Mrs. Hayes was about to call M & K Carpet Service when one of their vans rumbled down her street. Because the muffler was gone, the noise was deafening; the sign on the side was scratched, the vehicle was filthy and, in general, it looked as if M & K didn't give a hoot.

Mrs. Hayes sat down to rethink her choice, and a potential customer quickly became a lost opportunity.

Whether a business uses a single delivery vehicle or an entire fleet, it's important for owners and managers to understand that those vehicles not only deliver products, they also deliver valuable impressions to the community. You can portray the right impression by maintaining the exterior of your vehicle and keeping a close watch under the hood.

Overall body appearance is of the utmost importance. Chipped paint, broken signal lights and/or damaged body parts affect your vehicle's looks as well as its value. Regular washing and waxing combined with seasonal cleaning helps not only add years to the life of a paint job, it says you care about your business.

Now examine the accessories that can affect the looks as well as the safety of your vehicle. Broken mirrors, missing or mismatched hubcaps or a bent antenna are just a few of the difficulties that can plague a delivery vehicle. The good news is that these items are generally simple and inexpensive to repair.

The last exterior detail is perhaps the most important: the sign painted on your vehicle. This "billboard on wheels" not only says what you do, but how you do it. Consider the negative impression of a dirty, faded, peeling or chipped sign.

The best looking vehicle in town is useless if it's not functional. Excessive downtime due to neglect can nibble at profits until there's nothing left.

A businessman should think of his delivery vehicle as an important business machine that cannot go unserviced. Someone should be put in charge of regular maintenance of that machine. Whether it's the owner, the delivery person or a third party, remember that a job assigned to no one is no one's job.