Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 18:14:08 CST
From: "news" 
Newsgroups: misc.invest.financial-plan
Subject: Re: Insurance agent drives 1982 Chevy pickup truck...
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	2Y0O3lbqCWb5EMWv11MofWMluns/t9gBV84cYb6WMDQljln2Knkb6A==
	=zpok

It all depends on the clients you are soliciting.  If you work in a rural 
area or have a client base of value oriented individuals - it shouldn't be a 
problem.  If you are selling to people in Brentwood California or anywhere 
else rather upscale and affluent, you will stick out like a sore thumb and 
that's probably bad for business.

I personally drive a Jeep because it was something I wanted and I found a 
great deal.  I love it and several of my clients have commented on it that 
they used to love owning a Jeep and would like to own one again (men AND 
women).  It is extremely rare that clients of mine are up tight about the 
cars they drive but occasionally they are and I just tell them I'm not a car 
person, I got a great deal and since I go camping and backpacking a lot - it 
fits my lifestyle better than a BMW.  I have a seriously difficult time 
believing a client hasn't worked with me just because I pulled up in a Jeep. 
Maybe I'm wrong.  My Jeep is always clean, in great shape, doesn't make a 
lot of noice and isn't one with huge tires.  It is something you WOULD find 
in some of the better neighborhoods if you just watched (kids of rich people 
have Jeeps a lot).


"Tim Williams"  wrote in message 
news:2rroo3F1edirbU1@uni-berlin.de...
> .and it's big, red, and loud.
>
> Actually the agent in question is me.  Recently my only vehicle went 
> through
> a series of break-downs (4) until the last one's cost of repair made it 
> not
> worth fixing (the vehicle was an early 90s Oldsmobile worth approx. $1700 
> or
> less, and the estimation of repair costs was about $1500).
>
> The cost of the four repairs in a brief period of time has left me with 
> not
> more than $700 to put toward new transportation.  If I wait another seven
> days until I have more income, the amount to work with is approx. $1200.
>
> I've found a 1982 Chevy pickup truck for sale for $600. There's only 
> 80,000
> miles on it and it seems to be a solid vehicle.  But it's -loud- and -red-
> and it looks like it would do very well if it were taken off-road and 
> driven
> aggressively in the mud. Just imagine a gun rack in the back window a 
> couple
> good ol' boys speeding down a dirt road in deep woods and you'll have a 
> good
> idea of it -- YEEEEE-HAAAAWWW!
>
> My concern is that this vehicle may create a negative first impressions on
> potential clients.  I don't think people expect an insurance agent to 
> drive
> such a truck.  I imagine myself parking in a client's drive with this big
> red loud truck and then hopping out wearing a tie and jacket; it's
> incongruent.
>
> Do you think this vehicle will be bad for business?
>
>