Starting Over: Request for Advice and Ideas

[Mr.Mike]

Hi All,

I would appreciate your input about restarting a business after a 400 mile move from city of 250,000 to a cityof 1.35 million. I have a targeted client base of mostly 60% of my clients are older women (65+) and 35% older men (65+) with the other 5% being a mix of business people, the disabled or young adults. My favorite client base has crystalized as professional couples who are still working or retired and have "comfortable" incomes.

My clients are successful authors, investors, business owners, bankers, doctors, interior designers,and other who are often retirees. I believe I have a leg-up because I won't be wondering who to attract.

I have decided that perhaps changing the name of my business (Pacific Computer Services) to more accurately reflect my clientele. The name I am tossing around "Tech-Friendly Mike" I would very much appreciate your thoughts and advice on how i might restart my business.

Cheers!

 

[Larry Sabo]

I would suggest a name that is less collegial/informal, given the professional nature of your clients...something that engenders an expectation of professionalism/knowledge/experience. No name comes to mind, unfortunately. Palladium and platinum come to mind but they are over-worked, I suspect. "Top-Drawer Computer Services" <choke>

 

[Mr.Mike]

Thanks for the advice Larry. My wife agrees with you about the name.

 

[Mike McCall]

Why not stick with the name you have?

 

[Mr.Mike]

Thanks Mike. Well, I have been given advice from a very creative web designer to sort of "personalize" my brand. Something that says Trust, Friendliness but with Professionalism. Pacific Computer Services is just me, one person who does mobile tech. It sounds pretty impersonal and find out I am just one person, they are a little surprised. People in my demographic often feel stupid in front of technicians. I want to assure them they aren't stupid, software is not very intuitive to use and that they can depend on me to deliver good service with a friendly attitude while teaching them a few tricks to make computer use easier and demystify the machine. When I first started I called myself "Personal Computer Tutor". I soon found that was too limiting because I was doing much more than that.

 

[Mike McCall]

I was just curious, Mike.

 

[acscva]

I did a 400 mile move 4 years ago from upstate NY to central VA. I think the biggest thing is getting involved with the community and attending networking events like Chamber of Commerce and referral networking groups to get your name out there. I think focusing on a niche market it great but I still haven't narrowed it down to a type of business but instead focus on the size of business. I focus on small businesses up to 20 employees as many of my competitors focus on the larger customers.

Not sure if I would recommend changing your business name to include your name...

 

[Bryce W]

I would suggest a name that is less collegial/informal, given the professional nature of your clients...something that engenders an expectation of professionalism/knowledge/experience.

I second this and dont recommend making it more personal with "Tech Friendly Mike". I feel TFM is too limiting to residential users and not successful business people. Plus, what if you hire employees? or sell the business?

 

[mraikes]

You've pretty much described my target market as well as the target of almost everyone in our industry. "Generally tech-clueless but intelligent, well off older folks willing and able to spend what it takes to get their technology working again."

Check out your competition. In a much larger market you'll not only have a greater number of established competitors, but in a population that size the pizza-tech/craigslist/fly-by-night folks will also be more common and pop up with more regularity. And oddly, the market you describe (because it's largely residential/SOHO) is as intrigued by pizza techs as anyone else.

Position yourself and your website to stand out from the crowd. Use an interesting website and adwords to push your site up the rankings for exposure. By the way, if your website is just a variation of everyone else's reasonably decent website then what's the attraction? Use TN for web critique - you'll get a lot of good suggestions specific to our industry, not just some web guru's idea of what's this year's fashionable Wordpress theme, background color and banner style.

As far as a name change, Pacific Computer Services is pretty bland - but it's descriptive and apparently appropriate. Who cares that it's only one guy - welcome to my world!

However, if you think it important that prospective customers are aware of your limited staffing situation (it isn't, by the way), and you want to follow your web guru's advice, perhaps a better name would be "Dude on Wheels Computer Repair". Communicates one guy, mobility, technology, computer knowledge, repair abilities . . . tongue in cheek of course. But I call trademark.

However, an informal name isn't necessarily a bad thing. My own name is casual, friendly, a little hokey and humorous. And strikes a chord with potential customers that need my type of assistance. Countless times I hear that customers have chosen me because of my name and website (which isn't like many others). Of course I wouldn't hear from customers that don't choose me - so take that for what it's worth. But a pretty good percentage of my customers generally fit your described target so I must be doing something slightly right in that area.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I did a 400 mile move 4 years ago from upstate NY to central VA. I think the biggest thing is getting involved with the community and attending networking events like Chamber of Commerce and referral networking groups to get your name out there. I think focusing on a niche market it great but I still haven't narrowed it down to a type of business but instead focus on the size of business. I focus on small businesses up to 20 employees as many of my competitors focus on the larger customers.

Not sure if I would recommend changing your business name to include your name...

Thank you. It's good to know it can be done. I think I'm beginning to back away from the name change

 

[Mr.Mike]

I second this and dont recommend making it more personal with "Tech Friendly Mike". I feel TFM is too limiting to residential users and not successful business people. Plus, what if you hire employees? or sell the business?

Thank you Bryce. I see what you mean by the name limiting my cllient base. Guess I was thinking that my demographic is and will likely always be older folks. Maybe that is limited thinking as well. The truth is that seniors/boomers are the most rewarding clients for me. And if I can hit on a name that says something more about me and the experience they are likely to have it may invite more of my favorite clientele.

 

[Mr.Mike]

You've pretty much described my target market as well as the target of almost everyone in our industry. "Generally tech-clueless but intelligent, well off older folks willing and able to spend what it takes to get their technology working again."

Check out your competition. In a much larger market you'll not only have a greater number of established competitors, but in a population that size the pizza-tech/craigslist/fly-by-night folks will also be more common and pop up with more regularity. And oddly, the market you describe (because it's largely residential/SOHO) is as intrigued by pizza techs as anyone else.

Position yourself and your website to stand out from the crowd. Use an interesting website and adwords to push your site up the rankings for exposure. By the way, if your website is just a variation of everyone else's reasonably decent website then what's the attraction? Use TN for web critique - you'll get a lot of good suggestions specific to our industry, not just some web guru's idea of what's this year's fashionable Wordpress theme, background color and banner style.

As far as a name change, Pacific Computer Services is pretty bland - but it's descriptive and apparently appropriate. Who cares that it's only one guy - welcome to my world!

However, if you think it important that prospective customers are aware of your limited staffing situation (it isn't, by the way), and you want to follow your web guru's advice, perhaps a better name would be "Dude on Wheels Computer Repair". Communicates one guy, mobility, technology, computer knowledge, repair abilities . . . tongue in cheek of course. But I call trademark.

However, an informal name isn't necessarily a bad thing. My own name is casual, friendly, a little hokey and humorous. And strikes a chord with potential customers that need my type of assistance. Countless times I hear that customers have chosen me because of my name and website (which isn't like many others). Of course I wouldn't hear from customers that don't choose me - so take that for what it's worth. But a pretty good percentage of my customers generally fit your described target so I must be doing something slightly right in that area.

All seriousness aside, if we are going to invoke the Big Lewbowski, how about El Dudareeno's Mobile Computer Repair (since I'm not into the whole brevity thing)! I call that trademark!

Your thoughtful advice is very clear and valuable (+1). I haven't seen your website but will take a look and think about what you said.

I don't really care if clients know I am a one man show. I agree my current business name doesn't grab attention, so it doesn't do much for me as a brand. However, I've got a fairly polished logo and a well structured site, but it seems ineffective for conveying my individuality as a personal (patient, effective and friendly) service. I want to come off as someone between the "go-to guy" to "personal technican on retainer".

 

[mraikes]

If I could give you TWO likes for the Lebowski reference I would.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I've got a fairly polished logo and a well structured site, but it seems ineffective for conveying my individuality as a personal (patient, effective and friendly) service. I want to come off as someone between the "go-to guy" to "personal technican on retainer".

I haven't looked at yours site yet, but do you have testimonials saying exactly that? If not, I'd call a few favours from clients who think of you that way and have them submit testimonials attesting to it.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I haven't looked at yours site yet, but do you have testimonials saying exactly that? If not, I'd call a few favours from clients who think of you that way and have them submit testimonials attesting to it.

I do have some "revolving" testimonials that do say exactly those things. Still, I could get some more based on your excellent suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Teknyka]

First: search for domain names that are available.
Second: find a name that is easy to spell, pronounce, and remember.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Unless there's bad baggage with your current name I would not change it. If you change your brand name then you risk past clients being unable to find you. ALL THE MARKETING YOU HAVE EVER DONE IS WASTED. Your webguy unless he has a degree in marketing should stfu.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Unless there's bad baggage with your current name I would not change it. If you change your brand name then you risk past clients being unable to find you. ALL THE MARKETING YOU HAVE EVER DONE IS WASTED. Your webguy unless he has a degree in marketing should stfu.

Well, now that my location is hundreds of miles away from my local market, I had thought I needed to find some kind of marketing edge in the big city of SD. It's beginning to seem unnecessary and perhaps more problematic to change it. Thanks nline.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Well, now that my location is hundreds of miles away from my local market, I had thought I needed to find some kind of marketing edge in the big city of SD. It's beginning to seem unnecessary and perhaps more problematic to change it. Thanks nline.

That's different. If you are in a new market and haven't expended anything in it then you certainly can change things. My concern was burning any visibility you had with existing clients. If you are in a new area then what I said doesn't apply.

 

[TechLady]

Where are you again? Are you still in Cali? I thought you moved to the other side of the country?