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ForumsIf you have been reading Technibble for any length of time, you already know what advice I have to offer a new computer business. So, for this post I would like to draw upon the experiences of the Technibble community.
What is the single, best piece of advice you could offer someone starting a new computer business?
As always, you dont need to sign up to leave a comment and you can even post anonymously if you like.
Take your time and plan everything. There is nothing worse then jumping into something like starting a new business without proper planning. If you take time in preparing everything you need, there will be less hassle later down the road.
Have other streams of income, or another job, while you are getting your business off the ground. Any port in a storm…until your business takes off.
When the good times come and the money is rolling in you need to SAVE. We all have down times. There will always be a time of year that is best for you and a time of year that is worst. In the good times make sure you put away enough to cover the bad times.
Of course you need to advertise and grow your business, but always remember to save.
I have 3 points if thats ok, the first 2 are for companies offering on-site service’s.
1. Dont promise a customer that you can do a job at a certain time if you cannot. You may think you will lose a job if you dont book them in TODAY! Most people are happy to wait 24 – 48 hours for an appointment (even longer). If you have a busy day, dont book another job in for fear of losing the work. If you do and then dont turn up or have to cancel you are more likely to lose the customer.
2. Know your schedule, dont try to remember it – keep a proper diary. This way you wont double book and you can plan your on-site visits properly. You dont want to do a job in Area A then drive to Area B only to have to return to Area A to do a third job because you didnt realise you were in Area A that day.
3. Dont fall for over the phone hard sale tactics by companies offering you advertising.
They try to make you feel like you are missing out if you dont take the advert. They sometimes try to guilt trip you by saying its to support a local charity. Plan your advertising and make a budget – then stick to the budget.
This just might be common since to a lot of people but, I’m going to add in my two cents on techs that work for me (or who have worked for me). Simply put, don’t lie. Don’t lie to your customer about skills you don’t have. And never ever flub on an answer to a customer. If you don’t know you don’t know, but be honest. It takes a lot of time to build trust and only one mistake to lose it.
I know you asked for one single comment, but please take these few comments as one. I’m just starting out. As a computer tech just starting in this business, I’m learning a lot. A lot of it has already been said. What I’m learning is stick to your budget. First thing I bought was Bryce’s Computer Business Kit. I’m going over it and over it making sure I know what I’m talking about when I get a customer. Don’t worry about getting a vendors’s license, insurance, or whatever you might need to get your business going. Get the customers first, the worry about the other stuff. Getting customers. I’m scouring the local supermarkets for their inside store bulletin boards. I’m also checking the local family owned ones as well. I’ve noticed that a lot of people do not even attempt to put a professional looking advertisement on those boards. In fact a lot of them just use a pen!! It doesn’t take any money!! I use http://www.openoffice.org to make my fliers. I also use the colors included to make my flier stand out. Also I’m checking a lot of the local libraries and if they have a bulletin board I ask permission to put my flier up. Business cards. They are a must have. You can go to http://www.vistaprint.com and they have great deals on cards. Network. Talking to people say at socialized business functions might drum up some business opportunities. I’m sorry again for the long post, please treat it as a single comment, as I feel this is important. Thanks Bryce!!
I always tell clients, that i no nothing.(even though i very rarely fail to sort a problem).
What i tell them is, do not be impressed with me clicking and tapping my way round the O/System, & programs at high speed, anybody can do that, if so inclined. Be impressed with the person who wrote the program (or O/System), so i could impress you!!
I find that by doing this it helps the tech/client relationship, cus there is always some problem that i haven’t got an immediate answer for(how many times have you had to phone another tech colleague, or Google it, to help sort a problem that you have not dealt with before).
Also, if i think the client is receptive, i give them as much info as possible to help them service their own machines. The reason being, that there is always something that they might not be able to deal with, and that most times they contact me for help with that.
I know it works cus I have been running my own Mobile tech repair business for over 5 years now, & most of my work comes from existing clients, and referrals( in this economic downturn).
To quote the popular YouTube video, “There’s always an a-hole…” Some customers will be angry for no reason at all and will not listen to the most logical explanations. You can’t make them happy no matter how hard you try. When you come across these people, NEVER add fuel to the fire. Elevating the situation may seem(and is) unprofessional to bystanding customers.
Just stay calm and grit through it with a smile!
1. Diversify your business. We do half and half computer work and multimedia production/conversion.
2. Unless you own a huge “big box” outlet store franchise, you will never get a good markup on computers, so focus on service and parts instead.
3. Don’t keep stock unless you will actually sell it. People usually don’t mind waiting a day or two for a part or even a computer system because they came to my company for quality service, which is our focus.
4. Most importantly remember that without trust, you are nothing. It makes my day when a client says “I trust you”. I’d rather refund a sale than have a customer leave upset because we made a mistake. Someone else on the Technibble forums said that his goal is to do everything to allow a customer to leave with a smile on his face. BTW, part of building trust is giving regular communication, no matter how bad the technical situation is.
Second,
Do not undervalue yourself or your skills.
Do not be subservient to the writers of the OS. After all if they wrote it correctly, the user wouldn’t need you.
What you think of as acting “modest” or “humble” in front of your customer, is not seen that way by your customer.
Instead your customer sees you as worth less.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a compliment like “wow you really know your way around the computer, you’re so fast, I cant keep up” by smiling at them and saying thanks. And leaving it at that.
Anythting else sounds like an excuse and there is no excuse needed for profiency.
Don’t start a computer repair business without at least getting some sort of education AND working as a tech for someone else before opening your own repair business. PLEASE!
Short and simple, keep learning! We don’t know everything spchadwicko join forums, news group, rss feeds and network with other techs. Remember the only way to find something out is to ask questions (or google it).
Get public liability insurance now. I could save you from loosing your house and being in dent for a long long time.
I just started my business but have worked in the computer repair industry for over twelve years, working mostly for large corporations. What I have found in dealing with customers is being friendly and personable will get you a long way to building a relationship of trust with them. Most customers will be more willing to want to work with you (or your business) again if you spend time while you work getting to know them.
Always be Honest with you clients, if you cant do the job, then don’t, rather be the referrer. In time you will learn that with owning a business comes responsibility, you can not hide behind your employers and their company any more. It will only hurt in the long run.
You’ve started your business, that takes balls, now use them, be confident, be smart, always think twice and then once more before you make a move. This is one of the toughest industries around today.
Simply put, confidence is your friend and your enemy. If you don’t have confidence in yourself will anybody else? If you are arrogant will people like you. If people don’t like you will they hire/contract you? Always have confidence in you skills and your ability to learn new skills to fix problems you don’t know the answer to. I constantly run into new stuff but because of education, experience, and deductive reasoning I always am able to pull through. Some of the posts have talked about how to respond to your customer (do you turn away a compliment or work you may not have the answer for), I say no. Compliments are given for a reason. Accept them graciously! If you don’t know the answer to a problem for one of your customers and you know who does, take care of it for the customer. Nine times out of ten they do not want to spend time fixing or finding people to fix problems. They want to run their business. Take care of them even if you don’t always make money on those jobs. Don’t be taken advantage of, but that is how people learn to trust you. They trust your work, they trust you to take care of the pro lem no matter what it is, and they trust your judgement on if you need outside help. This transitions you from the tech repair guy into an IT Consultant.
1. Do make a list of what your services are
2. Do make a website that lists those services
3. Do buy and follow the book “SEO for Dummies”
4. Follow the steps in SEO for Dummies
5. Do obtain and setup Accounting Software “Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2009 is free and lets you get started quickly, even allows you to customize quotes and invoices.
6. Do create business cards (and optionally fliers)
7. Do stand on the street handing out those business cards (or flyers)
8. Do research your competitors websites and prices, undercut by 5% (optional)
9. Do get yourself some office space.
10. Do get examples of SLA’s and make your own. Establish a max amount of ‘puters, servers, printers, and software, that you can manage as a single person for a given company.
11. Do read and contribute to technibble everyday.
12. Finally, and where I am lacking…..go oout and get your customers, they won’t just fall in your lap, grab those business cards and just go tasmanian on the streets.
Hope this helps.
Remember that without a customer you have no business. If you don’t have prospects to sell your service to, you don’t even have a potential business. So prospect!
Plannign is the key , you also need sufficient money need to invest than you expects in new business. Its always you going to face the business hurdles be prepeared for anything either profits or loss.Determination is the key.
Don’t use Pirate software to fix a problem and don’t offer to install Pirate software.
There are plenty of very good freeware / open source alternatives to commercial tools.
In fact some can and do outperform commercial software.
You will need to be adaptable with your pricing, gone are the days where a fixed hourly rate is your only rate. The public are very cost concience and will not hesitate in looking elsewhere if you are unable to be at least a little flexible when a specific job requires you to be.
I also support Ajax re dodgy software – there are a lot of good open source applications that will do everything the high-cost professional programs will do – just read Technibble regularly and collect those packages that have tested and recommended by other technicians around the globe.
I think the best advice I can offer is Network. Don’t start off tring to cut the competitions throat, use them to your advantage. Figure out who of you competition can offer you the best advise or back up. Then when your in fear of losing a job due to lack of experience or time, you have another reliable resource to rely on. And still make some money from the job. The bigger the network the more potential clients you have.
There are often good reasons to deviate from this, but I use the following as general rule of thumb: In offices during business hours, be a tech. Listen to the problem(s), fix it, test it, have the user test it, and get away from the employees’ station. Let them get back to work. Be cordial, not best friends. They are behind on their work and will appreciate your fix & run method. Or, they are not that eager to work, and the boss will appreciate your getting away from the workstation quickly so the employee can be productive.
When you are waiting for things to finish running, don’t just sit there. Be busy. Take notes, look for other things on the computer, ask if there are other things for you to do while you are at the mercy of the anti-virus program, etc. Talk with the boss about other issues, upgrade plans, the spouse, the kids if he/she has time. (The boss should be your “friend.”) Nothing appears more to be a waste of money to a customer than you (@$XXXXX per hour) just sitting there with your arms crossed, waiting. Your time and skills are worth the fee you charge, but you may have to help not to devalue it.
On-site at peoples’ homes is different. At homes, be very personable. Take interest in the customer. What do they do? What about their spouse? Kids? It’s funny, how just remembering a dogs’ name upon a return visit can impress a customer. Bond a little.
They need to trust you. Explain things as you are doing them. It is amazing how many referrals can come from a satisfied customer.
It has been said by others here. Be honest. If it is not your nature to be honest you may still prosper (look at the finance sector). Honesty just makes life easier and you will have the best advertising you can get.
Just a small valuable comment, “Treat people how you would like to be treated”.
i say to myself:
“work hard even if you lose some income to keep the best clients”
‘Under promise so you can over deliver.’
Don’t be afraid to push your customer’s up the ‘learning curve’ of PC ownsership.
‘A rising tide lifts all ships.’
A happy customer will tell someone else about your services. An unhappy customer will tell 10 people about your services. Keep your customers happy
Technology is the most dynamic industry in the world, and things change on a daily basis. What was once the best anti-virus program yesterday may be obsolete tomorrow. I’ve got to make sure I keep up with the latest trends and technologies to make sure I’m not blind-sided by something new when I show up to someone’s house. Not to mention, if I want to score the big contracts, I’ll need to keep my industry standard certificaitons up-to-date, like CompTIA A+ or MCSE, which take time and money to study for and pass
One of the unfortunate aspects of running a computer consulting business is the paperwork. Like it or not, if you want to run a legitimate operation and protect yourself, you’ll want to document everything. Work orders, contracts, service plans, waivers, advertisements, customer and vendor tracking, it can all be a bit overwhelming, especially when first starting out
Learn to say ‘no’ to a job that’s beyond your competency BEFORE you get into deep water.
Establish a good working relationship with another tech in your vicinity so you can refer jobs to each other when such a job turns up.
Be nice… but don’t be weak.
Always return phone calls immediately.
Talk to your clients regularly… even if they don’t need work done. Start with “Howz the work I previously did working for you? Are you enjoying the new environment?” or something to that effect.
Drop in if you are passing by… say hello and make sure everything is fine.
Keep every last client, even the troublesome – pain the @$$ ones, until you get critical mass… then cull the non-payer – expect too much – winger – cheapo – pirate software type clients one at a time until you are left with the cream.
If you offer discounts via flyers… always put an expiration date and state it is only for labor, and once per customer.
Tell customers if they refer you, to make sure they tell the referral to mention their name so you can give them a good deal next time… it inspires them to tell their friends.
Don’t be too cheap.. people want the job done right and the cheapest doesn’t usually get the job… except for those customer you don’t want.
If you are busy and not making enough money… put your prices up.
When on site, treat every question like you have only ever been ask like once before. There is never a dumb question.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE POLITE!
Never do business with your personal friends!
Honesty is definatly the best policy, and have a fact or checkin sheet. You can attach it to the customers computer and never get side tracked about what your doing with each computer, having 5 or 10 jobs can be hard to remember sometimes. And do business with friends and relatives , just have them sign the same consent or release paperwork as your customers. This helps keep friendships solid and nobody forgets the agreement. True friends understand.relatives dont have a choice.(LOL)
Do unto others…
KISS stands for “keep it super simple” (not “stupid” which is negative and counterproductive). Since the beginnings of the memory sticks this has been my main tool and is never far from my pocket. They cost so little now and carry so much – what to put on them? Keep an eye on http://www.technibble.com
Then watch carefully for tools that you really must have to support your work as listed on this site. Again, keep it simple and you’ll make more money – for one thing, by not spending it unncessarily. At first resist drawing for yourself from your business account but let it build so you can buy tools, pay back your mileage (usually tax-deductible), and help buy the parts and systems that help make more money for your company.
I’ve run a very successful and lucrative mobile auto detailing service, and have always been into computers, back to ‘95, when I realized I knew, through trial and error and experience, that I knew more than the tech support guys on the phone for HP, Comcast, etc. and have built a very good stage one computer repair business. My tips:
1. Best tip I could give. Don’t go for the cheap seats. Market to higher end customers. I take care of 100 CEO’s in a major city. They rarely price shop, but if they do they know you get what you pay for generally. They don’t look in the phone book – 99% of the time they ask someone they know (in their same income bracket). They treat you great and appreciate you being an entrepreneur. They tip and spread the word – they love to give and get referrals. I’ve had millionaires walk through their neighborhood telling their friends that I was working for them at their house. You can charge a fair price and they will pay it. One good customer like that will be worth 5 that try to chip down your price, or won’t be pleased no matter what you do.
2. Don’t look or act like a geek. You will separate yourself from the crowd if you avoid the Tshirt, scruffy, jewelry, shaggy look. As mentioned, be interested in them, their family, whatever you see they’re talking about, and LISTEN. If they want to tell you how bad their computer problem is – listen, especially if they have tried to fix it, or were on the phone for two hours with tech support from hell or a foreign country. This will increase your value tenfold when you rescue them. Learn some people/relationship skills starting with the classic “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
3. Don’t be afraid to say “This is a difficult problem, but I think I can help you”. It’s better to go in saying I’ll do my best and fix it, than say I’m the best and fix it. It shows you are working hard and it wasn’t easy, but you fixed it – it adds value. No one wants to think they’re so dumb that you can dome in and fix it in a few minutes and charge them a chunk for it.
4. Give incentives for referrals, especially on expensive fixes. I just gave someone a bill for $325 for fixing some difficult issues on a couple of laptops. Knowing money is tight for them and the economy is such that most companies are dropping prices, I asked them if I could give them a Referral Incentive Credit on their bill – I would take $30 off if they would hand out 5 of my cards to qualified computer users they know. Happily they said yes. My phone rang 6 minutes later from their friend who paid $400+ dollars to have a virus removed several months ago and had some other issues now. My client called this person as they were driving me away and now I had two more computers to work on. Referrals are the most powerful and cheapest advertising. I’ve never paid for advertising after my first experience. I just hand our cards, send thank you notes, and dropped flyers to get my biz started.
4. Get a good business card with a custom logo and layout and with THICK smooth cardstock. Your card says volumes about you. A good biz card and flyer can make a one man show look like a formidable company.
5. Use all the online resources and forums to stay up to date and solve problems on the spot. Be prepared with all the best tools on a USB drive and you’ll be dangerous. Don’t rely on someone’s slow or non-working internet connection as a tool to get info or downloads. Always bring a laptop to test a connection, or as a resource for info as you work on your “patient”. It also allows you, as mentioned, to “look busy” while your scan or bootup is progressing. People like to see you working. NEVER cross your arms and sit in front of the computer waiting.
6. If you fix their computer, but make them feel stupid, you lose. Explain in their terms, using an analogy (defragging is like a library where all the books are there, but they’re not in the right place)or something like that to let them know what is going on. Don’t use acronyms (Your USB NIC can’t get an IP on your LAN). Big mistake – accept if they offer you something – it shows acceptance and appreciation. “I’m making the kids a sandwich, would you like one? Could I get you a bottle of water?” Accepting and then being gracious in your thanks can be a magic door into being a trusted vendor they may eventually treat like family. I have the gate codes an access to some of the finest cars in homes in my city, as well as calls about “Hey my girls have grown out of some nice clothes they’ve hardly worn and thought your daughter would love them. Or, would you and your wife like some tickets to the concert — we can’t make it”
7. Check your competition’s pricing, set yours and stick with it with few exceptions. Be confident about handing someone a bill with a smile and saying,b”There you go, you’re back up and running.” and tell them as part of your service, you offer free simple phone support to your clients.
Sorry about being so windy. But I’ve started 4 successful businesses from scratch and I’ve seen these things work over and over again.
02befree wrote: “offer free simple phone support to your clients.”
Wouldn’t that be setting yourself up for someone to abuse it? How would you go about handling a customer that did use it too much? also, where would you draw the line between “simple” phone support and charging them?
Good question Paul. First of all, when that happens, like 5 min. ago a client asked me to remind him how to remove unwanted startup items, and I told him how to get to msconfig. That added huge value to my service, and once again puts my company at the forefront of his mind where he is very willing and sometimes feels compelled to tell someone else about me, and undoubtedly will refer me if anyone he talks to, even on the phone, that says anything about computers. The toughest part of any business is getting customers and this is a great way to get more customers – the best kind, those that are referred – and also to keep OUT the competition. Abuse, yes people will try that occasionally. Remember, you’re in control. I’ve told people, Sorry but this is too complex for simple phone support – when can I come over and fix that for you. Or, This will take some time, if you want me to walk you through this, I will only bill you a reduced rate because I’ll save travel time. As your business gets bigger this may not be feasible and you can limit it to text or email support. Yesterday I got an email that simply said, Should I install this? and it described an update popup from their AV program. I knew it was legit so I said, Sure, and thank you for checking – I want to keep your PC safe and running clean. They were very thankful.
But as I said, stay in control on the phone. “You know in order to help you with this I’m going to need to be in front of the computer.”
The customers that call a lot, I would send an email to and say, I appreciate serving you, could you forward my signature below to at least 5 of your friends/associates that could use my service. Thanks so much. Your referrals are very appreciated.
Thanks every one for the advice.
Esp.. 02befree and jbutler9
What other businesses are natural referral bases?
For example, in my auto detailing business, I get to know the body shops and auto repair shops and they give me a lot of business. What are similar businesses that would refer a customer that needs computer repair to me? This has kind of stumped me, because lots of electronics retailers have their own in-house geeks, like Geek Squad.
Business is also about starting at the right time. Just like buying property in the right location.
-I started my biz during the recession (lost my job) and received calls from family then their friends who needed the “cheaper” alternative. Eventually, companies will find you through adverts/word of mouth and keep you if you do a good job.
So don’t give up even when your getting no business,you need to keep trying. If starting your own business was easy then everyone would be doing it.
@02befree
I have found that technology boutique places are great “natural referrals.” Print shops,camera stores, used CD shops, music/instrument stores, car audio shops, even the local wireless carrier shops. Anywhere where someone can be told how to use technology and they would say, “My computer can’t do that”
Before starting your business (you may have a plan thought out already or not), get experience. If you can’t do what the customers want you to do or need you to do, they won’t choose you to fix their systems.
Keep the job(s) you are working at and take on a couple of friends or good acquaintences problems. Maybe you charge a small fee, maybe you don’t.
Never hesitate to share what you can do with anyone when the conversation comes up. Get a piece of paper or make some cheap cards with your name, contact info, and what you are offering. Tell them you would like to help them out. This will build your client base.
Also, train yourself and really understand what is going on in a computer’s “mind.” I get tired of all these people who go to college or get a certification and think that they are now ready to get a job. NO. Experience and true knowledge is something that a paper will never be able to replace, though it is a good thing to have from an employer’s stand-point, the business world is beginning to realize that certs and degrees don’t quite match up to people who have done stuff by themselves and yes those crackers are a lot of times better than kids who have their masters degrees.
Get the practice. Get the client base. Get the wisdom. Get the money.
“If you dont make your customers happy someone else will” Henry Ford. If you build your business off this quote and treat people with honesty and respect. I think you will do just fine. Also keep in mind you will always run into issues you have not incouterd before so be fexible and agile and expect the unexpected. No tech. knows everything and be nice to other computer businesses sometimes they might have helpful wisdom.
encounterd for the spelling nazi
After reading through the post’s above I thought I would share a small piece of wisdom I have learnt over the years. Start with your friends and family get them to pass out your details to they friends and family (if you say 6 f&f and ask each one to pass details to 6 of they f&f and they pass on to 6 of they s etc.) offer half price clean up’s to the first 6. Go check they network is secure for free and explain the benefits of having a qualified tech set it up, and service they computer. One of the best things i didis get a 0800 phone number now I can compete with the national companies and the way to keep it cost effective is “Hi im with a customer at the moment give me your number and i’ll ring back with in the next 2, 5 ?? mins. (make sure you ring them stright back) check the internet for great deals on 0800 numbers.
Just one more point. Remember that being a tech is what you are. Being a salesman is what keeps you being a tech. Spend time learning sales techniques.