.856.0551 or e-mail me at jon@summitfencesupply.com. To see the whole sellection we carry go to http://summitfencesupply.com/Privacy-vinyl-fence-and-gate-index.asp

Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
http://summitfencesupply.com/

Simtek Privacy Fence: What a great option

2008-12-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

What some people will do to do something new. This is getting to be my favorite privacy fence. I love it and so do my customers that have purchased it.

Here is a comment from one: "Jon, The DVD you sent me on this product was a good selling point. I was impressed with the impact resistant tests. I have yet to try the baseball and golfball test, but my wife has tested the rock test. I have not finished landscaping around the fence and my wife was mowing and hit a rock, slinging it right at the fence. It was a golf ball size rock and hit the fence pretty hard. It didn't even scratch it. If I had vinyl, I would already be replacing a panel. I love it! It is a great product!!"

Simtek The Better Privacy Fence

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: fencing privacy)

Here are some great facts about Simtek:

Authentic: Granite look walls and gates

Temperature: Stable in hot and cole weather withstands test at -40 to +140 degrees F.

Sound Barrier: Blocks 98% of direct sound compared to 75% for wook and concrete 100%

Impact: Superior impact strength, baseballs and golf balls and rocks bounce off.

Fade Resistant: UV stabilized for a lifetime of vibrant color.

Warranty: Maintenance free with a full lifetime warranty

If you need more information on this wonderful alternative to wood fence, vinyl privacy fence let me know and I will send you one of these DVD's and you will see for yourself why I am so impressed with this stone-like fencing.

As the "Fence man on Wheels" I want to offer you a winter discount of 5% until February 1st 2008. Just use this code to let me know you read this on the blog. 2157023 when you call.

Jon Mullender
President
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
Phone: 888.856-0551
email: jon@summitfencesupply.com

Take Advantage when others are Taking Advantage of YOU!

2008-12-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

The past year has been very interesting in regards to Chain Link pipe but great for other forms of Fencing. When the government raised import taxes of steel to help our steel industry get moving our steel companies said to themselves, "Let's jack the price up and up all summer long and make up for lost revenues from previous years." Oh what a huge mistake that made for the fencing industry. We saw steel prices go up 40% in some cases. Bad for us, bad for the consumer. Our consumers held back on getting their backyards done OR moved to another kind of fence.

Now you can get a beautiful wrought iron looking aluminum fence for almost the same price. No doubt aluminum looks nicer but also will not rust over the years. It comes in a lot of designs as you can see if you go to aluminum fence on our site. We at Summit Fence Supply, love to serve our customers and if I can offer a better fence for a lower price. By-golly I will.

Jon Mullender
President
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
jon@summitfencesupply.com

Our Mission Statement

2008-06-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

Every Company stands for something and have a vision for something.

Summit Fence Supply, LLC was started to be different a different kind of Fence company. In order to keep a history of who we are we needed a mission statement.

Now for the first time we are making our vision public.

Mission Statement

Summit Fences Supply, LLC listens to you, your needs and provides products and services that help our customers achieve success in their projects. We demonstrate this by our customer service, products and our pricing structure.

Customer service is what separates us from others companies. We seek to serve each customer as though they were our only. Each project is different, which makes it imperative to understand the needs in order to properly match the project to the product.

Summit Fence Supply, LLC only sells high quality material. Our products come from well established companies whose brand name is an industry leader with the best support and warranties our customers can rely on.

Our pricing is always fair. We provide sensible pricing and refuse push people into a sale based on our inventory. We will not allow performance to be cut just to meet a competitor’s price however we are determined to be in line with industry standards.

Summit Fence Supply, LLC truly views our customers as our friends and they can depend on us to deliver what we have promised.

Jonathan C. MullenderPresident of Summit Fence Supply, LLC

Did you do it on your own?

2007-12-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am here because of you.

As a new Internet Business it is important to say thanks because I did not get here by myself and I will not go further by myself. So this blog is to remind us that a healthy business is one that remembers where we came from and where we are going.

So thanks for the help in starting my business.

Thanks to Ron for his wisdom in business logic. He helped me to make the break from working for someone else to working for myself. Along with Ron my wife Estelle said, "Go for it!"

Thanks to Terry for meeting with me often to work on the financial forecast of Summit Fence Supply. He has been a friend for many, many years. Thank you Doug T. for being the first to teach me about sales. I can see why you are such a success.

Thank you Sherrie O for all work you have done on Summitfencesupply.com without you I would be months behind.

Thank you Sheila for your assistance in SEO. After just one meeting I know I am on the right track and see a long business relationship. Of course it is important to thank all the customers who have trusted me to provide them with the best products in the industry at the best price.

It is important to celebrate the past in order to order to move forward with clarity.

Focus, Clarity OH CRAP!!!

2007-11-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

No matter how much I read about goals and plans sometimes I catch myself drifting through the day. A quick look at ask.com at the word focus I came across a guy that broke his day down into hours. 45 minutes of work and 15 off to stretch, get a drink, set his timer and got back to work.

If it was good enough for him I figured I would give it a try. Not a bad idea! It did help me focus on the work I had to do. Then I heard about a guy that kept his sanity while trapped in the wilderness by blocking out his day and filling it with chores to be done the next day. Well, if it was good enough for him.... why not try it.

It doesn't matter what techniques I need to uses to make the most of my work day, the key is to have a plan and work the plan. Know what has to be done and do it.

If you have a technique that you use to stay focus your comment is most welcome.

Jon Mullender
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
888-856-0551

Hold your breath the break through may happen

2007-10-31T17:36:00.001-07:00

Some days just go right! I think they come so that the new business owner doesn't go completely loony. It could also be that God smiles down on people that trust Him because trusting in oneself is a joke.

I never want to look back and say, "I wish I hadn't started this. The grass was greener in Egypt." (That is a little story from Exodus in the Bible).

Well back to today. I had more than one order. Now that may seem small potatoes but it is huge to me. Orders mean income, income means bills get paid, bills getting paid mean credit stays high, high credit means when I need a loan I may be able to get one.

Thinking about the future is fun when you have a good day. What happens when I have 3 sales in one day or 10 or 50? I will have to hire people to take the orders, process the orders, and maintain the web site. My overhead will increase by 100% and I will get gray hair just because of the new pressure. I will have to move the business out of the current one room shanty and into some mega complex. I will have to hire a sales staff of 20 people just to keep the orders coming... Factory reps will be calling me for appointments hoping I will carry their product while offering me HUGE discounts just because www.SummitFenceSupply.com is willing to carry their aluminum fence product.

Back to reality... I had two orders. It was a great day!

Jon Mullender
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
Toll free phone number 888-856-0551

Small Business Initiation

2007-10-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

“You have to pay the toll before you can make the bucks”

In business there are no easy ways to get suppliers to deal with your company the same way they deal with bigger more established companies. Even if they know you and want to help you they still have to play the game. The game simply put is MONEY TALKS.

To a certain degree that is true but TIME TALKS also. If you spend 2 hours researching a product and have been given a certain discount for the quote, only to find that my competitor beat me by 10% it can get one down.

Unfortunately, old established rules are out of place in the new market place. The “small is the new big” as Seth Godin writes. As manufactures start to realize that more people are selling their product which in turn opens more doors for dollars and profit. An example would be if you have 5 people carrying brand X you have to put more money into advertising and sells representatives. But on the other hand if you have 500 people out banging the bushes for your company that sales team you have to supply can be cut saving money and advertising dollars.

Putting pressure on the small companies is a better way to establish distributors. Thoughts like, “We will give you a competitive edge for 6 months. If over that time you can reach said amount of money you keep that discount however, if you don’t your discount will be cut in half and we will reevaluate your status with us at that time.” That is such a fair way of doing business.

If you are a manufacture saying, “Well, how do I reward my big distributors.” Don’t worry about it. They are not going to look somewhere else. They have customers that are going to them and have been for years. They pull out the book, give a quote, the customer pays and away they go. That is unless they stop providing customer service and lose the respect of their clients.

Here is the call to action. Keep quoting and talking to the manufacture. Let them know that you are a serious player. Let them know what you plan on selling and to whom. Let them know your goal numbers that you want to reach and see if they will reconsider their old approach and allow you to sell on a level playing field.

If they will not you have hundreds of companies that sell a similar product. Research, find out how they are different and go another way. Someday you will be one of those companies and can help them to see the hardship you had coming up through the ranks.

Jon Mullender

Summit Fence Supply, LLC

www.summitfencesupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

330-923-4214

Determining the Right Fence

2007-10-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

Determining the right fence is not that hard if you have a process to follow. At Summit Fence Supply, LLC we want to help you work through the process from inception to installation. What are you using the fence for? Is it chain link for protection of your property? Is it aesthetics? Is it for protecting a pool? Answering these questions is the first step.

Next how many lineal feet do I need? you can walk it off to get an idea. Or if you have a roll take get an idea.

What will I have to budget? If you have an idea of how many feet call us and we will always give you a free quote. Then you can determine if you can afford Ornamental Aluminum fencing or would chain link be the best option with the money you have set aside. My opinion is that if you are close go for it because a year from now you will have wished you had.

Then decide who is going to install it? If you can dig holes and use a level you can put up a fence. Maybe you need a professional to install it. Check you friends and neighbors but plan on spending the estimate price x 2.

We will continue this in our next blog.
Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
jon@summitfencesupply.com
330-923-4214
www.summitfencesupply.com

How I fell for my customer.

2007-10-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

I knew better but I could not help it.. I fell for my first customer: Let me explain.

All the articles I have read have stated how important it is to meet quality prospects and develop relationships that will last. Since I have the desire to make my fencing company, Summit Fence Supply, the best in the fencing business, I follow the sound advice received and decided to get going on a contact list. By this I mean I decided to call each person on the list. Following the list from top to bottom I started making calls to set up appointments. Finally, I had my first appointment and needless to say I was excited. The night before I had my folders ready, did a Map quest to make sure I would not be late and to top it off, the customer even called me the morning of the appointment to make sure I was coming. This was going to be great!

As I arrived I could see him standing in the front yard talking to one of his employees. He was animated so I knew something was not right. He was reaming out this guy for being late. I paused and thought how fortunate I was for being early.

I opened the door of my wheelchair van and the lift went down. This is a good place to tell you I use a wheelchair and have for many years. I grabbed my folder and started down the ramp. At the exact time the word, “Hello!” left my lips I hit a rock at the bottom of my ramp and went flying out of my chair.

He stopped yelling for the moment and hurried over toward me. I said, “I wanted to make a lasting first impression.” By that time another guy came to my aid. All three of them picked me up and placed me back into my chair. I said, “It was a pleasure to drop in.” He said, “I always wanted people to fall for me” to which I said, “Yes but not another guy!” He laughed and so did I.

As I pulled away from that encounter, I knew that whenever fencing was mentioned to him he would remember the incident and my name.

I learned some great lesson in prospecting from this episode. There is nothing to fear in prospecting. Most people that own business are trying to put a little cash in their pocket the same as me. If I have a good product to offer by all means I am going to continue to make appointment, share the product and services and build relationships with each person I can.

Overcoming a fear of prospecting is replaced by repeated action. Start that list of potential customers. Then beginning at the top call each companies on the list until you have set up opportunities to serve. Then go out and meet them, present your worthy product and follow up with an email, letter or phone call. Finally, remember in the future, they may help you by placing that huge order in your lap.

Jon Mullender

Summit Fence Supply, LLC
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
888-856-0551

Follow the Business Plan

2007-10-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

My gosh! How many times have I heard that! Follow your business plan or when you get ready to pull the plug you will unless you have a plan to follow.

Well some days it gets heavy. People talking to you on while your working... Your bids come in just slightly over your competition and you lose the big job you were counting on. Frustration comes and you need a plan to work.

Make a plan and work a plan. That is the secret to success.

So….

Today I have a plan.

Today I will do the things most important and move down the list.

At the end of the week I will take time to evaluate how my plan is working in conjunction with my business plan and go from there.

Jon Mullender

www.summitfencesupply.com

Please share with us how you work your plan.

Who are the important people

2007-10-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

When I wake up some mornings I get a glimpse as to what the day will hold. Today I am off to my grandson's school picnic with the idea of thanking people for all they have done for me. My son and daughter for giving me my grandson. His teacher for being the most important person in his life. His other grandfather for loving him and guiding him. His other grandmother for watching him all summer long so that my daughter in law could work and save with out paying for child care.

Who do you need to thank today? Who has made an impact into your life?