Give your customers more bang for their buck by exposing them to the world of compaction combination rentals. Some contractors might not be aware of the wide range of additional compaction or compaction-related equipment they can use to do their jobs more efficiently. It is up to you to tell your customers about additional equipment they might need.

There are generally two types of compaction combination rentals, depending on the contractor's specific job-site applications. To increase compaction rentals, a rental operator, outside rep or counter person needs to be aware of all the job-site parameters when speaking to a contractor. Utilization is the lifeblood of the rental business, and promoting combos is an excellent way of boosting utilization rates.

Practice the art of suggestive selling. The larger the compaction job, the easier it is to sell the customer on additional compaction equipment. For instance, an excavation contractor might come into your store and say he needs to backfill and compact a 48-inch pipe. He might ask for a 54-inch-wide, single-drum, rubber-tired vibratory roller, thinking this will do the job. In his rush, he forgets about important steps such as compacting the dirt around the pipe and under the pipe as the backfill is added. This is where you can suggest to the customer to rent rammers for the first backfill at the bottom of the trench before switching to reversible plates as the dirt level moves from about one-third the way up the side of the pipe until the pipe is covered. Then suggest the 54-inch-wide roller.

Another compaction combo customer could be a paving contractor who needs a tandem vibratory roller for an asphalt parking lot. He might not be aware of it, but the contractor also might need a forward vibratory plate for edge-wall work.

You also can suggest compaction-related equipment to increase utilization rates. A good example would be renting compaction equipment with any type of earthmoving or digging equipment. If you're renting a backhoe or excavator, for example, you should tell the customer, "You will need to compact the soil you are digging up. May I rent you the compaction equipment you'll need?"

* a rammer with a backhoe for small-diameter pipe work.

* a rammer or plate with a backhoe for the concrete or swimming pool contractor (the rammer for footings and the plate for the slab).

* asphalt compaction equipment with any rental of lay-down machines or pavers.