Power Please

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

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

Day 10: It is Freezing in Ohio

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

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 5: Help my Unbelief

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

735 The Adventure of a Lifetime

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

Telephone Entry Systems Really Work

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

Boca Has a Code?

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

EDGE Certification

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

30% Stimulus Package Rebate. WOW!

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!

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

How Much Fence Do I Need?

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

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

Breadloaf Railing:

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

1. No splinters
2. No maintenance
3. Strength/Safety
4. Ease of installation
5. 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.

There is Always a Spring!

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!

Is 10% Still Costing You Money

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.

1. Find someone you feel safe with. Talk to them! You get a sense of their willingness to work with you as a person first.
2. Check pricing with other people selling the same product.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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/

Simtek Privacy Fence: What a great option

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!

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

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