And doing so is simple. Just put your trusses and components in PostFrame
Manager (and other BizPortz modules!) Then, encourage your builder customers
to use the software. When they do an estimate, they will be using your
components. They can rely on the right components and prices -- no guessing,
no matter who does the estimate -- and you can rely on getting their business.
This makes the process of estimating easy and efficient.
So how does one put truss data in a software package? No such thing as a truss
part number, after all.
Well... not so fast.
Turns out there is a way to do this.
We don't have to tell you that there are a zillion variables involved. On the
other hand, maybe we don't really need that many. Most builders tend to construct
that which is simple for them to control and estimate, e.g. 30' x 50' is a common
enough size. 31'4" x 53'7" is possible, sure, but face it, most build "standard"
sizes. As a rule most buildings are built on either 1' or even 2' resolution.
And loadings, well, those tend to stay relatively stable, governed by code.
What this means is that even providing a number of trusses for your customers to
use for estimates is simpler than you may think.
Here's a look at the data editor --
Yes, that's a PART NUMBER! Essentially, this is a way to encode truss info such that if you really really really want to get technical and specific, you can. On the other hand, most trusses you provide will be within a smaller subset. Note that this part number doesn't have a setting for you to decide whether the truss is Howe or Fink or... ?? That's because for what your builder is quoting, this isn't important. Howe or Fink (or ??) and lumber used will affect price, so this bit is up to you to provide the basic size/loading spec at the most attractive price for the builder.
OK.... So what's a common truss count?
The standard example suite has about 1000 trusses in it, which covers a lot of buildings.
The part number may look scary because it can handle any possible truss. That doesn't mean you really sell every possible loading combination every day or have to have these loaded up. You will normally sell a subset of all possibilities. For example, in your area postframe builders may use 4' or 8' spacing as a standard, so although it's technically possible to create trusses designed for 6'6" spacings, you don't need to. As a rule you probably have 1000 or so that covers most common situations that this software would be used for. Besides, the editor lets you set the parameters and creates the part numbering itself.
Wow. Looks like a lot of data entry work.
Maybe not. PostFrame Manager is being used daily by a large number of builders, and we have a great deal of this basic information already available and/or ready to be modified. Call us at 1-800-375-2547; there's a good chance we can help make this process quicker than you imagine.
So how do we make money again?
If you are a lumberyard or have a building sales division, you can use PostFrame Manager yourself. More importantly, direct your builder customers to Download PostFrame Manager themselves; when they order their own copy, it's your component data that will be preloaded by our support staff. It's the classic win-win situation: your customers are doing faster and more accurate estimates, and you can rest assured they're using your components.
What if we don't have the truss?
There will always be jobs where the builder wants a hip roof or king posts or some other configuration that's not part of the standard trusses you provide. On the other hand, when you're both using this software, your customer simply emails the building layout file to you. You can then see exactly what the trusses are and deliver a reliable quote that much faster. And then you add those trusses to the database...
In today's economy, being fast yet accurate is the key to continued success.
What's the next step?
Just Download PostFrame Manager and
try it out. See for yourself how simple yet powerful it can be.
DOWNLOAD POSTFRAME MANAGER
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