My business is dying :( I need Advice please

[Andyuk2007]

Hi All, for the past three weeks i've only had one call out for my services I feel PC Wizard is going to die off and i might have to go on the dole while i look for a full time job. Of course i dont really want to do that as i love working with computers and fixing people's problems e.t.c.

In a last effort I've had my ads altered so my hourly rate is on them and its going to be published next week in a booklet called "Advert 2 offer"http://www.design2printing.co.uk/advert_to_offer_west.php Its delievered to 11,000 homes, its my last hope of reviving my business I am going to run the Advert with my hourly rate on for 3 to 4 months and see what happens.

I did think of doing leaflets again but i cannot afford to get any printed to deliever them right now.....I hope this isnt the end of PC Wizard, i could do with some Advice people.

thanks for reading

 

[Simmy]

FFS - I just wrote a big reply and accidentally click the back button and lost it

Anyway...

What methods of advertising are you using atm? The Advert2Offer booklet and hand delivering leaflets. Anything else?

I don't think including your hourly rate will change anything really. At least if you don't include your hourly rate people will phone up to enquire and you can change your prices on the fly.

Can you get a part time job in the evening perhaps? It takes a year or two to get a steady flow of business and even then you'll find you have quiet periods. Stick at it

 

[Andyuk2007]

FFS - I just wrote a big reply and accidentally click the back button and lost it

Anyway...

What methods of advertising are you using atm? The Advert2Offer booklet and hand delivering leaflets. Anything else?

I don't think including your hourly rate will change anything really. At least if you don't include your hourly rate people will phone up to enquire and you can change your prices on the fly.

Can you get a part time job in the evening perhaps? It takes a year or two to get a steady flow of business and even then you'll find you have quiet periods. Stick at it

Hi simon, I've just posted on craigslist so thats another method, my hourly rate though is the best thing going for me as i'm cheap as chips but to be serious though its been in a slump for the past 4 months As you know i used to Advertise in another local business blooklet called "The Local" but i got no response from that and it cost me £57 a month so the Advert to offer is one I've advertised in before but that was with an older advert, hopefully i might have more success with it.

I would like to get a part time job I look on the jobcentre website and in the local paper and have made a few enquires. I assume you got a shop as your website shows a picture of one so how did you start out, what Advertising methods do you use...maybe i can pick up a few tips from you

I cant even afford to learn to drive at the moment with the way things are

thanks

 

[Simmy]

Seriously, give the local rag a try - I pay £11.50 a week for a 3 line ad in the local services section in my local paper (The Observer) which is distributed to the whole of Bristol every week. I also have a bigger advert in the East copy of the paper as that is delivered to my area - however that costs £300 for 13 weeks I think. That is easily my best method of advertising.

What is your hourly rate if you don't mind me asking? The thing is, if I can charge £45/hour to a random person who as never used my services before, then so can you. You've seen how slow this business can get so you need to charge accordingly so you don't have to struggle to survive each month.

Also, having a shop is news to me What picture are you referring to? I have an online shop but I work from home

 

[Andyuk2007]

Seriously, give the local rag a try - I pay £11.50 a week for a 3 line ad in the local services section in my local paper (The Observer) which is distributed to the whole of Bristol every week. I also have a bigger advert in the East copy of the paper as that is delivered to my area - however that costs £300 for 13 weeks I think. That is easily my best method of advertising.

What is your hourly rate if you don't mind me asking? The thing is, if I can charge £45/hour to a random person who as never used my services before, then so can you. You've seen how slow this business can get so you need to charge accordingly so you don't have to struggle to survive each month.

Also, having a shop is news to me What picture are you referring to? I have an online shop but I work from home

I charge £15 per hour, a few months ago it did bring in some work but i think the problem is that maybe i dont advertise enough but to be honest "The local" cost me a fortune so i just stuck to local shop window Adverts I was put off by the fact that i got no feedback from the local, Perhaps i just need to spend more on advertising to get me noticed. I do have customers that do call me every now and then so thats nice that they remember me and are very happy with my services.

Also, having a shop is news to me What picture are you referring to? I have an online shop but I work from home

oops i got confused....i was thinking of someone else

 

[Simmy]

Looking back over my previous end of year accounts, I spent £1600 on advertising in the first year and £2300 in the second year.

Probably £800 of that was on Yellow Pages and BT Phone Book - both of which were useless for me.

Would be interesting to see how much other people spend on advertising.

 

[Andyuk2007]

Looking back over my previous end of year accounts, I spent £1600 on advertising in the first year and £2300 in the second year.

Probably £800 of that was on Yellow Pages and BT Phone Book - both of which were useless for me.

Would be interesting to see how much other people spend on advertising.

Yellow pages contacted me last week asking me if i was interested in placing an advert with them but i declined because there are so many rivals in there however i'm open to see how many others get alot of business with it.

 

[Phishie]

I charge £15 per hour

Charge more. I personally don't trust people who advertise dirt cheap prices. But I am a skeptic.

Run an ad every other day in Craig's List. Make sure you are posting the city nearest you. You can check out my Craig's List ad here. I just started using Craig's List and I've been getting 1-2 calls a week from it. I had a chat with one of my client's today and he said the reason he chose to call me over the other Craig's List clowns is because I have a nice logo and a clickable link to my website. He said my website looked very professional. He also said that he liked the way I listed my services on Craig's List. He said because I listed those specifics it seemed like I was "a lot more knowledgeable" than other Craig's List posters.

Try getting a part-time job that won't interfere with main service hours, which are usually from 9am to 2pm.

Whatever you decide to do, remember this: The best advertising is a recommendation from a friend. If you do good work and your client's love you, they will recommend you to their friends and colleagues.

 

[Crgky127]

Also remember to advertise constantly, even when you are really busy, because it can pay off even a year later.

 

[Checkmate]

Andy, is there a networking group around you? Like here, I've joined a group that is business mutual. I'm the only computer consultant that can join, and if they have computer needs the other members of the group call me. It's a great way to build up/ promote a monthly maintenance.

 

[NWPhotog]

I guess one caution I would throw out is you don't usually start a business like turning on a faucet. Often it costs as much to hook a customer as you will make on them in the first call. It is the call backs where you make real money. It will take time to build up a volume that equals that of a regular job or even 2/3's of a job. My advice would be to do what it takes to support yourself and then start the business part time plowing back any profits into the business for the time being. Later switch to a part time job as the volume picks up and eventually go solo. I personally jumped in with both feet but didn't expect much income for 6 months. After about 6 months I hooked a regular company account that more than equaled my pre-business income. From what I hear from others that was unusually fast.

 

[bagellad]

Its ok to do something part time and get out and meeting people, maybe find a job where lots of people complain about their computer and you can move them over to your business. Why don't you go dress up in your Sunday best and go out and talk to a few businesses and offer them a free IT consultation? I am considering doing that myself!

 

[nonchalant]

About 4 years ago (I've been in this business about 6 years) I once didnt get ONE call over a period of approx 8 weeks. At that point I was running a weekly ad in the local rag. I was so concerned I actually rang my own mobile to make sure it was still working!

I havent had a 'dry' period like that since but I have gone a few weeks on occassion w/o any work.

Most weeks I get between 1 & 6 jobs (on average).

But then I do this business as a sideline, and usually am employed F/T also so a dry stint isnt so bad.

Perhaps you could put your card up on a few shopping centre community service boards? Apart from that, flyers is the cheapest AND best return for $$

 

[Andyuk2007]

Things are looking up

I have 2 call outs today so things are looking up hopefully next week when my ad goes in again it should bring some more in *hopes*

i'll report back later

 

[The Birddog]

Hi Andy,

My business was looking the same way a couple of months back and I was forced to do something or pack it in. I had some leaflets printed and walked around three local villages, no phone calls at all, I must have delived 2000 leaflets by hand over three days.

Following week, two different villages. First one I have had two new customers resulting in three jobs and nearly £200.

Second village, quite posh, walked around it delivering leaflets then noticed a coffee morning was taking place at the local hall. I walked in, two people have my leaflets in their hands and are discussing my business. I have done work for both these people and so far I have had three other customers from referrals. I have taken over £800 so far.

I advertise on yell.com, 2 months now, no calls. Google adwords, no calls so far but only been running a week. I have wasted a lot of money on the local rag with not much success.

Hope this helps,

J.

 

[chumby]

Try search engine paid advertising with a small daily budget. Make sure you have a first class website and you will get work! That is all I use now and get 1-3 calls per day. I was using flyers and handouts.... I stopped that, it was too expensive without the return.

 

[NWPhotog]

Try search engine paid advertising with a small daily budget. Make sure you have a first class website and you will get work! That is all I use now and get 1-3 calls per day. I was using flyers and handouts.... I stopped that, it was too expensive without the return.

Where are you located?

 

[14049752]

I have 2 call outs today so things are looking up hopefully next week when my ad goes in again it should bring some more in *hopes*

I don't think two calls is enough to say that things are looking better. It doesn't sound like you're thinking in the long term for your business.....only in the here and now.
You need to think on a larger scale, and a longer period, to see if your business is doing better. You could get five calls in one day and think "Great! Business is booming" and then have a dry period of a month because nobody else needs you. That's not a "looking up" situation at all.

Additionally, you say that you can't afford to advertise and have made a "last ditch effort" to revive your business. Let's say the advert you just ran gets your business kicking again for a short while.... You need to KEEP advertising to keep the business growing, even if it hurts. Tighten your belt and get your name out there. There are plenty of cheap advertising options out there, you just have to be the one to get the message in front of people.

 

[Andyuk2007]

I don't think two calls is enough to say that things are looking better. It doesn't sound like you're thinking in the long term for your business.....only in the here and now.
You need to think on a larger scale, and a longer period, to see if your business is doing better. You could get five calls in one day and think "Great! Business is booming" and then have a dry period of a month because nobody else needs you. That's not a "looking up" situation at all.

Additionally, you say that you can't afford to advertise and have made a "last ditch effort" to revive your business. Let's say the advert you just ran gets your business kicking again for a short while.... You need to KEEP advertising to keep the business growing, even if it hurts. Tighten your belt and get your name out there. There are plenty of cheap advertising options out there, you just have to be the one to get the message in front of people.

I dont believe i said i cannot afford to advertise, one of the booklets that i advertised in was £57 a month and i got no one calling me even after the ad had been in for a around five months so I've decided to drop that magazine and advertise in a different one that gives the same service but for a cheaper price. the long term for my business I've set in motion but its the here and now i have to be concerned about, my long term plan is to learn to drive and pass my test so i can take pc wizard beyond my local advertising range of just the 11,000 that I regualary advertise too.

 

[MHCG]

I am not directing this at anybody in particular, but on this board I often read people saying that advertising in this magazine didn't work, or that paper didn't work. I think it's likely to be the advertisement itself that is the problem and not the paper or magazine.