Sales tip: Make your truck spiffy

Your truck is a retail store on wheels. To increase your success you need to do the same things any successful retailer does. A neat store is more profitable than a messy one.

"You won't find neatness listed in any marketing textbooks," says Guerilla Marketing author Jay Conrad Levinson. "Yet, the presence – or absence – of neatness exerts a powerful effect upon a person's decision to purchase … [it] is a potent and inexpensive marketing weapon."

"Make sure that the truck is clean inside and out," says Cornwell National Sales Manager Dave Columbus. "You want to give a professional appearance. You want to make sure your driver area is clean and presentable. You don't want boxes in the aisle. You want the lighting to be bright ... It's important to look at all this because first impressions are so important."

Tidy a little each day to keep clean-up manageable. Toss your shipping boxes, sweep your floor, dust your shelves, change burnt-out bulbs, and empty your trash every night when you're restocking your shelves, says Columbus. It's easy to lose sight of how your truck looks to customers when you've been on it 10 hours a day. Don't let your truck's appearance slip.